Virtual CISO Services
Senior security leadership embedded into your organization. You get the expert - not their associate - and the proprietary tooling to show progress.
The virtual CISO market grew 319% between 2022 and 2027 for one reason: most organizations need a CISO-level security program without the $300,000+ cost of a full-time hire. Dark Rock's vCISO service delivers that program.
Unlike staffing firms that place a resume and step back, Dark Rock vCISOs are principals - CISM, CISA, and CISSP-credentialed practitioners who do the work themselves. Your engagement runs on SCF Connect, our framework mapping platform, so your controls posture is visible in real time - not just at the next quarterly review.
We take ownership of your security program. Risk assessments, board reporting, policy governance, vendor management, and compliance roadmaps are delivered under one engagement, one contract, and one accountable team.
What a vCISO Does
A vCISO performs the same function as a full-time Chief Information Security Officer - without the overhead. Your vCISO owns the security program strategy, reports to the board or executive team, and coordinates implementation across your organization.
- Security program design and roadmap development
- Risk assessment and risk register management
- Board and executive-level security reporting
- Security policy development, review, and approval
- Vendor and third-party risk oversight
- Compliance program coordination (SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and others)
- Security incident oversight and escalation support
- Security team hiring guidance and capability assessment
Our Scope
Dark Rock vCISO engagements are scoped to fit your stage - whether you are building a program from scratch, inheriting a program with gaps, or preparing for a compliance audit.
Foundational engagements (12–24 months) cover initial risk assessment, policy library development, framework selection, and board reporting cadence. Mature-program engagements focus on continuous improvement, audit readiness, and strategic advisory. Both engagement types include direct access to your assigned vCISO and monthly status deliverables.
- Initial security posture assessment against a named framework (NIST CSF, ISO 27001, or SCF)
- Gap analysis with prioritized remediation roadmap
- Security policy library (20+ policies tailored to your environment)
- Monthly board or executive security briefings
- Vendor risk management program and questionnaire review
- Compliance roadmap with milestone tracking in SCF Connect
- On-call advisory for security incidents and vendor escalations
Why Dark Rock's vCISO Is Different
Most vCISO providers place a consultant and hand you a spreadsheet. Dark Rock vCISO engagements run on SCF Connect - our proprietary framework mapping platform that tracks your controls posture against your selected frameworks continuously, not just at assessment time.
SCF Connect maps your evidence once and maintains alignment across multiple frameworks simultaneously. When your control library updates, every mapped framework updates with it. Your vCISO reviews the dashboard before every board meeting - not a manually compiled slide deck.
Our principals do the work. The CISM/CISA/CISSP-credentialed practitioner you meet in the initial scoping call is the same person who attends your board meetings and reviews your vendor contracts. No bait-and-switch staffing.
Backed by SCF Connect - Not Spreadsheets
Every vCISO engagement runs on SCF Connect, our framework mapping platform that tracks your controls posture in real time. Your evidence maps once across all applicable frameworks. Your vCISO sees your posture before every board meeting - not after a manual compilation sprint.
Estimate Your ROI
Adjust the sliders below to see estimated savings, ROI, and payback period based on your organization's size and current security spend.
Virtual CISO ROI Estimator
Estimate how much you save by engaging Dark Rock's vCISO instead of hiring a full-time Chief Information Security Officer.
Your Inputs
Estimated Results
$304,000
Annual Savings
230%
ROI
5 months payback
Breakdown
- Full-time CISO Equivalent Cost Avoided$406,000
- Annual vCISO Engagement Cost-$132,000
- SCF Connect Platform Efficiency Savings$30,000
* Estimates based on industry benchmarks. Actual savings depend on your specific environment and engagement scope.
