Fractional CISO Services in Carson City

Need a Fractional CISO your Carson City leadership team can trust? Kayne McGladrey here. I’ve spent more than two decades in cybersecurity leadership, including two tours as a CISO in highly regulated environments, and I advise organizations across three continents. I’m the author of Cyber Risk is a Myth: A Business Approach to Integrated Risk Management, published by CRC Press. The book includes downloadable resources that didn’t fit in the book, and a companion course is in development. My advisory engagements start at $200 per hour, with a retainer minimum of 10 hours per month, so you get senior-level security leadership on a predictable budget.

Kayne McGladrey headshot

From the aerospace corridor along Puget Sound to the energy producers of the Mountain West, the hospitality hubs of Hawaii, and the logistics realities of Alaska, I work with growing companies across the western United States. Every engagement is tailored to your region’s industries and regulatory environment.

Core Services

  • Comprehensive Risk Assessment: Identify, rank, and communicate security risks to executives and the board, creating a living risk register that drives investment decisions.
  • Policy Suite & Program Architecture: Create custom security policies, procedures, and standards, complete with implementation guides and RACI charts.
  • Compliance Mapping & Evidence Collection: Align with your state’s data breach notification requirements and industry regulations such as the FTC Safeguards Rule, PCI DSS, and the SEC Cybersecurity Disclosure Rule. Where clients touch the defense supply chain, engagements cover CMMC readiness.
  • Third-Party Risk Management: Design vendor questionnaires, evaluate responses, and monitor remediation timelines.
  • Business Continuity & Tabletop Drills: Map critical processes, conduct realistic scenario exercises, and produce actionable recovery plans.
  • Quarterly Executive Briefings: Summarize risk trends, program milestones, and upcoming initiatives for your senior leaders.
  • External Penetration Testing Coordination: Schedule up to five assessments annually, interpret results, and prioritize remediation.
  • Ad-Hoc Consulting: Rapid response for incident handling, policy reviews, or strategic workshops.
  • Methodology: Every engagement applies the frameworks from my book and the GRC Maturity Model. Learn more about the book and the GRC Maturity Model.

Benefits at a Glance

  • Strategic Insight: Draw on two decades of CISO-level experience spanning multiple sectors and three continents.
  • Budget-Friendly Model: Engagements start at $200 per hour with a 10-hour monthly minimum, so you pay for the expertise you need.
  • Tailored Delivery: Every program reflects your industry, size, and risk profile rather than a boilerplate template.
  • Continuous Improvement: Quarterly metrics and KPIs ensure measurable progress the board can see.

Getting Started

  1. Discovery Call: Discuss your current security posture and objectives in a free 30-minute conversation.
  2. Scope Definition: Agree on deliverables, cadence, and success metrics.
  3. Kickoff & Roadmap: Launch the engagement with a detailed action plan.

Ready to strengthen your security program without the overhead of a full-time CISO? Schedule a free 30-minute discovery call to explore a partnership that scales with your business.

Frequently Asked Questions about Fractional CISO services

A Fractional CISO gives your firm senior-level security expertise without the expense of a full-time executive. The engagement combines strategic guidance aligned to your business goals, recurring risk assessments that focus budget on the threats that matter most, and hands-on regulatory support. I help with mandates such as the FTC Safeguards Rule, PCI DSS, and your state’s data breach notification obligations. And when an incident occurs, you have an experienced coordinator directing response and containment. Building a security-aware culture through training and phishing simulations is part of every engagement.

Start with outcomes, not technology. A Fractional CISO helps you frame every security investment in business terms: revenue protection, operational continuity, reputation, and regulatory standing. Together we build a living risk register that ranks threats by business impact, and quarterly briefings translate program progress into language your senior leaders already use. This is the same methodology from my book, Cyber Risk is a Myth: when properly communicated, security risks are business risks and deserve the same decision processes as any other investment.

Engagements start at $200 per hour, with a preferred retainer minimum of 10 hours per month. The retainer covers scheduled calls, research, and document creation, with a set hourly rate for additional hours, all detailed on transparent monthly statements. For well-defined needs, a fixed-price project option is available. Each model is designed to align with your budget constraints while delivering the same strategic, CISO-level expertise, and the exact scope and terms are outlined in the engagement agreement so there are no hidden costs.

Every engagement follows the same three steps: a free 30-minute discovery call to discuss your posture and objectives, a scope definition phase where we agree on deliverables and success metrics, and a kickoff with a detailed roadmap. From there, quarterly executive briefings and ongoing metrics keep the program moving forward and keep stakeholders informed.

A Fractional CISO can help a US-based company meet core mandates such as the FTC Safeguards Rule, PCI DSS, state-level consumer privacy and breach notification requirements, and the SEC Cybersecurity Disclosure Rule for public companies. Where clients interact with the defense supply chain, engagements cover CMMC requirements. By aligning your risk program with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework or ISO 27001, I provide the evidence that cyber insurers and auditors commonly require, translated into practical policies during remote workshops.

I map your existing controls to certification requirements through a thorough gap analysis, identifying the specific controls needed for standards such as SOC 2 or ISO 27001 so your team can prioritize remediation. My experience serving twice as a CISO in highly regulated environments means documented deliverables that are auditor-ready, which streamlines the certification journey and reduces costly rework. Progress toward certification is tracked through mutually agreed KPIs from the first week of the engagement.

Some believe a virtual role is merely part-time advisory, but engagements deliver executive-level strategic leadership on a flexible basis. Others assume a CISO is only for large corporations; my service is intended for small and mid-sized businesses across diverse sectors. Cost concerns are common, but engagements start at $200 per hour with a 10-hour monthly minimum. And contrary to the myth that remote roles can’t lead incident response, I have overseen response efforts during live security incidents and bring hands-on virtual workshops, not cookie-cutter advice.

When you transition to a full-time executive, I compile all strategic plans, risk assessments, and compliance frameworks into organized handover documents, including inventories of existing controls, identified gaps, and prioritized remediation roadmaps the new leader can adopt immediately. Walkthrough sessions explain the rationale behind each policy, and all incident-response playbooks and past response reports are transferred. The handover scope and timeline are outlined in the contract, so your new CISO inherits a well-documented program without starting over.

Not ready for a retainer? Start with the ideas behind the engagement. Download free chapter resources from Cyber Risk is a Myth, or learn more about the companion course for business leaders who want the methodology applied hands-on.

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