vCISO Cost Calculator | Principle Security
Principle Security

vCISO Cost Calculator

See exactly what strategic security leadership costs — and how much you save compared to a full-time hire.

Configure Your Engagement

Hours per Month 30 hrs/mo
Typical engagements: 20–40 hrs/mo
vCISO Hourly Rate $250/hr
Principle Security starts at $250/hr
Comparable Full-Time CISO Salary $300K
Average competent CISO: $300K base (before benefits & overhead)
Annual vCISO Cost
$90K
$7,500/mo
FT CISO Loaded Cost
$442K
Salary + benefits + hidden costs
Your Annual Savings
$352K
80% less than full-time

Side-by-Side Comparison

Full-Time CISO (Total Loaded Cost) $442,000/yr
Salary + 30% benefits + recruiting + ramp + outside specialists
vCISO Engagement (Principle Security) $90,000/yr
30 hrs/mo × $250/hr × 12 months — includes team access
$352,000
saved per year — that's 80% less, while getting access to an entire team of specialists, not just one person

Full-Time CISO — True Cost

Base Salary$300,000
Benefits & Taxes (~30%)$90,000
Recruiting (amortized)$17,000
Ramp/Onboarding Productivity Loss$45,000
Outside Specialists Still Needed$35,000
Total Loaded Cost $442,000

vCISO Engagement — All-In Cost

30 hrs × $250/hr × 12 mo$90,000
Benefits & Taxes$0
Recruiting Fees$0
Ramp/Onboarding Cost$0
Specialist Team Access$0
Total Annual Cost $90,000
Zero overhead costs. Zero recruiting risk. Team access included. Scale up or down as needs change.

Reinvest Your Savings Into Actual Security

The $352,000 you save isn't just money kept — it's budget freed up to fund the controls, tools, and capabilities your program actually needs.

🔧
$141K
Security Tools & Platforms
🎓
$53K
Employee Training
🚨
$70K
IR Retainer & Insurance
📈
$88K
Back to the Bottom Line

The Team Multiplier Advantage

A full-time CISO is one person with one skill set. A vCISO engagement with Principle Security gives you access to an entire bench of specialists — coordinated under one strategic umbrella, billed under one contract.

🛡️Security Strategy & Program Leadership
📋Compliance & Audit Navigation
🔍Penetration Testing & Red Team
🚨Incident Response & Forensics
📑GRC & Policy Development
🤝Vendor Risk & Third-Party Assessment
🏗️Security Architecture Review
🎓Security Awareness Training

One contract. Multiple disciplines. Your full-time CISO would need to hire or contract each of these separately — adding headcount, overhead, and management complexity on top of their own salary.

Typical Engagement Tiers

Foundational
15–20 hrs/mo
$3,750 – $5,000
$45K – $60K/year
Early-stage security programs, first compliance audit
Growth
30–40 hrs/mo
$7,500 – $10,000
$90K – $120K/year
Active compliance, vendor oversight, board reporting
Enterprise-Ready
50–60+ hrs/mo
$12,500 – $15,000+
$150K – $180K+/year
Complex environments, M&A, multi-framework compliance
All tiers include access to Principle Security's full specialist bench — compliance, pen testing, IR, GRC, and more.

Ready to Talk Numbers?

Every engagement starts with understanding your business — not selling you hours. Let's see if a vCISO is the right fit.

Schedule a Consultation →
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