Hourly or daily quota
CISO as a Service
Security leadership without permanent employment. Not every company needs a full-time Chief Information Security Officer. But without strategic security management, protection against cyber threats remains incomplete. With CISO as a Service, you gain the expertise of seasoned security leadership—flexible, cost-effective, and tailored precisely to your needs.
Request consultationAll consulting servicesEngagement Model
Reporting Line
Directly to executive management
Commitment
Project-based or ongoing
Focus
Strategic security leadership
When It Is Worth It
- There is no one making strategic security decisions—only someone keeping systems running.
- A client or auditor asks for a designated security officer, and none is appointed.
- A full-time hire cannot be justified by budget or workload, yet the topic is too critical to ignore.
- The existing CISO position is vacant due to resignation or parental leave, and the gap must be bridged.
- A certification process such as ISO 27001 is coming up and requires strategic ownership.
- The IT leadership manages security on the side, lacking the mandate, time, or backing to make strategic decisions.
- The company is growing, and with its size, the expectations of clients, partners, and insurers increase.
What a CISO Does for Your Organization
- Security Strategy – Objectives, roadmap, and prioritization aligned with business risk rather than a wish list.
- Risk Management – Establishing and maintaining a risk register, assessing new risks during organizational changes.
- Policies and Processes – Security policies tailored to the organization that can actually be followed in daily practice.
- Vendor Management – Expert evaluation and steering of external security providers to prevent conflicting implementations.
- Executive Reporting – Regular, clear status reports for actionable decision-making, without slide decks full of technical jargon.
- Audit & Certification Support – Preparation and primary point of contact during assessments.
- Incident Readiness – Collaboration on incident response plans and escalation chains so decision paths are clear in an emergency.
- Awareness & Culture – Cultivating security awareness throughout the company without relying on a single individual.
How Much Involvement You Need
The required involvement varies significantly between an initial setup phase and ongoing operations. We tailor the scope accordingly. We define the exact allocation during an initial consultation based on your company size, industry, and regulatory requirements.
Setup Phase
Higher time commitment initially: baseline inventory, initial risk assessment, core policy framework. Typical when no one has previously managed information security strategically.
Ongoing Operations
A fixed hourly or daily monthly allocation for regular meetings, reporting, vendor oversight, and current topics. The standard setup once the foundations are established.
Project-Based
Time-limited engagement for a specific initiative, such as a certification or NIS2 readiness, without long-term commitment.
Interim Solution
Kurzfristige Übernahme, wenn eine bestehende Position unbesetzt ist, damit Verantwortung und Ansprechbarkeit nicht unterbrochen werden.
What the Role Is and What It Is Not
Strategic, not operational. A CISO as a Service does not replace your IT administration. The technical execution remains with your internal team or IT service provider, while the responsibility for prioritization and strategic direction lies with the CISO.
Security leadership, not Data Protection Officer (DPO). While these roles overlap technically, they are governed by different legal frameworks and should not be merged without careful review. If an internal or external DPO is required, we address this proactively if not already settled.
Reports to executive management, not IT leadership. This prevents security decisions from getting lost in operational conflicts of interest.
How the Onboarding Process Works
1
Initial Assessment
Kurzfristige Übernahme, wenn eine bestehende Position unbesetzt ist, damit Verantwortung und Ansprechbarkeit nicht unterbrochen werden.
2
Mandate and Scope
Together we define tasks, decision-making powers, and the time quota, documented so that it is clear within the company what the CISO is responsible for.
3
Ongoing Operations
Regular meetings, reporting to management, and steering upcoming topics. We determine the cadence together.
4
Surveying the situation
The role grows with the company: New requirements, such as a new customer base or new regulations, are continuously incorporated into prioritization.
What You Receive
Designated Security Responsibility: A name and a title when clients or auditors ask for it.
Risk Register: Managed and kept up to date, not created once and then obsolete.
Regular Reporting: A foundation on which management can actually make decisions.
Documented Policies: Up to the standard that an audit expects.
Contact Person for Service Providers and Auditors: So that these discussions do not end up with management.
Why Mint Secure?
Cost Savings
Access to experienced security leadership without the cost of a full-time hire.
Scalability
Engagement scales up or down with your actual needs, whether project-based or permanent.
Technical Proximity
Our CISOs come from hands-on security backgrounds and evaluate risks pragmatically.
“CISO as a Service offers companies the expertise of a Chief Information Security Officer without the cost and overhead of a full-time position.”
CISO as a Service
Tell us where you stand and what clients or auditors are requesting. In an initial consultation, we estimate the required time allocation.
- Designated security leadership for audits
- Direct reporting line to executive management
- Flexible allocation: project-based or ongoing
- Strategic guidance without replacing your IT team
Frequently Asked Questions
What clients want to know before working with us.
Does this replace an internal IT security role?
Not necessarily. The external CISO often collaborates closely with an internal point of contact who manages operational execution.
How much time is realistic?
This depends on company size, industry, and regulatory requirements. We determine the appropriate allocation together in an initial consultation.
Can this transition into a permanent full-time position?
Yes, this is common when internal demand grows. The reverse transition—from a full-time role back to an external model—is just as standard.
Does this make sense for small businesses?
Especially so, as a full-time position is rarely economical for smaller teams, yet information security still demands strategic leadership.
Who bears liability?
The ultimate responsibility for information security always remains with executive management. The CISO provides expert advisory and strategic direction within the agreed mandate. Specific details are governed transparently in our agreement.
