Virtual CISO services for businesses without a security lead
A virtual CISO, or vCISO, is a senior security lead who works with you part time and owns your cyber risk: what could go wrong, what you are doing about it and how you report it to your board and insurers.
Your price in two minutes, no email needed. Or call 1300 787 429.
★★★★★ 4.9 on Google from 60+ reviews
- $288,850Median Perth CISO base salary (Robert Half, 2026)
- 24/7Security operations centre on every SecureShield plan
- ISO 27001certified, audited every year
- Top 50MSP in Australia, 2024 to 2026
Trusted by 300+ organisations, including
When cyber risk needs an owner
Most businesses of 10 to 500 staff do not need a full time security executive. They do need someone senior who owns the risk. These are the moments that usually bring that home.
Your board is asking about cyber risk
Directors are expected to understand and oversee cyber risk, and nobody can give them a straight answer about where the business stands.
FixA risk register and a regular board report, with the decisions the board needs to make.
Security questionnaires slow down sales
Clients, tenders and insurers send long security questionnaires, and answering them pulls your best people off their real work.
FixOne owner for the answers and the evidence behind them, kept in a library you can reuse.
A compliance target lands on your desk
A contract, insurer or regulator wants the Essential Eight, SMB1001 or stronger privacy controls, and nobody owns the plan to get there.
FixA roadmap that says what gets done, by whom and when, with progress you can show.
Your IT team is stretched
Your IT manager or provider keeps systems running, but security strategy keeps losing out to the urgent work of the day.
FixA security lead who sets the direction while your IT team or provider does the work.
Tell us who is asking about your security. A technical consultant will scope it with you and send a fixed quote.
What a vCISO does for your business
The same responsibilities as a chief information security officer, scoped to the size of your business and the obligations you carry.
Risk assessment and register
We assess your risks, rate them and keep a register that says who owns each one and what is being done about it.
Security strategy and roadmap
A plan for the year ahead, tied to your business, your budget and the frameworks you need to meet.
Policies your staff can follow
Security policies written for how your business works, rather than copied from a template and left in a folder.
Board and executive reporting
Regular reports on risk, progress and incidents, with the decisions that need to be made.
Clients, suppliers and insurers
Security questionnaires, tender responses and insurance renewals answered, and your own suppliers' security checked.
Ready for an incident
An incident response plan tested with your leadership team, so everyone knows who does what and which reporting clocks start. See cyber incident response.
vCISO, vCIO or managed security
Three services that are easy to confuse. Each answers a different question, and many businesses use more than one.
| Service | The question it answers | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual CISO | Are we managing our cyber risk, and can we prove it? | Risk register, security roadmap, policies, board reporting and compliance evidence |
| Virtual CIO | Is our technology helping the business, and what should we invest in next? | IT roadmap, budget, project priorities and supplier decisions |
| Managed security services | Who stops an attack at 2am? | A 24/7 security operations centre that detects and contains threats, with monthly reporting from Control |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
How your vCISO works with you
A clear starting point, a plan everyone agrees to and a rhythm that keeps it moving.
- 01Assess
Understand your risk
A review of your systems, data, suppliers, contracts and obligations, plus the questions your board and clients are asking.
- 02Plan
Agree the roadmap
The risks ranked, the fixes agreed and an owner named for each, in a plan that fits your budget.
- 03Lead
Drive the work
Working sessions on an agreed rhythm with your team or IT provider, so the plan turns into finished work.
- 04Report
Tell the board
Progress, open risks and the decisions that need making, in reports your leadership team can act on.
- 05Test
Exercise and improve
Incident exercises and a yearly review of the plan, so it keeps up with your business and the threats.
A vCISO on its own or inside SecureShield
Start with the leadership, or get it together with the security tools and the 24/7 security operations centre that do the work.
vCISO retainer
Security leadership, scoped to you. A monthly retainer for businesses that need a security lead, whatever tools and IT support they have today. We agree the scope, the rhythm and the reporting before we start.
SuitsBusinesses with their own IT team or provider that need someone to own security.
SecureShield Command
Leadership plus the full security stack. Everything in SecureShield Control, plus an ongoing vCISO, controls maintained at Essential Eight Maturity Level Two, SMB1001 Diamond alignment and quarterly security reviews. See SecureShield plans.
SuitsRegulated sectors, Defence supply chains and businesses with enterprise clients.
A full time CISO or a virtual one
A full time chief information security officer makes sense for large organisations with complex, regulated risk. For most others, this is how the two compare.
| Compare | Full time CISO | Virtual CISO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | A median base salary of $288,850, plus super and recruitment (Robert Half, 2026) | A monthly fee, scoped to your size and obligations |
| Getting started | A recruitment process before any work begins | Starts with an assessment of where you stand |
| Experience behind them | One person's background | A security lead backed by our engineers and security operations centre |
| Leave and turnover | Work stops when they are away or leave | A team behind your vCISO, so cover does not depend on one person |
| Best for | Large organisations with a security budget and complex, regulated risk | Businesses of 10 to 500 staff without a full time security lead |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
The standards we work to
Your vCISO works to the frameworks your clients, insurers and regulators recognise. They pick the ones that fit your business rather than all of them at once.
In October 2026 ASD published ASD Essentials, the framework that will replace the Essential Eight, and the work you do now carries across. Our explainer covers what is replacing the Essential Eight. For a quick view of where you stand today, download the Essential Eight checklist.
We run our own ISO 27001 certified information security management system, audited every year, so we know what an auditor asks for and what good evidence looks like.
Frameworks your vCISO covers
- ASD Essential Eight, and the move to ASD Essentials
- SMB1001, from Bronze to Diamond
- ISO 27001 aligned controls
- The AICD cyber security governance principles
- The Privacy Act and Notifiable Data Breaches scheme
- Ransomware payment reporting to ASD
A top 50 MSP in Australia, three years running
Rated by our clients on Cloudtango, and audited every year on security, quality and cyber controls.
Top 50MSPs in Australia
- 2024
- 2025
- 2026
Ranked on client satisfaction and service depth.
Read our 25 client reviews on Cloudtango
ISO 27001
Information securityHow we handle your data, passwords and access, audited every year.
How we protect your data
ISO 9001
Quality managementDocumented processes, so every engineer works to the same standard.
How we work
SMB1001 Gold
Cyber security, Level 3The 27 control cyber standard we take clients through, held ourselves.
Check our certificateVirtual CISO questions
What owners, directors and IT managers ask before they bring in a vCISO. Anything else, call 1300 787 429.
Related services and reading
What is a virtual CISO?
A virtual chief information security officer, or vCISO, is a senior security lead who works with your business part time. They own your cyber risk: they work out what could go wrong, agree what to do about it, make sure it gets done and report on it to your leadership team, board, insurers and clients.
How is a vCISO different from a vCIO?
A virtual CIO looks after technology strategy: what you run, what it costs and what comes next. A virtual CISO looks after security risk and governance: what could go wrong, what you are doing about it and how you prove it. Many businesses need both, and we provide both. See virtual CIO services.
How much does a virtual CISO cost?
A vCISO retainer is a monthly fee, quoted after a first conversation, based on your size, your obligations and how often you need your vCISO. It costs a fraction of a full time hire: the median base salary for a CISO in Perth is $288,850 before super (Robert Half, 2026). A vCISO is also included in SecureShield Command.
Do we need a vCISO if we already have an IT provider?
Your IT provider keeps your systems running. A vCISO sets the security direction, checks the work is done and reports on it. If we are your IT provider, your vCISO works with the same team. Our vCISO can also work alongside your internal IT team or another IT provider, with the split agreed up front.
What does a vCISO deliver first?
A review of your risks and obligations, a risk register that names an owner for each risk, a roadmap for the year ahead and a first report for your leadership team or board. From there, your vCISO drives the plan on an agreed rhythm.
Can a vCISO help with the Essential Eight and SMB1001?
Yes. Your vCISO plans the work, tracks progress and keeps the evidence an assessor or certifier will ask for. ASD has published ASD Essentials to replace the Essential Eight over time, and the work you do now carries across. Read what is replacing the Essential Eight and see SMB1001 certification.
Who will our vCISO be?
A senior member of our security team, who you meet before you start. They are backed by our engineers and by the security operations centre that watches our clients' systems around the clock.
Is a vCISO included in SecureShield?
Yes, in SecureShield Command, alongside controls maintained at Essential Eight Maturity Level Two, SMB1001 Diamond alignment and quarterly security reviews. Businesses on Core or Control, or with no SecureShield plan, can add a vCISO on its own. See SecureShield plans.
What our clients say
1,800+ reviews from the people who call our Perth service desk every day.
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“Turns every IT problem into a non-issue”
Arthur turns every IT problem into a non-issue and does it with real patience and professionalism. He explains things in a way that makes the process easy and always leaves us feeling supported. We appreciate the way he handles every request.
Bronte J.Indian Ocean Hotel
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“Patient, capable and a genuine listener”
The support was outstanding. Patient, capable and a genuine listener, which is rare in support calls. He took the time to understand the issue and work through it with care. You are fortunate to have him on your team and the level of service was impressive.
Peter MidgleyPowertech
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“Steady, thoughtful and stress free”
Jamie put in a great deal of effort to resolve the problem and it showed in the result. His approach was steady and thoughtful and the support was appreciated. It made the whole experience smooth and stress free.
Jason CavallaroCallidus Process Solutions
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“Resolved the issue within minutes”
The consultant knew exactly what to do and resolved the issue within minutes. He talked through each step so I understood what was happening and made the process simple. The clear communication and fast resolution made a real difference.
Kirk LentonPilbara Construction
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“The extra guidance made it more valuable”
Brady tracked down an email I could not locate and took the time to show us how to search more effectively in the future. The extra guidance was helpful and made the experience more valuable. His support was straightforward and appreciated.
Tony YoungOptimus Real Estate
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“Resolved quickly, with none of my work lost”
They resolved my issue quickly and efficiently, which meant I didn’t lose any of the work I had done today. The support was clear and straightforward, and the outcome made a real difference to my day. Thank you.
Warner PriestInterContinental Energy
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“Calm, patient and always willing to help”
Dev Sandhu is outstanding in his knowledge and support. He has a calm and patient way of working through any IT issue and is always willing to help at short notice. His positive attitude makes the whole experience easier and more reassuring. Thank you to Dev and the team at Austin for the consistent support.
Peter AlexanderKoch Solutions
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“Refreshing after two unreliable IT providers”
After dealing with two unreliable IT providers in recent years, it has been refreshing to place my trust in Greg and the team at Austin. They have been professional and highly competent, even under pressure. Their support has made a real difference. Thank you, and keep it up.
Mark HutchisonLifewood
Give cyber risk
an owner.
Tell us what your board, clients and insurers are asking for. A technical consultant will scope it with you and send a scope and price in writing.
- A reply within two business hoursA technical consultant reads every enquiry and comes back to you.
- Proven in 90No onboarding fee, 14 days to fix anything you raise and nothing owing if you leave in the first 90 days. How it works
Or call 1300 787 429 or email sales@austintechnology.com.au