In today’s digital business landscape, robust cybersecurity leadership isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity for protecting reputation, accelerating growth, and meeting regulatory demand. But with CISO salaries climbing north of $300,000 and talent ever scarcer, organisations increasingly face a strategic choice: invest in a full-time CISO or tap fractional CISO expertise for targeted, flexible impact? At DATAWALL, we’ve guided multiple high growth companies on this journey. Here’s our perspective on comparing the two models, with a laser focus on ROI, risk, and business agility.
Full-Time CISO:
A permanent executive, focused exclusively on your business’s cybersecurity strategy, risk management, and compliance. Suited for very large enterprises with complex, ongoing security demands requiring full immersion.
Fractional CISO:
An on-demand, part-time expert who delivers senior-level security leadership scaled to your company’s unique needs. Fractional CISOs often work with several organizations, distilling best practices across industries and offering just-in-time, right-sized guidance.
Direct Savings:
Hiring a full-time CISO can easily top $350,000 when factoring in base salary, bonuses, equity, and benefits. In contrast, fractional CISOs average $10,000/month, a third or less of full-time cost. For most SMBs and even mid-market firms, this means getting elite security leadership at a sustainable, predictable spend.
ROI From the Start:
Fractional CISOs drive ROI not just by lowering fixed costs, but by accelerating audit readiness (SOC 2/ISO 27001), closing deals faster, and reducing breach or non-compliance risk. For startups, a single delayed customer deal or failed compliance audit can cost more than an entire year of fractional CISO service. For growing firms, this investment often pays for itself the moment a deal is won or a risk is averted.
Tangible Benefits:
Accelerated Audit Readiness: Fractional CISOs are deeply skilled in frameworks (SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA). They help prepare for and pass audits faster, with fewer costly surprises.
Mitigating Costly Incidents: Case studies show organisations engaging fractional CISOs avoided six-figure fines by closing compliance gaps swiftly or preventing ransomware attacks.
Board-Level Resilience: Fractional CISOs translate cybersecurity risk into business terms, empowering senior leaders and boards to make informed, cost-effective decisions.
On-Demand Engagement:
Fractional CISOs ramp up for high-stakes projects (audit prep, incident response, M&A due diligence) and scale down when intensive leadership isn’t needed—unlike a full-time hire locked into a fixed role, even during quiet periods.
Broader Knowledge:
By working across multiple sectors, fractional CISOs bring fresh insights, proven playbooks, and continuously updated threat knowledge providing solutions that a single-industry, full-time CISO may miss.
After working with tech startups, manufacturers, healthcare providers, and financial firms, the data is clear: Fractional CISOs deliver superior flexibility, measurable ROI, and robust risk management for companies in growth mode or with specialized requirements. We’ve seen clients accelerate contract closings, reduce exposure, and build security cultures, all at a fraction of the typical executive price tag.
Case in Point:
A SaaS company facing urgent compliance needs used a fractional CISO to secure SOC 2 readiness in three months and closed multiple enterprise deals worth over $2M far exceeding their security spend.
Fractional CISOs offer high-impact leadership for less, without sacrificing expertise or results.
They deliver measurable ROI, from reduced costs and accelerated deals to better risk mitigation.
The model provides unmatched flexibility and access to real-world, battle-tested solutions.
For enterprises and high-growth companies looking to win in the cybersecurity arena, the choice is clear: embrace the vCISO model and put your dollars where they’ll have the greatest business impact.