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The 2024 State of the vCISO Report continues Cynomi's tradition of examining the growing popularity of virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) services. According to the independent survey, the demand for these services is increasing, with both providers and clients reaping the rewards. The upward trend is set to continue, with even faster growth expected in the future. However, service providers looking to enter the vCISO market must address challenges like technological limitations and a lack of security and compliance expertise.  For more details on the state of vCISO, read Cynomi's comprehensive report. The State of the Virtual CISO Survey Report by Global Surveyz, an independent survey company, which was commissioned by Cynomi, provides a deep understanding of the vCISO opportunities and challenges facing MSPs and MSSPs today. The report shares insights from 200 security leaders in MSPs and MSSPs that provide cybersecurity strategic services or cybersecurity...

As a vCISO, you are responsible for your client's cybersecurity strategy and risk governance. This incorporates multiple disciplines, from research to execution to reporting. Recently, we published a comprehensive playbook for vCISOs, "Your First 100 Days as a vCISO – 5 Steps to Success" , which covers all the phases entailed in launching a successful vCISO engagement, along with recommended actions to take, and step-by-step examples.  Following the success of the playbook and the requests that have come in from the MSP/MSSP community, we decided to drill down into specific parts of vCISO reporting and provide more color and examples. In this article, we focus on how to create compelling narratives within a report, which has a significant impact on the overall MSP/MSSP value proposition.  This article brings the highlights of a recent guided workshop we held, covering what makes a successful report and how it can be used to enhance engagement with your cyber security clien...

Vulnerability Management (VM) has long been a cornerstone of organizational cybersecurity. Nearly as old as the discipline of cybersecurity itself, it aims to help organizations identify and address potential security issues before they become serious problems. Yet, in recent years, the limitations of this approach have become increasingly evident.  At its core, Vulnerability Management processes remain essential for identifying and addressing weaknesses. But as time marches on and attack avenues evolve, this approach is beginning to show its age. In a recent report, How to Grow Vulnerability Management into Exposure Management (Gartner, How to Grow Vulnerability Management Into Exposure Management, 8 November 2024, Mitchell Schneider Et Al.), we believe Gartner® addresses this point precisely and demonstrates how organizations can – and must – shift from a vulnerability-centric strategy to a broader Exposure Management (EM) framework. We feel it's more than a worthwhile read an...

Cybersecurity and compliance guidance are in high demand among SMEs. However, many of them cannot afford to hire a full-time CISO. A  v CISO can answer this need by offering on-demand access to top-tier cybersecurity expertise. This is also an opportunity for MSPs and MSSPs to grow their business and bottom line. MSPs and MSSPs that expand their offerings and provide vCISO services will cater to SME requirements and concerns. By answering this market gap, they can grow their customer base as well as upsell to existing clients. This will lead to recurring revenue and increased profitability. Developing and scaling vCISO services requires a well-thought-out plan. This will help guide you through the required processes, anticipate and overcome challenges and optimize resource use. To aid you, we introduce a comprehensive and actionable  guide: "How to Scale Your vCISO Services Profitably" . The guide was developed based on the...

The need for vCISO services is growing. SMBs and SMEs are dealing with more third-party risks, tightening regulatory demands and stringent cyber insurance requirements than ever before. However, they often lack the resources and expertise to hire an in-house security executive team. By outsourcing security and compliance leadership to a vCISO, these organizations can more easily obtain cybersecurity expertise specialized for their industry and strengthen their cybersecurity posture. MSPs and MSSPs looking to meet this growing vCISO demand are often faced with the same challenge. The demand for cybersecurity talent far exceeds the supply. This has led to a competitive market where the costs of hiring and retaining skilled professionals can be prohibitive for MSSPs/MSPs as well. The need to maintain expertise of both security and compliance further exacerbates this challenge. Cynomi, the first AI-driven vCISO platform , can help. Cynomi enables you - MSPs, MSSPs and consulting firms ...

2024 will be the year of the vCISO. An incredible 45% of MSPs and MSSPs are  planning to start offering  vCISO services in 2024. As an MSP/MSSP providing vCISO services, you own the organization's cybersecurity infrastructure and strategy. But you also need to position yourself as a reliable decision-maker, navigating professional responsibilities, business needs and leadership requirements. A  new webinar by Cynomi , vCISO platform leader, hosting CISO and vCISO veteran Jesse Miller from PowerPSA Consulting, provides MSPs and MSSPs with an effective 100-day plan to build themselves up for success. The webinar provides a tangible five-step 100-day action plan that any MSP/MSSP can follow when they engage with a new vCISO client. It also provides guidance on vCISO goals and pitfalls to avoid. By watching the webinar, you can position yourself as a strategic and long-term partner for your clients. They will see you as capable of driving security transformation and managin...

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) has become ubiquitous across various industries. This wave of innovation promises improved efficiency and performance, but lurking beneath the surface are complex vulnerabilities and unforeseen risks that demand immediate attention from cybersecurity professionals. As the average small and medium-sized business leader or end-user is often unaware of these growing threats, it falls upon cybersecurity service providers – MSPs, MSSPs, consultants and especially vCISOs - to take a proactive stance in protecting their clients. At Cynomi, we experience the risks associated with generative AI daily, as we use these technologies internally and work with MSP and MSSP partners to enhance the services they provide to small and medium businesses. Being committed to staying ahead of the curve and empowering virtual vCISOs to swiftly implement cutting-edge secur...

By the end of 2024, the number of MSPs and MSSPs offering vCISO services is expected to grow by almost 5 fold, as can be seen in figure 1. This incredible surge reflects the growing business demand for specialized cybersecurity expertise and the lucrative opportunities for MSPs and MSSPs in vCISO services. Figure 1: Timeline for offering vCISO services The State of the Virtual CISO Survey Report  by Global Surveyz, an independent survey company, which was commissioned by Cynomi, provides a deep understanding of the challenges facing MSPs and MSSPs today. The report shares insights from 200 security and IT leaders in MSPs and MSSPs of all sizes, all of which are security-focused. It shines a light on the growing trend of the vCISO offering, including the reasons behind this trend, potential blockers for MSPs/MSSPs and how to overcome them. 480% Expected Increase in vCISO Service Offerings Currently, only 19% of MSPs and MSSPs are offering vCISO services. This relatively low per...

Demand for Virtual CISO services is soaring. According to Gartner, the use of vCISO services among small and mid-size businesses and non-regulated enterprises was expected to grow by a whopping 1900% in just one year, from only 1% in 2021 to 20% in 2022! Offering vCISO services can be especially attractive for MSPs and MSSPs. By addressing their customers' needs for proactive cyber resilience, they can generate a growing amount of recurring revenue from existing and new customers. And all while differentiating themselves from the competition. vCISO services also enable upselling of additional products and services the MSP or MSSP specializes in. However, not all MSPs and MSSPs fully understand how to provide vCISO services . Some may be unsure about which services are expected from them. Others may not realize they are already providing vCISO services and have the potential to effortlessly broaden their offerings into a complete vCISO suite or package it differently to make it more ...

Almost half of MSP clients fell victim to a cyberattack within the last 12 months. In the SMB world, the danger is especially acute as only 50% of SMBs have a dedicated internal IT person to take care of cybersecurity. No wonder cybercriminals are targeting SMBs so heavily. No wonder SMBs are increasingly willing to pay a subscription or retainer to gain access to expert C-level cyber-assistance in devising and implementing strategies to prevent breaches, reduce risk, and mitigate the consequences of attacks. Hence the popularity of Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) services. They are especially attractive to MSPs and MSSPs as:  They enable service providers to address a growing need from their SMB clients for proactive cyber resilience  They offer the potential to grow recurring revenues - expand into a new customer base or sell a new service to existing customers They help service providers differentiate themselves They are an excellent vehicle from w...

In today's fast-paced and ever-changing digital landscape, businesses of all sizes face a myriad of cybersecurity threats. Putting in place the right people, technological tools and services, MSSPs are in a great position to ensure their customers' cyber resilience.  The growing need of SMEs and SMBs for structured cybersecurity services can be leveraged by MSPs and MSSPs to provide strategic cybersecurity services such as virtual CISO (vCISO) services, leading to recurring revenues and high margins while differentiating service provider from their competitors.  There is a consensus among MSPs and MSSPs that starting a vCISO practice poses a great business opportunity, but how can you successfully pull it off?  Cynomi has leveraged its network of top-notch vCISO service providers and invited three of them to a panel discussion, where they shared tips on how to start and scale a vCISO practice, and most importantly –  how to keep it profitable.  This panel d...

Compliance services are emerging as one of the hottest areas of cybersecurity.  While compliance used to be mainly the province of large enterprises, times have changed, and it is now a day-to-day concern for a growing number of small and medium businesses.  Even when these organizations are not regulated, SMEs often aim to follow compliance and/or security frameworks either for their own risk mitigation or in order to comply with the standards required by their customers. The driver is often their customers' supply chain concerns and requirements. As large businesses adopt cybersecurity and compliance frameworks and agree to certain standards, they impose similar demands on their suppliers. This is a major opportunity for providers of virtual CISO (vCISO) services assuming they can broaden their offerings to encompass compliance. MSSPs, MSPs, consultanies and other vCISO service providers perform a vital role in building a comprehensive cybersecurity program for their SME...