Virtual CISO Services (vCISO)
A Virtual CISO (vCISO) is a fractional cybersecurity executive who delivers the strategy, governance, and compliance leadership of a full-time CISO, on demand and at roughly 30 to 40 percent of the cost.
- Award-winning vCISO in Canada
- SOC 2 · ISO 27001 · ISO 42001 · CMMC
- Toronto, Canada
What is a Virtual CISO (vCISO)?
A Virtual CISO (vCISO) is a fractional cybersecurity executive who provides the strategic leadership, governance, and compliance oversight of a full-time Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) on a flexible, on-demand or subscription basis, delivering the expertise of a CISO without the salary, benefits, or equity of a full-time hire. IRM's AI-Native vCISO covers both traditional cyber risk and AI risk, and is purpose-built for SaaS companies, startups, and SMBs.
Access Fortune 500-level security leadership at 30-40% less cost of a full-time CISO.
Delivering tailored Fortune 500-level Virtual CISO (vCISO) Services and solutions that ensure robust Cybersecurity, AI Governance & Risk Management for SaaS businesses at a fraction of the cost of an in-house team or full-time CISO. We help SaaS Companies, Startups & SMBs achieve SOC2, ISO42001, CMMC, ISO27001/2 Compliance 40% Cheaper & Faster.
Affordable vCISO services designed to accelerate compliance, provide cost-effective cybersecurity expertise on-demand or subscription model. We provide business strategic guidance on all aspects of Cybersecurity, AI Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance at competitive prices. View our Service Types & Pricing Options.
Affordable vCISO Services for your SaaS Business
Create a Competitive Advantage, Build Trust with Investors, Prospects & Customers
We Offer Virtual CISO Services to help you Scale securely,
Achieve Cybersecurity & AI Governance 40% Faster to Win Enterprise Deals
Tailored for your business, not one-size-fits-all, we right-size to protect and defend
Virtual CISO (vCISO) Services
We build and run comprehensive cybersecurity & AI strategies aligned with business goals and objectives. We provide cybersecurity strategic consulting and program management. We deliver "Investor-Ready" Cybersecurity Programs and AI Risk Assessments for SaaS Companies, Startups & SMBs to demonstrate maturity to VC's, Boards and Enterprise Customers. We create Board-Ready Reporting on Cybersecurity Threats, AI Risks and mitigation strategies.
AI Governance, Ethics & Risk Assessment
We provide AI Governance, Ethics & Risk Assessment Services for your AI Adoption, AI-powered apps and Agentic Workflows. We assess risks, ethical principles, implement internal controls, provision protocols, and structured governance models guided by ISO 42001, NIST AI.100, ISO TR 24027 or the EU AI Act to help your business develop, provide or use Trustworthy, Ethical and Responsible AI systems. Meet applicable regulatory requirements and obligations related to AI Governance and and win enterprise-clients.
Certification Readiness & Advisory
Gain a competitive advantage by achieving SOC2 Compliance, and other industry standard certifications such as ISO27001 , ISO42001, CMMC, CSA and more. Build stronger trust in your customers, partners and build trust with new prospects with certifications. We plan and build your roadmap to prepare you for certification. We hold your hand and work side-by-side with you throughout the journey.
Threat Risk Assessments
We offer a comprehensive Cybersecurity Threat Risk Assessment designed to discover and assess potential threats, risks to your critical information and technology assets and potential impact to your organization if not mitigated. Our methodology helps develop a Risk Register Report that informs you about the direction, prioritization and investments needed for your Cybersecurity Program.
Control Framework & Gap Assessment
We develop Control Frameworks and perform Gap assessments against industry standard frameworks such as NIST CSF, ISO27001, SOC2, CMMC, PCI-DSS and more. This includes Control Gap Assessments against regulatory, health and privacy requirements such as HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA, PHIPPA, PIPEDA regulations. We’ll take a look at the breadth and depth of your organizations.
Policy Development & Deployment
Developing Cybersecurity Policies and Procedures documentation is the foundation for every Cybersecurity Program. We develop and help you implement Policies and Procedures based on industry standards that are aligned to your business objectives and practical to protect your critical assets effectively, operating and control environment.
Third-Party Risk Management
Our Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) service focuses on safeguarding your business from risks posed by external vendors, suppliers, and partners. These services include conducting comprehensive third-party cybersecurity risk assessments before onboarding and using advanced tools to evaluate their cybersecurity posture, policies, and compliance status.
Managed Governance, Risk & Compliance
Identifying, managing and mitigating risks through control implementation, continuous monitoring and reporting of controls can be daunting for employees. Our Managed GRC Services make all this easy for you on one Platform that is fully managed for you. Improve your efficiency, reduce time and effort required.
Virtual CISO ROI Calculator
See How Much You Can Save with a Virtual CISO vs. Hiring a Full-Time CISO
$5,000/month
$60,000
$48,000
$190,000
317%
vCISO vs. Full-Time CISO: The Real Cost Comparison
A full-time CISO in North America costs $300,000 to $400,000+ per year when fully loaded. An IRM vCISO delivers the same executive-level expertise at approximately 40% of that cost with zero hiring risk, zero attrition risk, and productivity from Week 1.
| Investment Area | Full-Time CISO | IRM vCISO |
|---|---|---|
| Base Salary | $225,000 – $350,000 | Included |
| Bonus & Equity | $50,000 – $150,000+ | None |
| Benefits & Payroll Tax (~30%) | $70,000 – $120,000 | None |
| Recruiting & Onboarding | $40,000 – $80,000 | None |
| Tools, Training, Conferences | $15,000 – $30,000 | Included |
| Annual Total | $300,000 – $400,000+ | ~40% of full-time cost |
| Time to Productivity | 3 – 6 months | Week 1 |
| Scales Up or Down | No | Yes, On demand |
| Coverage Across Domains | Siloed | Cross-Domain |
| Risk of Attrition | High | Zero |
Bottom line: Enterprise-grade and AI-Native Virtual CISO expertise from day one, without the salary, equity, or hiring risk.
Our Approach to your Cybersecurity Assurance
& AI Governance
Our consultative approach is simple, yet highly effective for small businesses. We have a simple five (5) step process towards guiding your business to achieving the information security posture and maturity level that is aligned to your business goals, objectives and risk appetite.
Discover Critical Assets
Assess Risk and Impact
Prioritize based on Risk
Mitigate with Effective Solutions
Ongoing Assurance and Sustainability
Trusted By
Client Testimonials
We tailor and right-size our Services that align to our Clients current business goals and with future growth in mind. View our Case Studies and Common Cybersecurity Questions Answered.
IRM helped our business achieve SOC2 Type II readiness in 90 days → 40% faster than industry average at 40% lower than the market cost!
We were able to quickly win new business with the excellent Risk Assessments and Cybersecurity Solutions that provided assurance to our clients.
Our Cybersecurity concerns and requirements are always addressed with the right solutions. We have seen an improvement in the maturity of our security controls.
After months of searching for cost-effective vCISO Services, we turned to IRM Consulting & Advisory and we are very pleased with quality and professional services provided. Definitely the right choice for any small business.
The best Cybersecurity Consulting firm that is passionate about helping small businesses manage their cybersecurity program. Highly recommended for any small business looking for help with cybersecurity.
We reduced our cyber-insurance premiums with help from their skilled cybersecurity trusted advisors. Using their vCISO Services, we had a competitive advantage to win new customers and gain trust in existing customers and third-parties.
IRM helped our business achieve SOC2 Type II readiness in 90 days → 40% faster than industry average at 40% lower than the market cost!
We were able to quickly win new business with the excellent Risk Assessments and Cybersecurity Solutions that provided assurance to our clients.
Our Cybersecurity concerns and requirements are always addressed with the right solutions. We have seen an improvement in the maturity of our security controls.
After months of searching for cost-effective vCISO Services, we turned to IRM Consulting & Advisory and we are very pleased with quality and professional services provided. Definitely the right choice for any small business.
The best Cybersecurity Consulting firm that is passionate about helping small businesses manage their cybersecurity program. Highly recommended for any small business looking for help with cybersecurity.
We reduced our cyber-insurance premiums with help from their skilled cybersecurity trusted advisors. Using their vCISO Services, we had a competitive advantage to win new customers and gain trust in existing customers and third-parties.
Frequently Asked Questions about Virtual CISO (vCISO) Services
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Our Industry Certifications
Our diverse industry experience and expertise in AI, Cybersecurity & Information Risk Management, Data Governance, Privacy and Data Protection Regulatory Compliance is endorsed by leading educational and industry certifications for the quality, value and cost-effective products and services we deliver to our clients.
We specialize in transforming small and medium-sized SaaS & AaaS businesses into cyber-resilient organizations with cost-effective Virtual CISO Services.
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