Advisory & vCISO
Fractional CISO
A named, dedicated security officer on retainer — owning your security program, your policies, and your risk posture — for a fraction of what a full-time CISO costs. Starting at $1,500/month.
What is a Fractional CISO?
Security Strategy & Roadmapping
Turn security from a checkbox into a growth enabler with clear, prioritized plans.
Architecture & Design Reviews
Review cloud, app, and data architectures before they become expensive to change.
Customer & Vendor Assurance
Support for security questionnaires, RFPs, and customer due diligence.
Risk & Incident Guidance
Expert help with risk decisions, incident response planning, and tabletop exercises.
What We Provide
Down-to-Earth Experts
Real people who speak business and security — not just buzzwords.
Flexible Engagement
Start small, then grow into Pro or vCISO as your needs expand.
Aligned with Your Stack
Advisory services designed to complement SignalShield Compliance and your existing tools.
Customer-Facing Support
We help you win and keep customers by showing a strong, credible security story.
Who This Is For
If two or more of these apply, a 20-minute conversation is worth your time.
Up and Running in 30 Days
Discovery Call
20 minutes. We understand your environment, your industry, and your biggest security exposure areas.
Gap Assessment
We document your current state against a security baseline and deliver a written gap report.
Program Launch
Your security roadmap, initial policy set, and first monthly executive report are delivered.
Ongoing Retainer
Monthly engagement, quarterly briefings, and continuous program evolution from there.
Engagement Tiers
Flat monthly retainer. No surprise invoices.
Essentials
Small businesses, initial security program buildout
~8 hours/month
- •Dedicated fractional CISO (named point of contact)
- •Security roadmap and prioritized 90-day plan
- •Core policy set (AUP, Incident Response Plan, Access Control Policy)
- •Monthly executive summary report
- •Quarterly leadership briefing
- •Incident response retainer (on-call escalation)
All engagements begin with a complimentary 20-minute discovery call. Gap assessments available as a $500 add-on or waived with a 3-month commitment.
Two Roles. One Mission.
Understanding the difference between a Fractional CISO and a Fractional Compliance Officer — and why many businesses need both.
Fractional CISO
Are We Secure?
Your Fractional CISO owns your security program. This is the person asking whether your systems are actually protected — identifying vulnerabilities, building defenses, managing risk, and making sure your team knows what to do when something goes wrong.
A CISO focuses on the technical and operational side of security: access controls, endpoint protection, incident response, vendor risk, and staff awareness. This role exists whether or not you have a compliance requirement. Every business that handles sensitive data needs security leadership — most just can't afford a full-time hire.
Fractional Compliance Officer
Can We Prove It?
Your Fractional Compliance Officer owns your regulatory program. This is the person making sure your organization can demonstrate compliance to auditors, regulators, insurers, and enterprise clients — through documentation, policies, audit readiness, and ongoing program management.
A Compliance Officer focuses on the paper trail: your risk register, System Security Plan, policy library, Business Associate Agreements, POA&M tracking, and regulatory change monitoring. Their work is what you show when someone asks you to prove you're compliant.
Why Many Businesses Need Both
Security and compliance are related — but they're not the same job. You can be technically secure and still fail an audit because your documentation is incomplete. You can have perfect paperwork and still be wide open to a breach.
Three situations where both roles matter
Defense contractor pursuing CMMC 2.0
The CISO implements the 110 required security controls — MFA, access management, incident response, endpoint protection. The Compliance Officer documents everything, maintains the System Security Plan, manages the POA&M, and prepares you for your third-party assessment. One without the other means you're either not ready technically or not ready on paper — and either will disqualify you.
Medical or dental practice handling patient data
The CISO locks down your systems, protects against phishing, and ensures your backups are solid. The Compliance Officer keeps your HIPAA risk analysis current, ensures your Business Associate Agreements are signed, documents staff training, and maintains your breach notification procedures. If HHS comes knocking, the CISO's work kept you safe — the Compliance Officer's work is what you'd actually hand them.
Law firm or financial advisory preparing for cyber insurance renewal
Insurers are increasingly requiring both evidence of security controls and a formal, documented information security policy. The CISO implements the controls. The Compliance Officer writes the policies, documents the evidence, and packages it in a way your insurer can evaluate. One without the other leaves you either exposed or unable to prove you're not.