Virtual CISO (vCISO) & Cybersecurity Leadership
Don’t Wait For a Breach. Get Executive Leadership.Pragmatic, executive-level cybersecurity leadership without the cost of a full-time Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).
In today’s landscape, cybersecurity is not an “IT problem.” It’s a core business risk. A single breach can destroy customer trust, trigger massive regulatory fines, and halt your operations.
But most growing organizations cannot justify the $400k+ total compensation for an experienced, full-time CISO. This creates a dangerous leadership gap, leaving your most valuable asset—your data—unprotected.
Authentic Bridge fills this gap. We provide a fractional or interim vCISO who acts as an extension of your leadership team. We provide the C-suite strategy and governance to build a robust, practical, and cost-effective security program.
Our Expertise: High-Stakes Compliance & Practical Security
We are not just a “consulting” firm. Our team is led by executives with deep, hands-on experience in the most complex regulatory environments.
We have a significant background in healthcare, where we’ve built and managed security programs for payers, providers, and health-tech companies. This gives us expert-level knowledge in navigating:
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
HITRUST (Health Information Trust Alliance)
SOC 2 (Service Organization Control 2)
Our vCISO & Cybersecurity Services
Risk & Maturity Assessments
We start with a complete Cybersecurity SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats). We evaluate your current security posture against regulatory frameworks (HIPAA, HITRUST, NIST, ISO) and coordinate technical tests like penetration testing (pen tests) and ethical hacking to understand your real-world risks.
Strategic Roadmap & Governance
We don’t just hand you an audit finding. We build a clear, prioritized, and budget-conscious strategic roadmap to address your gaps. We also establish the practical policy and governance frameworks to create a culture of security and accountability.
Fractional CISO Leadership & Board Engagement
We provide interim or fractional CISO oversight to lead your security program. This includes translating technical risk into business impact for your executives and board, ensuring they can make informed, risk-based decisions.
Technology & Vendor Risk Management
We help you put the right technology in place. We assess your partners to manage third-party and supply-chain vulnerabilities. We also optimize your security tools—from Identity and Access Management (IAM) to Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)—to reduce overlap, rationalize costs, and negotiate better vendor contracts.
Incident Readiness & Team Training
A breach is a matter of “when,” not “if.” We build your incident response playbooks, run tabletop exercises, and establish clear escalation protocols. We also implement role-based security awareness training to reduce your biggest risk factor: human error.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about vCISOs
What is a vCISO?
How is a vCISO different from an MSP or a security vendor?
This is a critical distinction. A security vendor sells you a tool (like a firewall or antivirus). An MSP manages your tools.
A vCISO is the strategist who sits on your side of the table. We are 100% vendor-agnostic. We define your security strategy, build the roadmap, and then manage your vendors and MSPs to ensure their work and tools are effectively protecting your business.
My company is not in healthcare. Can you still help?
Absolutely. Our deep experience in rigorous frameworks like HIPAA and HITRUST translates directly to any industry that takes data security seriously, including finance, legal, and technology (SaaS). We are experts in applying frameworks like NIST, ISO, and SOC 2, which are the gold standard for security in all sectors.
My business is small. Do I really need a CISO?
Do you have experience leading security assessments?
Yes, this is a core part of our vCISO service and the foundation of any good security strategy. We have extensive experience leading comprehensive Risk & Maturity Assessments tailored to your industry. We don’t just run a scanner and hand you a report. We dig deep into your people, processes, and technology to identify your true vulnerabilities and benchmark your posture against frameworks like NIST, HIPAA, HITRUST, or SOC 2. The result is a clear, prioritized roadmap that aligns security initiatives with your budget and business goals.
Do you understand how to make companies HIPAA compliant?
Yes. Our team has deep, executive-level experience in the healthcare sector, specifically with the complex requirements of HIPAA and HITRUST. We understand that HIPAA compliance is not just an “IT checklist”—it’s a comprehensive business program that involves risk assessments, policy development, technical controls, and team training. We provide the pragmatic leadership to build and manage a complete, auditable security and privacy program that protects your patients’ data and your organization’s reputation.
Do you run penetration tests (pen tests) to ensure enterprises are secure?
This is a critical part of our process. While we do not execute the penetration tests ourselves, we act as your trusted, objective partner to manage the entire engagement.
We work with a network of trusted, world-class partners to conduct the technical pen tests and ethical hacking. Our value is in what comes next: we sit on your side of the table to analyze the technical findings, translate them into clear business risks, and work with you to prioritize a practical remediation plan. We ensure you’re not just getting a scary report but an actionable strategy to fix what matters most.
Don’t Leave Your Biggest Risk Unmanaged
Let us provide the practical, authentic leadership you need to protect your business, build trust with your customers, and achieve your compliance goals. Ready to build your security roadmap?
Ready to transform IT into a strategic advantage?
