vCISO advisory
vCISO Cost Calculator
See exactly what strategic security leadership costs — and how much you save compared to a full-time hire.
Configure your engagement
Set your numbers
30 hrs/mo × $250/hr × 12 months — includes team access
Side-by-side comparison
Where the money actually goes
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
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.
Security Tools & Platforms
Employee Training
IR Retainer & Insurance
Back to the Bottom Line
The team multiplier advantage
One contract. Multiple disciplines.
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.
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
Where organizations usually land
Foundational
Early-stage security programs, first compliance audit
Growth
Active compliance, vendor oversight, board reporting
Enterprise-Ready
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.
Explore