Governance, Risk & Strategic Advisory

Security Program Management (vCISO+)

  • May 8, 2025
  • 0

Sherlocked Security – Security Program Management (vCISO+)

Elevate Your Security Program with Strategic Leadership and Operational Excellence

1. Statement of Work (SOW)

Service Name: Security Program Management (vCISO+)
Client Type: SMBs, Enterprises, Regulated Entities, High-Growth Tech Companies
Service Model: Virtual CISO + Security Program Design + Operational Management
Compliance Coverage: NIST CSF, ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, GDPR

Service Focus Areas:

  • Security Governance & Program Management
  • Incident Response & Crisis Management
  • Security Tool Selection & Integration
  • Security Metrics, KPIs & Reporting
  • Compliance Alignment & Risk Mitigation

2. Our Approach

[Security Program Assessment] → [Executive Alignment & Governance] → [Maturity Assessment] → [Program Design & Roadmap] → [Security Operations Oversight] → [Metrics & Reporting] → [Continuous Improvement & Risk Mitigation]

3. Methodology

[Stakeholder Interviews] → [Security Framework Mapping] → [Gap Analysis] → [Control Implementation & Tool Selection] → [Ongoing Program Oversight] → [Metrics Dashboard & Board Reporting]

4. Deliverables to the Client

  1. Comprehensive Security Program Strategy
  2. Governance Framework and Security Policies
  3. Risk Register and Maturity Assessment Results
  4. Incident Response & Crisis Management Playbooks
  5. Security Metrics Dashboard (aligned with business KPIs)
  6. Quarterly Security Program Updates for Exec & Board
  7. Tooling Recommendations (SIEM, EDR, IAM, etc.)
  8. Audit & Compliance Alignment Roadmap

5. What We Need from You (Client Requirements)

  • Access to executive leadership for program alignment
  • Overview of current security posture, tools, and policies
  • Documentation on existing security incidents and responses
  • Visibility into current compliance requirements and audit timelines
  • Access to internal teams for knowledge transfer and collaboration
  • NDA and engagement confirmation

6. Tools & Technology Stack

  • GRC Tools: Drata, Vanta, ServiceNow, RiskWatch, Excel-based tracking
  • Incident Management: PagerDuty, ServiceNow, Jira, Incident Response Tools
  • Metrics Dashboards: PowerBI, Tableau, Custom Dashboards
  • Security Tools (if applicable): SIEM (Splunk, ElasticSearch), EDR (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne), IAM (Okta, Auth0)
  • Cloud Security: Prisma Cloud, CloudHealth, AWS Config, Azure Security Center
  • Compliance & Audit Tools: TrustArc, LogicGate, Vanta

7. Engagement Lifecycle

1. Kickoff & Governance Alignment → 2. Security Maturity Assessment → 3. Security Strategy & Roadmap → 4. Program Oversight (Ops & Tools) → 5. Metrics Setup & Executive Reporting → 6. Quarterly Program Reviews

8. Why Sherlocked Security?

Feature Sherlocked Advantage
Executive-Aligned Security Strategy Strategy tied to business priorities with measurable ROI
End-to-End Program Oversight Full coverage from strategic planning to operational execution
Tools & Vendor Integration Expertise Hands-on guidance for tools selection, integration, and optimization
Continuous Risk & Incident Management Ongoing security operations, crisis management, and response
Scalable Reporting & Transparency Customizable metrics and dashboards for various stakeholders

9. Real-World Case Studies

High-Growth SaaS Company Needing Governance Structure

Issue: The company lacked a formalized security program or governance model
Impact: Unclear risk ownership, weak incident response, poor vendor management
Fix: Implemented comprehensive vCISO+ service, developed security strategy, wrote policies, and integrated incident management tools (ServiceNow)

Financial Services Firm with Expanding Regulatory Compliance

Issue: Tight deadlines for achieving SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certification
Impact: Risk of audit failure, compliance gaps exposed during audits
Fix: Managed security program design, executed gap analysis, created an audit readiness roadmap, and guided vendor assessment process

10. SOP – Standard Operating Procedure

  1. Conduct Kickoff Meeting with Executive Team to Define Objectives
  2. Review Current Security Posture, Policies, and Compliance Needs
  3. Map Security Program to Relevant Frameworks (NIST, ISO, SOC 2, etc.)
  4. Perform Maturity Assessment Across Core Security Domains
  5. Develop Detailed Security Program Strategy and Roadmap
  6. Implement Governance, Risk, and Compliance Tools (GRC)
  7. Define Security Operations and Incident Management Procedures
  8. Design Metrics Dashboard with Leading & Lagging Indicators
  9. Hold Monthly/Quarterly Executive and Board Reviews

11. Security Program Management Checklist

1. Program Governance & Executive Alignment

  • Defined cybersecurity vision and mission aligned with business goals
  • Executive-level buy-in with clear security objectives and KPIs
  • Security steering committee or board reporting structure in place
  • Security program budget and resourcing aligned with business priorities
  • Defined roles and responsibilities across all departments for security

2. Risk Management & Incident Response

  • Active risk register maintained and updated quarterly
  • Incident response plan with communication and escalation protocols
  • Crisis management playbooks in place (for breach, ransomware, etc.)
  • Business impact analysis (BIA) for identifying critical assets
  • Regular incident response tabletop exercises with cross-functional teams

3. Security Operations & Compliance Oversight

  • SIEM and EDR tools properly integrated for proactive monitoring
  • Defined metrics and monitoring for endpoint security, identity, and network traffic
  • Comprehensive vendor risk management program (for supply chain, 3rd party, etc.)
  • Automated compliance checks for SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, and other regulations
  • Regular audit preparation and evidence gathering for compliance reports

4. Security Tooling & Technology Integration

  • Tools aligned with security objectives (SIEM, IAM, EDR, DLP, etc.)
  • Integration of threat detection tools with centralized logging and alerting
  • Identity and access management tools implemented with least privilege model
  • Cloud security posture management (CSPM) for public cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP)
  • Patch management and vulnerability scanning tools in place and optimized

5. Metrics & Reporting

  • Established security metrics dashboard for executive visibility
  • Regular reports on key security indicators (incident counts, response times, risks mitigated)
  • Metrics aligned with business KPIs to communicate value to leadership
  • Monthly/quarterly reports for board or executive leadership
  • Trend analysis and forecasting to assess future security posture

6. Continuous Improvement & Risk Mitigation

  • Continuous risk identification and remediation plans in place
  • Regular security audits (internal and external) to track progress
  • Security awareness and training programs tailored to staff roles and needs
  • Incident post-mortem analysis with corrective actions integrated into processes
  • Ongoing vendor evaluations and security tool optimizations
Security Metrics & Executive Dashboard
Supply-Chain Attack Simulation