Your Interim CISO for short-term gaps: vacancy, audit, crisis, transition phase. Senior advisors, project-based, on site, with no dependency on a platform. For mid-market and corporates.
Schedule a consultation now* subject to available capacity, scope complexity, and location. We confirm a binding start date in the initial call.
Our Interim CISO senior consultants take ownership of your information security at C-level, IT security being the operational subset, while the broader strategy covers data, processes, suppliers, and compliance. An Interim CISO is deployed in a wide range of situations: after a cyber attack, on audit findings, during management restructuring, to bridge a planned or unexpected CISO transition (illness, parental leave, resignation), as a sparring partner and mentor for an existing CISO, during periods of rapid growth, or to build a structured multi-year cyber maturity roadmap. Leading and coaching existing security staff and owning the security budget are also part of the mandate.
How the CISO role differs from the operational security officer is covered in our article on the difference between a CISO and an ISO.
Benefit from decades of experience and quickly implementable security strategies
Takeover of operational and strategic management of your information security typically within 48 hours, subject to capacity and scope.
Our senior consultants bring backgrounds as Partner, Director, and Senior Manager at Big-4 firms and global consultancies: profiles able to operate at eye level with management boards, CISOs, and CIOs in multinationals.
Deep knowledge of specific security requirements in regulated industries, mid-sized businesses & manufacturing.
Ensuring compliance with ISO 27001, NIS2, DORA, IT-Grundschutz, and other relevant standards.
Effective crisis management & incident response with immediate measures to limit damage after a cyber attack.
Clear, understandable reporting at C-level with transparent management reporting.
Comprehensive support for all aspects of your cybersecurity
Our experienced team can typically start operations within 48 hours, often faster in acute incidents. Complex multi-site mandates or limited capacity may require longer. We confirm a binding start date in the initial call.
Request deployment planWhen is the use of an Interim CISO particularly beneficial?
Immediate crisis response, damage control, and restoration of your security posture after an incident.
Structured handover and continuity of the security strategy when your CISO leaves and you need a clean transition, before the successor is in place or fully onboarded.
Time-boxed CISO coverage during long-term illness, maternity, or parental leave. Continuity for audits, incident response, and management reporting is preserved.
You already have a CISO who needs an experienced security veteran as a sparring partner: for building multi-year plans, preparing board proposals, and translating technical topics into language that management and the supervisory board understand.
When you need a clear, prioritised multi-year roadmap to lift your cybersecurity maturity, structured over 24 to 36 months, without committing to a permanent CISO hire yet.
Closing security gaps and compliance deficits after an ISO 27001, NIS-2, or BSI IT-Grundschutz audit.
Bridging vacancies and ensuring continuity in information security during organisational change or M&A transactions.
Scaling security measures and building a professional security organisation during rapid company growth.
It is most valuable in four situations: (1) Building a multi-year cyber maturity roadmap, when you need a clear, prioritised 24- to 36-month plan to lift your security maturity, without committing to a permanent CISO hire yet. (2) Planned or unexpected CISO transition, illness, parental leave, resignation, or a known upcoming departure. (3) After a cyber attack, immediate crisis response and restoration of your security posture. (4) Audit preparation or audit findings, structured closure of compliance gaps. Rule of thumb: anywhere strategic security leadership is needed but a permanent CISO does not (yet) fit.
Yes, and this is one of the most common triggers. During long-term illness, maternity leave, or parental leave of your CISO, our Interim CISO takes the full role on a fixed-term basis: strategy, reporting to the management board, audit support, incident-response readiness, and ISMS steering. Operational start usually within 48 hours. When your permanent CISO returns, a structured handover follows, with documentation of all measures and open items. A seamless transition into a vCISO model is also possible if the permanent hire is delayed.
Information security is the umbrella discipline. It covers the protection of all information, whether digital, on paper, or in people's heads, including data, processes, supplier relationships, awareness, and compliance. IT security is the operational subset focused on the technical infrastructure: networks, endpoints, systems, encryption. The CISO role (Chief Information Security Officer) sits clearly in the information security world and steers the overall strategy, of which IT security is a critical but not the sole part. In the DACH SME market the terms are often used interchangeably; the distinction matters for compliance frameworks like ISO 27001 or NIS-2, which define information security as the umbrella.
An Interim CISO is ideal for short-term vacancies, special projects, restructuring, or in preparation for audits and certifications.
Our Interim CISOs can usually start operations within 48 hours, subject to capacity and mandate scope to address urgent security needs.
Yes, our Interim CISOs have extensive experience with NIS2, critical infrastructure protection (KRITIS), ISO 27001, DORA and BSI IT-Grundschutz. We support gap analysis, action planning and implementation of regulatory requirements.
Interim CISO: short-term, project-based, often on site, no platform lock-in. Deployed during acute vacancies, crises, audit preparation or transition phases. No dependency on OdySecure, the security platform by Cybervize. vCISO: ongoing, monthly, with platform. The vCISO is the long-term staffing of the CISO function on OdySecure, senior CISO retainer bookable as an add-on, designed for organisations that do not want to build a permanent CISO position. Both lines are standalone and not tied to each other. A transition from Interim CISO into the vCISO model is possible, but not the default.
We ensure a structured transition: documentation of all measures, handover to the successor or internal team, and optionally a transition phase with advisory support. If desired, the engagement can seamlessly transition into a vCISO model.
A temporary IT security leader fills critical gaps immediately without the lengthy recruitment process of a permanent hire. As an Interim IT Security Manager, they bring cross-industry experience and can take responsibility for cyber security strategies, compliance programs and incident response processes from day one.
An Interim Cyber Security Manager is particularly suitable for mid-market companies and enterprises that need experienced cybersecurity leadership at management level on short notice. Typical scenarios include transition phases after a CISO departure, preparation for NIS-2 or ISO 27001 audits, and establishing a security organization in growing companies.
Secure the expertise of an experienced Interim CISO for your company now and strengthen your cybersecurity sustainably.
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