vCISO Toolkit

A vCISO (Virtual Chief Information Security Officer) is an external information security officer who takes on the strategic and operational management of information security — without a company having to fill a full-time position. ADVISORI's vCISO Toolkit goes one step further: it combines the expertise of a Virtual CISO with an AI-assisted GRC platform (Governance, Risk & Compliance). The platform automates the core tasks of a CISO — from risk assessment and compliance management to documentation. The toolkit does not replace a human security expert, but rather augments one: CISOs use it as an operational cockpit, while companies without their own CISO receive a fully featured Virtual CISO solution, supported by the ADVISORI expert team. The AI continuously analyzes your security posture, generates context-specific recommendations for action, and keeps your compliance documentation automatically up to date. Particularly for mid-sized companies that become subject to NIS 2 or other regulations, the vCISO Toolkit offers a fast, cost-efficient entry into professional information security management.

A permanently employed CISO brings deep organizational integration and permanent presence — but typically costs 150,

000 to 250,

000 euros annually including ancillary costs, is difficult to recruit, and requires months for onboarding. A Virtual CISO (vCISO) delivers comparable strategic competence on a flexible basis: you pay for the service, not for a full-time position. The vCISO Toolkit elevates this model further by automating the operational work. Where a human CISO needs weeks for an ISO 27001 gap assessment, the platform delivers results in hours. The combination of AI platform and ADVISORI expertise means: you receive the strategic advice of an experienced CISO, augmented by technology that monitors and documents your compliance 24/7. For many companies — particularly in the mid-market — this is the more efficient solution: lower costs, faster start, measurable results from day one. Companies with an existing CISO use the toolkit as a productivity multiplier that eliminates manual routine work and enables the CISO to focus on strategic priorities.

The vCISO Toolkit supports seven key regulations and standards from day one: ISO 27001 as the international standard for information security management systems (ISMS), NIS 2 as the EU directive for network and information security with expanded obligations from 2024, DSGVO for data protection, BSI-Grundschutz as the German reference framework for IT security, TISAX for the automotive industry, DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) for the financial sector, and the EU AI Act for companies that develop or deploy AI systems. For each framework, the platform offers automated gap analyses, framework-specific action catalogs, document templates, and compliance dashboards. The multi-framework engine recognizes overlaps between standards: if a measure satisfies both ISO 27001 and NIS 2 requirements, it is implemented only once but counted as fulfilled in both compliance reports. This significantly reduces the overall effort. When regulatory changes occur — such as new NIS 2 implementing provisions — the platform automatically updates the requirements catalogs and checks your existing measures against the new requirements.

As a GRC platform for information security, data protection is of the highest priority for the vCISO Toolkit — we practice what we preach. The platform processes all data exclusively in European data centers and is fully DSGVO-compliant. All communication is end-to-end encrypted, both in transit (TLS 1.3) and at rest (AES‑256). Access controls are based on a granular roles and permissions concept: each user sees only the data relevant to their role. All access is comprehensively logged and traceable for audit purposes. The platform itself undergoes regular penetration tests and security audits by independent third parties. For particularly sensitive environments, we offer dedicated instances. Data connectivity with your internal systems is handled via secure API connectors — your data leaves your infrastructure only in encrypted form and only to the extent required for the respective analysis. You retain full control over your data at all times, including complete deletion on request.

The vCISO Toolkit is designed to be ready for use immediately — not after months, but after days. The typical onboarding process runs in four phases: In Phase

1 (Day 1–2), the automated assessment of your IT landscape and identification of relevant frameworks takes place. Phase

2 (Day 3–5) covers the configuration of the platform, the connection of your data sources via preconfigured connectors, and the customization of workflows to your organization. In Phase

3 (end of Week 1), you go live: real-time monitoring is active, first compliance reports are generated, and you have a complete gap analysis for your relevant frameworks. Phase

4 is continuous operation with 24/7 monitoring and AI-assisted optimization. For NIS 2 compliance — the most common use case — this means: within one to two weeks you have a complete overview of your NIS 2 compliance status, a prioritized action plan, and the first automatically generated documentation. More complex scenarios with many legacy systems or special integration requirements may take three to four weeks, but remain well below the typical six to twelve months of a classic ISMS implementation project.

The pricing model of the vCISO Toolkit is scalable and depends on company size, number of relevant frameworks, and the desired scope of services. In general, the investment is significantly lower than a full-time CISO (typically 150,000–250,

000 euros/year) or a classic ISMS implementation project (often 200,000+ euros). The vCISO Toolkit offers a transparent subscription model: you pay a monthly fee that covers platform access, updates, framework updates, and basic support. For companies that additionally want strategic consulting from ADVISORI experts — for example as Managed CISO or for support during certification audits — supplementary consulting packages are available. The ROI is typically positive within the first quarter: 90% efficiency improvement in compliance processes, 5x higher productivity of the security team, and the avoidance of fines through comprehensive compliance evidence. For an individual offer tailored to your specific situation, contact us at vCISO@advisori.de or get started directly at https://vciso.advisori.de/ — the initial assessment is free of charge.