See what failure would do to the business
Review the systems, access, dependencies, and safeguards that matter, and turn technical findings into business consequences and a priority order.
Fractional CISO
A fractional chief information security officer for the risks in front of you.
A fractional chief information security officer consultant, also called a fractional CISO, gives owners of small and mid-sized manufacturers and distributors senior security leadership without a full-time hire, and EdgePoint uses that time to decide what to protect first, answer customer and insurer requirements, and prepare the company to recover.
The risk in front of you
What happens if a system you depend on stops?
Start with what the business cannot afford to lose, where it can fail, and how you would respond, in a plan that fits how the plant, warehouse, and office actually run.
Talk through this riskKnow how you would keep operating
Clarify continuity needs, backup and recovery, communication, and who does what, then use a realistic scenario to find gaps before an incident.
Fix the gaps that matter first
Rank controls, policies, and provider responsibilities, then follow through, and line the work up with customer or framework requirements when those apply.
When you need a fractional CISO
Get a senior security leader for the hours you need.
A fractional CISO owns the security program for the hours you need, including risk priorities, policies, incident readiness, provider accountability, and reporting to owners and the leadership team.
The role decides what the people and providers who run the security tools should focus on, and it checks that the work is happening.
Risks ranked by business impact
Identify the systems, information, and operations that matter most, and rank improvements by what failure would do to the business.
Answers for customers, insurers, and CMMC
Organize responses to customer security questionnaires, cyber insurance requirements, and CMMC or NIST-based expectations.
Recovery priorities you can test
Define roles, communication, and recovery priorities, and test them with a realistic tabletop exercise.
Providers with clear security duties
Set clear security responsibilities for your MSP, MSSP, and key vendors, and review whether they are met.
A practical fit
When security affects revenue, contracts, or production.
Fractional CISO support fits when security now affects revenue, contracts, or operations, and a full-time security executive is more than the workload requires, so the leadership is part-time and scoped to the risk in front of you.
Defense suppliers preparing for CMMC requirements in upcoming contracts.
Companies answering more customer security questionnaires and insurer controls reviews.
Plants where production depends on systems that have never been through a recovery test.
You need a clear security plan, named owners, and a way to see progress.
What you leave with
Leave with a security plan you can run.
Agree on the scope and the outcome before work starts, so you leave ready to make a decision or move the work forward.
The help may be advice, hands-on work, oversight of delivery, or clear requirements for another provider.
What the work can include
- A prioritized view of business and technology risks
- A practical improvement plan with clear owners
- Continuity and recovery requirements
- Incident roles, communication, and exercise priorities
Common questions
Questions owners ask about a fractional CISO.
What is a fractional CISO?
A fractional CISO is a part-time chief information security officer working as a consultant for a set number of hours, or on a recurring schedule. For a small or mid-sized manufacturer or distributor, the role covers risk priorities, policies, incident readiness, provider accountability, and reporting to leadership, and EdgePoint agrees the scope in writing before work begins.
Is a fractional CISO the same as a virtual CISO (vCISO)?
The terms are often used for the same role, and both mean part-time security leadership from someone outside your payroll. What matters is the scope: the decisions the role owns, the deliverables, and how often that person meets with your team.
What does a fractional chief information security officer consultant do for a small or mid-sized business?
The work usually starts with the systems and information a manufacturer or distributor depends on, including production, the warehouse, and customer commitments. A fractional CISO then sets priorities for access control, backups and recovery, provider responsibilities, and incident response, covers customer, insurer, and CMMC requirements, and reports progress to the owners. EdgePoint does that work on an agreed schedule, while the MSP or MSSP keeps running the tools day to day.
Does a fractional CISO replace our MSP or MSSP?
No, your MSP or managed security provider runs and monitors the tools, and a fractional CISO decides what the program should achieve, sets the priorities and responsibilities, and checks that the providers do the work.
Can a fractional CISO help with CMMC?
A fractional CISO can help organize CMMC preparation, including scoping, responsibilities, evidence, and practical improvements. An internal readiness review is separate from an authorized certification assessment, and this work does not guarantee a certification result.
How does a fractional CISO consultant work with EdgePoint?
EdgePoint provides a fractional chief information security officer on a recurring schedule or for a defined review, with the scope and fees agreed in writing before work begins. The consultant ranks the risks that affect production, contracts, and recovery, organizes answers for customers, insurers, and CMMC, and checks that your MSP or MSSP does the agreed work. Technology leadership can stay with a fractional CIO, AI leadership can stay with a fractional CAIO, and starting prices are on the pricing page.
How much does a fractional CISO cost?
Cost depends on scope, compliance requirements, and hours. Go Fractional's November 2026 benchmark puts fractional CISO retainers at about $9,500 to $13,400 a month for about 14 hours a week, an average of about $203 an hour. The fractional CISO cost guide explains these benchmarks and the pricing models, and those figures are market benchmarks, not an EdgePoint price. EdgePoint publishes starting prices on the pricing page, including a Security Risk Review from $7,500 and Advisory at $3,000 a month for up to 10 hours. Scope and fees are agreed in writing before work begins.
Which security decision is waiting?
Start with the risk, the questionnaire, or the recovery question in front of you.