Virtual CISO

Business focused Cybersecurity leadership. and advisory services

Industry Challenges

High Cost and Turn Over

Organization cannot budget for high salaries required by CISO or head of Cyber Security.

Lack of Cybersecurity Program

Development of short-term and long-term strategy and roadmap to counter Cyber threats.

Security Leadership

Absence of strategic leadership to perform security awareness, migrations, and implementations.

Cyber Risk Management

Identify, analyze, and evaluate security threats in alignment with business risk.

Complex Compliance Requirements

Experience and understanding of standard frameworks to meet privacy and regulatory requirements.

Incident Response

Recognizing threat patterns and managing potential incidents and appropriate responses to mitigate business downtime.

Solutions

With a high demand of Cybersecurity leaders, hiring a seasoned Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) may not be viable for small or midsize organizations. To meet compliance requirements, it is necessary for organizations to onboard leaders that provide continuous guidance and manage risks. Our top-tier industry veterans will help you assess and advise on your entire Cybersecurity program and strategize a business focused roadmap for your organization.

Strategic Planning

  • Develop Security Roadmap
  • Define Capability Maturity Model and ensure alignment

Steering Committee

  • Develop board presentations for security posture, compliance progress and other security initiatives
  • Develop Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s)

Policies and Procedures

  • Develop Policies and Procedures
  • Define lifecycle management of Policies and Procedures

Risk Management

  • Establish a Risk Management Framework
  • Conduct Risk Assessments
  • Develop Risk Mitigation Strategies

Technology Roadmap

  • Identify security technologies
  • Create implementation roadmap
  • Assist with deployment and operationalizations

Security Awareness

  • Develop a Security Awareness Program
  • Develop a Phishing Program
  • Develop training material, newsletters, security news

Incident Response Plan & Disaster Recovery

  • Conduct Business Impact Analysis [BIA]
  • Develop DR Strategy
  • Facilitate and document DR exercises
  • Develop Incident Response Plan

Third Party Vendor Management

  • Build an efficient Vendor Management Program

Compliance Alignment

  • Align with compliance objectives such as ISO 27001, PCI, HIPAA, SOC2, HITRUST

Gaps Remediation

  • Provide guidance and assistance in managing Corrective Action Plans (CAP’s)
  • Develop remediation strategies that are pragmatic and prioritized

Our Approach

Understand Business

Comprehensive Risk Assessment

Roadmap Development

Ongoing Advisory

Understand Business

Comprehensive Risk Assessment

Roadmap Development

Ongoing Advisory

Case Studies

A Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO)
A healthcare nonprofit was challenged to respond proactively to the need for a higher level of protection against damaging cyber threats. Propelex’s Virtual CISO solutions for Strategic Planning, Risk Management, Incident Response, and Business Continuity Planning are...

FAQs

Let us help you with any inquiry you might have.

What Does a CISO Mean?

A CISO, or Chief Information Security Officer, is a senior-level executive who is responsible for the security of an organization’s assets and data. In addition to protecting corporate data, a CISO also protects consumer data and works to improve the cybersecurity posture of an organization.

The role of a CISO has changed significantly in recent years, as the risk of cybercrime has grown. Increasingly, board members and regulators are pushing for greater transparency and trust in cybersecurity programs. Moreover, businesses are looking to security services to help them maintain their security posture.

A CISO’s job is complex and demanding. It involves working with both internal and external stakeholders to ensure that data flows reliably and safely. CISOs need to onboard new organizational stakeholders and collaborate with their peers to develop and maintain cybersecurity policies and procedures that are in line with business operations.

CISOs must work closely with their CIOs to identify and manage cybersecurity risks and develop and implement cybersecurity solutions that support growth and business objectives. Moreover, they need to ensure that cybersecurity programs are in line with legal compliance regulations.

CISOs must have deep industry knowledge and be adept at collaboration. They must also be able to provide actionable insights backed by evidence and data. They must be proactive in crisis management strategies and demonstrate strong leadership skills to guide their organization through a catastrophic security incident.

In order to succeed as a CISO, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest threats. CISOs must also be able to translate cyber risk to business risk.

Do You Need a Virtual Security Officer CISO?

A virtual security officer, or vCISO, can be an effective solution to your company’s information security needs. These individuals are independent and can provide unbiased cyber security expertise to your company. They can help you with specialized tasks, provide departmental direction, and engage with government agencies.

Virtual CISOs can hired as a temporary or permanent resource. In addition to assisting your business in developing cybersecurity policies, they can also provide support for seasonal spikes in user traffic and implement other security initiatives to mitigate future threats.
The benefits of hiring a virtual CISO can be significant. Not only can it save your company money, but it can also bring a fresh perspective to your cybersecurity programs.

For smaller organizations, it can be difficult to hire a CISO or a similar professional. A full-time CISO can be expensive, and they typically stay with an organization for only a couple years.
Hiring a vCISO can be more cost-effective, as they can jump into work on day one. Typically, vCISOs service multiple industries and locations.
Unlike a full-time CISO, a vCISO can also act as your security representative at monthly board meetings. This is especially helpful when the CISO is departing, as the vCISO can fill in until a replacement found.

Hiring a virtual CISO can be a great way to ensure that your company is in compliance with regulations and stays ahead of the game. However, you should make sure that you’re prepared before making the switch.

How to Engage Your Staff With Your Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is an important part of business today. It can’t ignore, and it’s important that your staff is engaged with it. In fact, it’s a great way to improve your security culture and head off threats before they hit.

There are several ways to make cyber security engaging for your employees. Using a gamified approach can be a good start. This approach can be fun for younger employees, while more mature employees may prefer traditional training methods.

Another way to engage your staff is to have a series of events. These can include a lecture series, games, infosec lunches, and more. You can also use posters and personalised reading materials to share your message in the office.
To encourage your employees to engage with cybersecurity, you can create a reward system. Rewards can range from gift cards to public praise on company Slack. They can also be used to encourage your employees to report suspicious activity.

One of the best ways to improve engagement is to provide a variety of different training options. Short training modules can offer monthly, while longer lessons can deliver throughout the year.
Having a calendar for your cybersecurity training can help you keep your employees informed of upcoming dates. You can also incorporate phishing simulation software into the program.

The simulation can allow you to evaluate your employees’ responses to an actual attack.
Aside from these methods, you can also have live-action training. Whether it’s a lecture or scavenger hunt, the activities can help your staff get a better understanding of how to spot a threat.

What Are The Top 5 Cloud Security Concerns for CIOs and CISOs

Cloud security is a major concern for CIOs and CISOs. Despite cloud adoption growing rapidly, data exposure remains a common problem for organisations. To combat these risks, businesses need to invest in a variety of cybersecurity solutions. Besides data protection, they need to consider legal compliance, risk and a strategic approach to systems architecture.

Among the top five challenges for CIOs, cybersecurity is a key concern. Over the past year, 63% of respondents have experienced at least one security incident. These incidents often involve employee mistakes or malicious activities.

Several cloud services are vulnerable to unauthorized access, malware injection, account hijacking, insecure APIs, and insider threats. These vulnerabilities can mitigate by strong authentication, device control and network perimeters. Depending on the business’s requirements, an appropriate mix of cloud controls may be necessary.

A recent survey by Venafi found that a large majority of companies have experienced at least one cloud-related security incident in the past 12 months. The most common threat is insider activity, such as phishing or IP theft. Another common risk is malware hosting on public resources.

One of the most important new concepts in the cybersecurity field is zero trust. Ideally, a robust zero trust-layer should achieve with discrete user and application-based isolation. This will include structured risk models, operational policies and advanced tools. However, this is not always possible, as the rapid pace of change makes it impossible to account for all technical factors.

What Is the Work of a Chief Cyber Security Officer?

A chief cyber security officer is a senior executive responsible for the overall IT security of an organization. They work alongside other executives to protect data. CISOs must have a broad understanding of information security.
An effective CISO is familiar with a variety of technical skills, including firewall and intrusion detection protocols, ethical hacking, and data privacy regulations. They also need a strong sense of business and compliance.

The average salary for a CISO is $207,000 per year. However, this can vary based on industry, geography, and experience. If you are interested in this position, you should consider getting a degree in computer science or business administration.

Many companies will appoint a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) as a dedicated director of security. This person oversees all aspects of an organization’s information security and ensures adherence to security policies.

CISOs usually have years of experience in cybersecurity. Their duties include developing and maintaining security programs, training employees, and responding to security incidents. In addition to these tasks, they often act as the face of information security operations to outside stakeholders.

CISOs must also stay up to date on federal and state laws. They are responsible for protecting proprietary and consumer data. It is vital that they understand the latest trends in cyber security, and they must adapt to the evolving threat landscape.

CISOs must also work closely with other departments in the organization. For example, they must develop a cybersecurity policy that reflects the business goals of the company.

Who Takes Care of a Software Company's Online Security?

There are a number of responsibilities involved in ensuring the online security of a software company. From the chief information security officer to all the employees, the entire company is involved in ensuring that data protected from malicious attacks.

The CISO is responsible for implementing a security program across the organization. He or she is also accountable for communicating cybersecurity to employees, executives and stakeholders. This includes developing a breach response plan.

Other responsibilities include protecting the company’s physical assets. If a company attacked by hackers, it can lead to a loss of customers’ personal information and money. A breach can also affect the company’s reputation. For instance, the Equifax breach in October stole the private information of 147.9 million consumers.

Other responsibilities include maintaining a firewall, which protects a system from external attacks. Firewalls can be hardware or software. It is important to have a maintenance contract with the hardware suppliers. They should specify service levels and a four-hour response time for failures.

Viruses can also be a hazard. These harmful programs are known to steal information and destroy systems. You can protect yourself by installing anti-virus and spyware software on your computer. Most software vendors offer automatic updates.

Lastly, there are insider threats. These can be disgruntled employees or clients who gain access to the system. Depending on the nature of the threat, it can be an accidental or deliberate act. In the case of hackers, it can be a deliberate attempt to steal company assets.

Why Are Employees Your Greatest Cybersecurity Asset

If you are like many businesses, the idea of cyber security can seem intimidating. Cyberattacks can be catastrophic, and a single error by one employee can put a whole organization at risk. However, if you make your employees aware of the dangers of cybersecurity and educate them on how to stay safe, you will reduce the risks of a data breach or even a full-blown hack.

The truth is that the most important line of defense for any business is its own employees. Whether they are using company laptops, phones, or other devices, they need to educate on the latest cybersecurity threats and how to best protect themselves.

One of the most common ways that cybercriminals attack is with phishing schemes. These schemes ask for personal information by posing as a trusted entity such as a bank or credit card company. Often, these email schemes contain malware that can infect a computer.

Social engineering attacks, on the other hand, rely on human interaction and trick people into divulging information. A recent example involved hackers gaining access to Twitter accounts through a simulated phishing scheme.
In today’s workplace, more employees are working remotely than ever before. This has led to an increase in the number of security threats. To help ensure that your business protected, you need to ensure that your systems are up to date and that your employees have the skills and resources to keep them that way.

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