vciso
CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY

Strengthening Cybersecurity Maturity and Accelerating SOC 2 Readiness with vCISO Services

biotechnology IT

Contents

  1. Overview

  2. Cybersecurity Challenges 

  3. Reaching Cybersecurity Goals with a vCISO

    1. What is a vCISO?

    2. What Did the vCISO Solve?

  4. What a vCISO Engagement Looks Like

  5. What VLCM vCISO Services Can Do for You

TL;DR

A vCISO (Virtual Chief Information Security Officer) provides strategic security leadership on a fractional basis. For this California biotech company, VLCM built their security roadmap, developed policies, established governance, and guided tool deployment—including SentinelOne, Okta, Adlumin, and NinjaOne—to accelerate cybersecurity maturity and SOC 2 readiness.

Overview

The client is an up-and-coming organization in the biotechnology space—small, fast-moving, and supported by outside investors who expect the company to demonstrate strong operational maturity as it grows. A small team of executives and technical talent leads product development, while IT operations are outsourced. Each IT position has specific tasks to support business operations, but there is no centralized oversight for cybersecurity as a whole.

As executives started to build success, their CTO recognized that their security posture needed to keep pace. While they weren’t working with regulated patient records, they did handle data that required careful oversight, and stakeholders were beginning to ask deeper questions about risk management. Leadership understood that SOC 2 would soon be expected by the customers and partners they aim to work with as the business grows.

Without a full-time security leader and with limited internal bandwidth, the company needed someone who could establish direction, define programs, write policies, and guide them toward compliance. VLCM’s vCISO services stepped into that role, giving the organization the structure and leadership required to move in the right, secure direction.

Cybersecurity Challenges

  1. No Dedicated Security Resource
    • They had no in-house security staff.
    • No one owned security strategy, governance, or compliance.
    • No resource was responsible for overseeing tools or controls.
  2. Lean IT Footprint
    • IT work was handled by individual contractors, not a unified team.
    • Contracted resources had narrow scopes and could not manage security holistically.
  3. Lack of High-Level Expertise
    • Leadership didn’t have the knowledge to build a mature security program.
    • They weren’t sure which tools, controls, or processes were needed.
  4. No Security Structure or Governance
    • No formal policies.
    • No documented processes.
    • No vulnerability or patch management program.
    • No identity governance standards.
  5. No Path Toward Compliance
    • They wanted to achieve SOC 2 readiness by Summer 2026 to meet customer and investor expectations, but did not have a plan in place.
    • Although not required, they wanted to align with HIPAA standards.
  6. Underdeveloped Security Maturity
    • Needed endpoint protection.
    • Needed identity security.
    • Needed log monitoring/SIEM.
    • Needed vulnerability + patch management.
    • No crisis occurred, but they lacked foundational practices and wanted to achieve a stronger level of cyber resilience.
  7. Communication & Support Channel Issues
    • Contracted resources had inconsistent communication, which caused delays.
    • No centralized help desk workflow.
  8. Leadership Needed Direction
    • The CTO had a general vision but lacked a plan.
    • Needed someone to define actions, priorities, and sequencing.

Reaching Cybersecurity Goals with a vCISO

To address these challenges, VLCM recommended a vCISO engagement—a model that strengthens an organization’s security capabilities by adding dedicated expertise and direction where internal bandwidth is limited. For a small, fast-growing company with a lean IT footprint and increasing pressure from customers and investors, a vCISO was the right fit.

What is a vCISO?

A vCISO (Virtual Chief Information Security Officer) provides the strategic direction, operational oversight, and leadership of a traditional CISO but on a fractional basis. vCISOs can:

  • Build security programs from the ground up
  • Develop policies and governance frameworks
  • Guide compliance initiatives like SOC 2
  • Oversee the implementation of security tools
  • Provide recurring advisory and support to the IT team

vCISOs fill the gap for organizations that need executive-level security leadership but don’t have the structure, scale, or budget for a full-time CISO.

What Did the vCISO Solve?

Working alongside the client’s existing team, VLCM vCISO, Ken Cuddeback, helped drive progress toward their security and SOC 2 goals by:

  • Establishing a clear, prioritized security roadmap aligned with business and compliance goals
  • Defining the policies, processes, and programs required for SOC 2 readiness
  • Guiding the selection and deployment of key security tools:
    • SentinelOne for endpoint protection
    • Okta for identity security
    • Adlumin for SIEM/log monitoring
    • NinjaOne for vulnerability and patch management
  • Creating governance around those tools so they are configured correctly, monitored consistently, and used effectively
  • Providing leadership with regular progress updates, risk visibility, and actionable direction
  • Accelerating the organization’s ability to meet customer and investor expectations around security maturity

“Our experience with VLCM's vCISO services is exceptional," said the biotech company's CTO, "their team brings deep expertise and tailored guidance that strengthened our security posture. They are highly responsive, proactive, and always available to address our concerns. Their collaborative approach makes us feel supported. Overall, the partnership gives us confidence and helps us run our business.”

What Does a vCISO Engagement Look Like?

A vCISO engagement is structured as an ongoing partnership that fits into the client’s existing IT model. Rather than replacing internal or outsourced resources, the vCISO works alongside the IT team to provide direction and maintain momentum. The engagement includes:

  • A Cybersecurity Health Check to pinpoint vulnerabilities and get an understanding of the client’s cybersecurity maturity
  • Weekly standing meetings with the technical lead and contractors (with plans to shift to biweekly as work stabilizes)
  • Dedicated monthly hours. For this client, Ken started with 5 hours per month and later expanded to 20 to support SOC 2 readiness
  • Drafting and refining security policies, procedures, and program documentation
  • Providing guidance and direction during meetings so contractors understand what to prioritize
  • Tracking progress toward SOC 2 and adjusting priorities as needed
  • Serving as the consistent point of guidance for security work across tools and contributors

By partnering with VLCM’s vCISO services, the organization gained the structure, expertise, and momentum needed to advance its security maturity and stay on track for SOC 2 readiness. With a clear roadmap, well-defined processes, and consistent guidance, the client now has a path to cybersecurity readiness—one that supports growth, strengthens trust with customers and investors, and ensures their security program continues to evolve alongside the business.

What Can a VLCM vCISO Do for You?

  • Help You Assess Risk and Build a Security Strategy – Evaluate your security posture, identify gaps and vulnerabilities, and create a tailored remediation roadmap.
  • Guide You Through Compliance and Regulatory Requirements – Support alignment with frameworks such as NIST, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI, and CMMC.
  • Develop Your Security Program – Build policies, a tailored Incident Response Plan, business continuity strategies, and governance frameworks.
  • Strengthen Your Third-Party Risk Management – Identify vendor-related risks before they impact your environment.
  • Improve Employee Security Awareness – Reduce human risk factors with targeted, role-based security training programs.

If you’re exploring ways to strengthen your security program, our vCISO team is available to help.

About the Client

Our client is a biotech company based in California. Out of respect for our client's privacy, we have chosen to keep their name confidential.

Featured Solutions

VLCM vCISO Services

Our Team

Davis Bigler - Account Manager

Ken Cuddeback - vCISO / Security Solutions Architect

Looking for clarity on what to prioritize across policies, tools, and compliance requirements?

Our vCISO team can help you establish direction, build a security roadmap, and move toward frameworks like SOC 2 with confidence. Fill out the form to get in touch with a VLCM representative, or call 1-800-817-1504 to begin.

Get IT Right with VLCM

Following the form submission, you will receive a confirmation email from VLCM with your request. A VLCM representative will contact you within 1 to 2 business days. 
Our experience with VLCM's vCISO services is exceptional — their team brings deep expertise and tailored guidance that strengthened our security posture. They are highly responsive, proactive, and always available to address our concerns. Their collaborative approach makes us feel supported. Overall, the partnership gives us confidence and helps us run our business.
— a VLCM vCISO Customer, biotechnology research

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