What is a vCISO?
The security executive your organization needs — engaged as a strategic partner
A virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) is an experienced cybersecurity executive who serves your organization on a fractional or retainer basis — providing the same strategic leadership, board-level reporting, and compliance oversight you'd expect from a full-time CISO, at a fraction of the cost.
Unlike managed security service providers (MSSPs) who focus on tools and monitoring, a vCISO focuses on strategy, governance, and risk leadership — sitting alongside your executive team to make sure cybersecurity is aligned with your business objectives, regulatory obligations, and growth plans.
At Coastal Cyber Risk Advisors, your vCISO is Stephen Schofner — a board-certified cybersecurity executive with 25 years of enterprise experience. You work directly with Stephen, every engagement, every conversation.
Strategic leadership, not just tactical support
Your vCISO designs and leads your security program — setting direction, managing risk, and communicating with your board — not just responding to incidents.
A fraction of full-time CISO cost
A full-time CISO costs $250K–$500K in total compensation. A vCISO engagement delivers the same executive caliber starting at $6,000/month — with no benefits, overhead, or long-term employment commitment.
Scales with your organization
Start with the engagement level that fits your current needs and scale up as your organization grows, your compliance requirements increase, or your risk profile changes.
Direct access to your advisor
Every engagement is led personally by Stephen Schofner. No account managers, no handoffs. The executive you hire is the one doing the work.
Who It's For
Built for organizations that carry enterprise-sized risk
Our vCISO engagements are designed specifically for regulated, growth-stage organizations that need executive security leadership but aren't yet in a position to hire a full-time CISO.
Healthcare & Behavioral Health
Hospitals, clinics, multi-site providers, and behavioral health networks managing PHI and facing HIPAA compliance pressure, HHS OCR scrutiny, and cyber insurance requirements.
Credit Unions & Financial Services
Regional credit unions, community banks, fintech startups, and investment firms navigating GLBA Safeguards Rule, NCUA cybersecurity requirements, and FFIEC examination standards.
Professional Services & SaaS
Technology companies, law firms, and professional services organizations managing customer data obligations, SOC 2 certification requirements, and board-level security accountability.
Not sure if a vCISO engagement is right for your organization?
Schedule a free 30-minute discovery call. We'll assess your situation honestly and recommend the right path forward.
What's Included
Three pillars of executive security leadership
Every vCISO engagement — regardless of tier — is built around these three core areas of work. The depth and frequency of engagement scales with your chosen tier.
Strategic Leadership
Your vCISO designs and leads your security strategy — keeping cybersecurity aligned with business objectives, regulatory requirements, and long-term growth plans.
- ✓ 12–24 month security strategy & roadmap development
- ✓ Governance framework & policy development
- ✓ Board & executive-level cyber risk reporting
- ✓ Security awareness & training program oversight
- ✓ Technology & tool evaluation guidance
- ✓ Executive & leadership team advisory support
Compliance & Governance
We align your security program with the specific regulatory frameworks your auditors, examiners, and cyber insurers require — and keep you there as requirements evolve.
- ✓ HIPAA, GLBA, NCUA & FFIEC compliance alignment
- ✓ NIST CSF, CIS Controls & ISO 27001 alignment
- ✓ Full security policy suite development & maintenance
- ✓ Audit & regulatory exam readiness support
- ✓ Compliance roadmap & gap remediation planning
- ✓ Regulatory change monitoring & policy updates
Risk, Incident & Vendor Management
We identify your real-world vulnerabilities, prepare your team for incidents before they happen, and manage the risk your third-party vendors introduce to your organization.
- ✓ Annual cyber risk assessment & prioritized roadmap
- ✓ Quarterly risk register reviews & mitigation tracking
- ✓ Incident response plan development & testing
- ✓ Tabletop exercises & team readiness drills
- ✓ Vendor & third-party risk management program
- ✓ BAA/DPA coordination & vendor security reviews
Service Tiers
Choose the engagement level that fits your needs
All tiers include direct access to Stephen Schofner. Scale up or down as your organization grows, your compliance requirements change, or your risk profile evolves.
All pricing ranges are indicative. Final pricing is confirmed in a detailed Statement of Work based on your organization's size, complexity, and regulatory environment. Schedule a discovery call to get a custom recommendation.
Every engagement is a direct partnership with me — not a team of associates or a rotating roster of consultants. When you call, I answer. When something matters to your organization, it matters to me.
Stephen brings 25 years of enterprise cybersecurity and technology leadership to every engagement — including his tenure as VP/CISO at Rogers Behavioral Health, Senior Director/BISO at KPMG, and 20 years as Director of Security, Risk & Compliance at The Ohio State University.
He has built security programs from the ground up, led post-acquisition integrations, advised Fortune 500 organizations, and achieved zero audit deficiencies across HITRUST R2, SOC 2, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 over three consecutive cycles. That depth of experience is what your organization gets on day one.
FAQ
Common questions about vCISO engagements
Don't see your question here? Schedule a free discovery call and ask us directly — no obligation, no sales pitch.
Schedule a Discovery CallA vCISO's work spans three primary areas: strategic leadership, compliance and governance, and risk management. On a practical level this means attending leadership meetings to advise on security decisions, reviewing and updating policies, monitoring your compliance posture against applicable frameworks, managing vendor risk, and preparing board-level reporting.
At Coastal Cyber Risk Advisors, Stephen also serves as a direct resource for your team — available for email advisory, technology evaluations, incident guidance, and emerging threat updates between scheduled sessions.
Managed security service providers (MSSPs) focus on tools, monitoring, and technical operations — firewalls, SIEM platforms, endpoint detection. They are tactical and technology-focused.
A vCISO is a strategic executive partner. We don't sell or manage technology. We focus on security strategy, governance, risk leadership, compliance alignment, and board communication — the executive functions that MSSPs don't provide. In many cases, a vCISO and an MSSP complement each other: the vCISO sets the strategy and the MSSP executes the technical operations.
Most engagements begin within 1–2 weeks of signing. The first 30 days are structured as an onboarding period — we conduct an initial risk assessment, establish your governance framework, identify quick wins, and build your first strategic roadmap.
Day one is productive, not administrative. By the end of the first month you'll have a clear picture of your current security posture and a prioritized plan to address your most pressing risks and compliance gaps.
Yes — we act as an extension of your team, not a replacement for it. We work directly alongside your internal IT staff, managed service providers, legal counsel, and any other vendors you have in place.
We help your existing team work more strategically — providing the executive direction, compliance context, and risk framework that elevates everything they're already doing. We never compete with your existing vendors; we help you get more value from them.
Engagements are structured as monthly retainers with an initial 3-month minimum to ensure we have enough time to complete onboarding, deliver meaningful results, and establish the governance foundations your organization needs.
After the initial term, engagements continue month-to-month and can be scaled up or down as your needs evolve. If your compliance requirements increase, you're going through an audit, or your organization is growing rapidly, we can step up your engagement level accordingly.
Incident response support is included in all tiers, scaled to the engagement level. Tier 1 includes advisory guidance during incidents. Tier 2 includes formal incident response plan development and semi-annual tabletop exercises to prepare your team. Tier 3 includes 24-hour critical incident response SLA with full breach response leadership — forensic coordination, regulatory notification, and board communications.
Regardless of tier, Stephen is reachable during an active incident. We don't disappear when things get difficult — that's exactly when our experience matters most.