Fractional CISO
Executive-level security leadership, scaled to your needs and budget. The strategic guidance your company deserves — without the $300K+ salary.
The security leadership gap
Your company is growing. Customers are asking about your security posture. Compliance requirements are stacking up. Investors want to know you're managing risk. You need someone who can own security strategy at the executive level.
But here's the reality: a full-time CISO costs $250K–$400K+ in total compensation, and most mid-stage companies don't have 40 hours a week of strategic security work. You end up paying executive rates for someone who spends half their time on tasks that don't require their expertise.
Meanwhile, the alternative — asking a senior engineer or IT manager to "also handle security" — creates a different problem entirely.
Why a security engineer isn't a CISO
Security engineering and security leadership are fundamentally different disciplines. Here's what gets lost when you try to fill a strategic role with a tactical one.
No board-level communication
Engineers speak in technical terms. Boards and executives need risk translated into business impact, liability, and financial exposure. A CISO bridges that gap.
Missing the strategic picture
Engineers focus on fixing what's in front of them. A CISO looks 12–24 months ahead, aligning security investments with business goals, growth plans, and regulatory timelines.
Vendor and framework blind spots
Choosing between SOC 2 and ISO 27001, or evaluating which SIEM to buy, requires years of cross-industry experience that most engineers haven't had the opportunity to develop.
Burned-out team members
Asking someone to do two jobs means neither gets done well. Your engineer's core work suffers, and your security posture stays reactive instead of proactive.
What a fractional CISO actually does
All the strategic impact of a full-time CISO, delivered on a schedule that matches your company's needs and growth stage.
Security Strategy
Define and execute a security roadmap aligned with your business objectives, growth plans, and risk tolerance.
Board Reporting
Present security posture, risk metrics, and program progress to your board and investors in language they understand.
Compliance Management
Navigate SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and other frameworks. Select the right standard and drive certification.
Team Development
Hire the right security people, define roles, mentor your team, and build a culture where security is everyone's responsibility.
Vendor Management
Evaluate, select, and negotiate with security vendors. Avoid overspending on tools you don't need and get better terms on the ones you do.
Risk Assessment
Continuously identify, quantify, and prioritize risks so your leadership team can make informed decisions about where to invest.
AI Governance
Develop policies for safe AI adoption, evaluate AI tools for data risks, and ensure your team leverages AI's benefits without exposing the organization.
Incident Response
Build and test response playbooks so your team knows exactly what to do when a security event occurs — before it becomes a crisis.
Policy Development
Create clear, enforceable security policies that satisfy compliance requirements while remaining practical for your team to follow.
How the options compare
Three common approaches to security leadership — and why fractional makes sense for most growing companies.
Full-Time CISO
Traditional hire
- Dedicated full-time focus
- Deep organizational knowledge
- Massive cost for early/mid-stage
- Hard to recruit and retain
- May not have enough work to stay engaged
Fractional CISO
Scale Security Group
- Executive-level expertise
- Scales up or down with your needs
- Cross-industry experience
- Fraction of the cost
- Start immediately, no recruiting
Engineer as CISO
Internal stretch role
- Already knows your systems
- No executive security experience
- Reactive, not strategic
- Burns out your best engineer
- Hidden cost: missed vulnerabilities
Is a fractional CISO right for you?
This model works best for companies in a specific stage of growth.
You're a good fit if...
- You're 50–500 employees and growing
- Customers or prospects are asking about security
- You need compliance (SOC 2, ISO, etc.) but don't know where to start
- You can't justify a $300K+ full-time hire yet
- You want to build a security program, not just check boxes
Common triggers we see
- An enterprise customer requires a security questionnaire
- Investors are asking about security in due diligence
- A recent incident exposed gaps in your defenses
- You're entering a regulated industry
- Your team is growing and security policies don't exist yet
Ready to talk about what a fractional CISO could do for your company?
Schedule a free consultation. No pitch, no pressure — just an honest assessment of whether this is the right fit for your stage and goals.
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