Most organizations need CISO-level security leadership — but a qualified, experienced CISO commands $300,000–$500,000 per year in total compensation, and the competition for that talent makes the hire difficult and slow. The alternative — assigning security oversight to an IT director, CTO, or COO who is already managing a full portfolio — produces a security program that receives whatever time is left over, which is rarely enough. Full On Consulting's virtual CISO (vCISO) services provide executive-level security leadership on a fractional basis — not as a consultant who delivers reports and participates in strategy sessions, but as an accountable executive who owns the security program, manages the security team and vendors, drives real improvement, and provides experienced leadership during the incidents that test every organization. Our vCISOs are former CIOs and CTOs with the enterprise leadership background to make decisions that matter under pressure.
20+
Years of enterprise IT leadership — including CTO and CIO roles with full security accountability
$40M+
In documented client savings through technology and risk program transformation
$40M
In losses prevented through executive security leadership and disciplined program ownership
100%
Senior executives leading every vCISO engagement — no delegation to junior analysts
Our Virtual CISO Services
From Security Strategy to Incident Leadership — Real Program Ownership
Security Strategy & Program Ownership
Full ownership of your cybersecurity program strategy — defining security priorities, building and managing the security roadmap, allocating security budget, and driving measurable improvement in security posture — with the accountability and decision authority of a senior security executive, not the distance of an advisory engagement.
Board & Executive Reporting
Board-ready cybersecurity reporting that translates security program status, risk exposure, and investment priorities into business language — giving directors and executives the clarity they need to fulfill governance responsibilities and make informed security investment decisions without requiring a security background to understand the briefing.
Compliance Program Oversight
Executive oversight of your compliance obligations — NIST, SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO 27001, PCI DSS — integrating compliance requirements into the security program architecture from the outset, managing audit preparation and auditor relationships, and ensuring compliance disciplines are maintained as ongoing operational practice rather than pre-audit scrambles.
Incident Response Leadership
Executive incident response leadership — developing and testing your incident response capability before incidents occur, and providing senior leadership presence when they do. Security incidents require experienced decision-making under pressure; our vCISOs have managed real incidents at scale, not just written response plans.
Security Vendor Management
Senior oversight of your security vendor portfolio — evaluating vendor proposals and contracts without vendor bias, managing performance of MSSPs, MDR providers, and security tool vendors, and ensuring your security investments are producing measurable outcomes rather than consuming budget without accountability.
Security Awareness & Culture
Development of a security awareness and culture program that changes employee behavior rather than just satisfying training compliance requirements — building organizational security habits through relevant, role-appropriate training, phishing simulation programs, and leadership communication that makes security everyone's responsibility.
What Makes Us Different
Why Our vCISO Services Are Ownership, Not Advice
Former CIOs and CTOs, Not Security Consultants
Our vCISOs have actually sat in the chair — managing enterprise security programs, responding to incidents under pressure, and reporting to boards with full accountability. This is different from security consultants offering advisory opinions from the outside.
Program Ownership, Not Advisory Distance
A vCISO who delivers a monthly report and participates in quarterly strategy sessions is not owning your security program. We take accountability for program outcomes — managing your security team and vendors, making real decisions, and driving measurable improvement.
Incident Response Leadership When It Counts
Most organizations discover their incident response capability is theoretical when they need it most. Our vCISOs develop and test your incident response capability before incidents occur — and provide experienced leadership during them when they do.
Compliance Integrated Into Security Strategy
Compliance managed separately from security strategy produces audit-passing programs that do not reduce risk. We integrate your compliance obligations into your security program architecture from the start — satisfying auditors as a by-product of managing risk well.
Featured Case Study
Disaster Recovery Project: $40M in Losses Prevented Through Executive Security Program Ownership
Senior security and IT leadership identified critical gaps in the organization's business continuity and disaster recovery program — and drove the remediation to completion with full executive accountability. When a data center fire put the program to the test, it activated without incident and prevented an estimated $40M in losses. Executive ownership, not advisory distance, is what produced that outcome.
A broader IT transformation engagement demonstrated the same executive leadership at enterprise scale — delivering $40M in documented savings while managing security and compliance governance throughout a complex, multi-year transformation program across 90+ global facilities.
Read the Full Case Study →$40M
In losses prevented through executive-level security program ownership and accountability
$40M+
In total documented savings through technology and security transformation
20+
Years of enterprise IT and security leadership per vCISO executive
Before You Engage
What to Ask a Virtual CISO Provider
What is the actual level of ownership versus advisory?
Many vCISO engagements are advisory in practice: monthly security briefings, quarterly strategy sessions, and policy review support — with no real program ownership or accountability. Ask specifically what decisions the vCISO will own, what meetings they will lead, how they will manage your security team and vendors, and what measurable security outcomes they will be accountable for. A vCISO who cannot answer that question concretely is describing an advisory engagement, not executive ownership.
What is their actual background — security consultant or security executive?
There is a significant difference between a security professional who has spent a career in advisory roles and an executive who has actually owned enterprise security programs with full accountability. Ask about specific instances where the individual made consequential security decisions under pressure — not just assessed or advised on them. Board reporting is different when you are actually accountable for the security program you are reporting on.
How will they handle a real incident?
Every vCISO provider looks capable during the sales process. Ask directly how they will lead incident response if a significant breach occurs during the engagement: who makes decisions about business impact and disclosure, how they coordinate with legal and communications, and what their track record looks like managing real incidents. Incident response requires experienced executive judgment under pressure — not just familiarity with the NIST framework.
How is compliance integrated with security, not managed separately?
Compliance programs managed separately from security strategy — typically by a different team, on a different calendar, with different priorities — produce organizations that pass audits but remain exposed. Ask how the vCISO integrates compliance obligations (SOC 2, HIPAA, NIST, ISO 27001) into the security program architecture from the beginning, and how compliance evidence collection is built into security operations so that audits become a review rather than a crisis.
Security Leadership That Owns the Outcome
Get a Senior Security Executive Who Takes Accountability — Not Just Advice
Our virtual CISO executives are former CIOs and CTOs who own your security program — building the strategy, managing the team and vendors, reporting to your board with authority, and leading your response when incidents occur. Real security leadership, without the full-time cost.
Schedule a Free Virtual CISO Consultation →WHY FULL ON CONSULTING
Senior Consultants Only
Every engagement is led and delivered by senior consultants — former CIOs, CTOs, and enterprise IT executives. You get the people you were sold, not a bait-and-switch to junior staff after the contract is signed.
$40M+ in Documented Savings
Our track record includes $40M+ in verified client savings, a $130M M&A integration across 90+ global facilities, and an end-user computing transformation for 18,000 employees. We deliver measurable outcomes — not just recommendations.
20+ Years of Enterprise Experience
Our consultants average 20+ years of enterprise IT experience across Fortune 500 and mid-market companies. We have run the same programs we are being asked to lead — across SAP, Oracle, Salesforce, ServiceNow, and large-scale transformations.
Strategy Through Execution
We do not hand you a strategy deck and walk away. Our teams stay engaged from initial assessment through go-live — accountable for outcomes, not just deliverables. If we recommend it, we are prepared to execute it.
Boutique Agility
As a boutique firm, we move faster, adapt to your priorities, and work with your team rather than around it. No bureaucracy, no layers of overhead — just focused, senior-led execution from day one.
A Partner, Not a Vendor
We build long-term relationships grounded in trust and integrity. Many of our clients have engaged us across multiple initiatives and refer us to peers — because we do what we say we will do, every time.