Virtual CISO (vCISO)
Services India for
Startups & SMEs
A full-time CISO costs ₹60L–₹1.2Cr per year in India — and top talent is nearly impossible to hire. A Virtual CISO gives you everything a CISO delivers for ₹50K–₹1.5L per month, on-demand.
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6 Signs Your Company Needs a Virtual CISO
Most companies wait for a security incident before hiring security leadership. By then, the damage is done. These signals indicate it’s time — before the breach.
Enterprise customers are asking security questions you can’t answer. Vendor security questionnaires, SOC 2 requests, or due diligence calls where your team is improvising answers.
You’re pursuing ISO 27001, SOC 2, or DPDP Act compliance but don’t have the internal leadership to own and drive the programme.
You’ve had a security incident (breach, ransomware, data leak) and need experienced leadership to manage the response and prevent recurrence.
You’re raising a funding round and investors or their due diligence teams are asking about your security posture, governance, and risk management.
You’re in a regulated sector (BFSI, healthcare, edtech with DPDP Act obligations) and need someone who understands both security and regulatory requirements.
Your IT team is managing security as a side job — no dedicated security leadership, no security roadmap, and security decisions are being made reactively.
What a vCISO Does — Full Scope
A Virtual CISO is not a consultant who delivers a report and disappears. It’s an embedded leadership role — your security head, available fractionally.
Security Strategy & Roadmap
Annual security strategy aligned to your business goals and risk appetite. 12-month roadmap with prioritised initiatives, budgets, and measurable outcomes.
Risk Management
Ongoing risk assessment, risk register maintenance, and risk treatment decisions. Board-ready risk reporting that non-technical leadership can act on.
Policy & Governance
Develop and maintain your security policy framework — from Information Security Policy to Acceptable Use, Incident Response, and Vendor Management.
Compliance Programme Ownership
Own and drive ISO 27001, SOC 2, DPDP Act, or other compliance programmes — as the accountable internal leader, not just an external advisor.
Vendor & Third-Party Security
Review and approve vendor security assessments, negotiate security terms in contracts, and maintain your third-party risk programme.
Incident Response Leadership
Be the person who picks up the phone at 2am when something goes wrong. Lead your incident response, manage communications, and drive post-incident remediation.
Security Awareness & Culture
Design and deliver security awareness training, phishing simulations, and a security culture programme that actually changes employee behaviour.
Board & Leadership Reporting
Translate security risk into business language for your CEO, CFO, and Board. Quarterly security reviews that enable informed governance decisions.
Security Architecture Review
Review new product features, infrastructure changes, and technology decisions for security implications before they’re built — not after.
Security Budget Optimisation
Help you spend security budget on what actually reduces risk — not on tools that look impressive on a slide but don’t protect you in practice.
Customer Security Questionnaires
Own and respond to customer security questionnaires, due diligence requests, and audit inquiries — taking this burden off your sales and product teams.
VAPT & Security Testing
Scope, procure, and manage vulnerability assessments and penetration testing engagements — ensuring they’re done right, not just done.
vCISO Pricing in India 2026
Our vCISO retainers are priced by engagement level — hours per month and scope of responsibilities. No hidden extras; no surprise invoices.
| Plan | Best For | Monthly Retainer | Engagement Level | Key Inclusions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Seed/Series A startups, <50 people, compliance kickoff | ₹50K – ₹75K/mo | 8–12 hrs/month | Security policy framework, quarterly board report, compliance programme oversight, incident response on-call |
| Growth ⭐ Most Popular | Series B+, 50–200 people, active compliance programmes | ₹75K – ₹1.25L/mo | 16–20 hrs/month | All Starter + vendor risk programme, customer questionnaires, security architecture review, monthly leadership reporting |
| Scale | Pre-IPO, 200–500 people, regulated sector, multi-framework | ₹1.25L – ₹2L/mo | 25–35 hrs/month | All Growth + dedicated security strategy, embedded team support, weekly check-ins, DPDP Act / ISO 27001 programme leadership |
| Full-Time CISO (market rate for comparison) | Any | ₹5L – ₹10L/mo | 160+ hrs/month | Full-time employee with full employee costs, equity, benefits — but not always available or affordable |
vCISO vs Full-Time CISO — The Real Comparison
| Factor | MYITMANAGER vCISO | Full-Time CISO Hire |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Cost | ₹6L – ₹24L/year | ₹60L – ₹1.2Cr/year (incl. equity) |
| Time to Engage | 1–2 weeks | 3–6 months recruitment + notice period |
| Experience depth | 20+ years, 50+ companies, multi-industry | Typically deep in 1–2 industries |
| Availability | On-call for incidents, flexible scaling | Fixed employee with fixed notice period |
| Team | Backed by full MYITMANAGER team (legal, technical, compliance) | Single person; may need to build team |
| Compliance breadth | ISO 27001, SOC 2, DPDP, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS — all covered | Usually expert in 2–3 frameworks |
| Termination risk | 30-day notice, no severance, no equity dilution | Notice period, severance, equity buyback complexity |
| Board credibility | ✓ Ex-Bain, 20+ yrs, recognised credentials | △ Depends on the hire |
| Knowledge retention | ✓ Continuity across engagements; all docs owned by you | ✗ High risk if they leave |
Meet Your Virtual CISO — Saurabh Gupta
Former IT Head at Bain & Company India. 20+ years in enterprise information security across BFSI, e-commerce, healthcare, and technology. Personally served as Virtual CISO for companies from 20-person startups to pre-IPO scale-ups. Every engagement is led personally by Saurabh — you are not being passed to a junior analyst.
CIPP/E
Ex-Bain India IT Head
ISO 27001 Lead Implementer
DPO Certified
Frequently Asked Questions
Complete Your Security Function
Get Enterprise Security Leadership from Day 1
₹50K/month starting retainer · 20+ years of experience · CISM + CIPP/E certified · Ex-Bain India IT Head · Available within 2 weeks
