A plan you can see.
A multi-year technology roadmap with the business reason next to every project.
Executive IT and security leadership without the full-time hire
A seasoned vCIO and vCISO for small to mid market organizations: we set the technology roadmap, plan the budget, manage risk, and answer the security questions your insurers, customers, and auditors are asking.
Big technology decisions, no one at the table
Most small to mid market organizations do not have a CIO or a CISO, and they should not have to hire one to get that level of thinking. But without someone in that seat, the same patterns show up:
- IT stays reactive. The team fixes what breaks, but nobody owns the plan for what comes next.
- Budgets surprise you. Servers, laptops, and licenses age out at once, and the bill shows up before anyone planned for it.
- Security questions arrive faster than answers. Cyber insurance renewals, customer security questionnaires, and auditors all want evidence, policies, and a named owner.
- Vendors set the agenda. Every salesperson has a tool for you, and no one is weighing them against your goals.
- Leadership lacks a clear picture. The owner or board hears about technology when something goes wrong, not when a decision is needed.
A virtual CIO and a virtual CISO fix that by giving your leadership team an experienced voice for technology and security, on a schedule that fits your organization.
What changes when IT and security have a leader
Budgets without surprises.
Refresh cycles, renewals, and projects mapped by quarter so finance can plan ahead.
Risk you can explain.
A living risk register that shows what is open, who owns it, and what was decided.
Faster, defensible answers.
Policies and evidence ready when an insurer, customer, or auditor asks.
Better vendor decisions.
Vendor-neutral recommendations that explain both what a tool can do and where it falls short.
A seat at the leadership table.
Clear reporting for owners, executive teams, and boards, written in business language.
vCIO and vCISO services: two roles, one strategy
Both roles bring executive guidance on a flexible basis. The vCIO is focused on where technology takes the business. The vCISO is focused on keeping the business safe along the way.
Virtual CIO (vCIO)
Where technology takes the business
Virtual CISO (vCISO)
Keeping the business safe along the way
Focus
Technology strategy, budget, and lifecycle
Security strategy, risk, and compliance
Owns
Technology roadmap, IT budget plan, lifecycle and refresh planning, vendor and software selection, quarterly business reviews
Risk assessment and risk register, security policies, incident response plans and tabletop exercises, cyber insurance questionnaires, auditor and assessor meetings, compliance roadmaps, security reporting
Answers
"What should we invest in next, and why?"
"Where are we exposed, and what are we doing about it?"
Who needs it
Growing organizations planning projects, moves, mergers, or new locations; leaders tired of budget surprises; teams without senior IT leadership
Organizations facing cyber insurance requirements, customer security questionnaires, or frameworks like CMMC or HIPAA; boards that want security reporting
How to engage
Included with both Fully Managed and Co-Managed IT Support
Standalone engagement for compliance and cybersecurity, or an add-on to Fully Managed or Co-Managed IT Support
Typical audience
Owner, CEO, COO, CFO
CEO, compliance lead, board, risk owner
How they work together
The vCIO builds the plan, and the vCISO makes sure every part of it is secure. Security priorities land in the same roadmap and the same budget, so leadership sees one plan instead of two competing ones. Our engineering and support teams then deliver the work, held to the same standards in every market we serve.
What you get, and when
First 90 days
- Discovery interviews with leadership and a current state review of your environment
- Technology and security assessment with clear findings
- Initial risk register with owners and priorities
- 90-day action plan, then a 12 to 36 month technology roadmap
- Review of cyber insurance requirements and any compliance obligations (for example CMMC or HIPAA)
- Incident response plan: who decides, who calls whom, and what happens in the first hour
Every quarter
- Quarterly business review with leadership: progress, open risks, and the decisions needed next
- Roadmap and budget updates
- Risk register review and updates
- Vendor, contract, and renewal check-ins
Every year
- Annual budget planning for refresh cycles, licenses, and projects
- Policy review and refresh (acceptable use, access, backup, incident response, vendor management)
- Cyber insurance renewal and questionnaire completion
- Auditor and assessor meetings, with evidence prepared in advance
- Tabletop exercise to test the incident response plan
- Executive or board presentation on technology and security posture
As needed
- Short-term or long-term IT department leadership and staff mentorship
- Software and vendor selection, mergers, acquisitions, new locations
- Compliance readiness projects (see CMMC)
How it works
- 1
Book a free consult.
Talk through your goals and your biggest questions.
- 2
Assess.
We review your environment, your risks, and your obligations, and agree on scope before work begins.
- 3
Plan.
You get a roadmap, a budget view, and a risk register your leadership can act on.
- 4
Lead and review.
Your vCIO and vCISO stay engaged on the cadence you choose, and report progress at every review.
Strategic guidance built for your industry
Manufacturing
Plan upgrades around production schedules, protect plant floor and office systems together, and build a path toward CMMC for defense supply chain work.
Manufacturing →Healthcare
Keep patient data protected and HIPAA obligations documented, with a roadmap that budgets for the systems clinics depend on every day.
Healthcare →Legal
Protect client confidentiality, answer client security questionnaires with confidence, and plan technology around how attorneys actually work.
Legal →Professional Services
Turn technology into a competitive edge with a roadmap that supports growth, remote work, and client trust.
Professional Services →Non-Profits
Stretch every dollar with a realistic budget plan, smart use of available nonprofit licensing, and security that protects donor and member data.
Non-Profits →Manufacturing and defense supply chain? See CMMC.
Results from organizations like yours
Projected 20% revenue increase
An Austin medical technology company passes SOC 2 Type 2 on the first attempt and wins a major contract
Consulting · Cybersecurity
Read the story → Manufacturing Wisconsin
Zero downtime during the transition
A Milwaukee-area manufacturer loses its only IT employee and keeps running without downtime
Fully Managed · Co-Managed
Read the story → Manufacturing Wisconsin
Fully operational in three weeks
A Southern Wisconsin manufacturing spin-off goes from zero IT to fully operational in three weeks
Cloud · vCIO · Fully Managed
Read the story →Local leaders in Southern Wisconsin, San Antonio and Austin, and the Phoenix metro
Whether your organization is in Southern Wisconsin, San Antonio and Austin, Texas, or the Phoenix metro, you work with the same people, the same process, and the same standards. Our local teams know your market, and our vCIO and vCISO guidance comes from a company that has been family owned and operated since 1991 and is now led by its second generation.
Strategy that connects to the work
Fully Managed IT Support
vCIO advisory included to keep you ahead of technology troubles. Every managed services client also gets a client success manager.
Fully Managed IT Support →Co-Managed IT Support
Your internal team keeps the keys, and TSR brings senior backup, with vCIO advisory included. Add a vCISO to lead security, risk, and compliance alongside your team.
Co-Managed IT Support →vCISO as an add-on
Fully Managed and Co-Managed clients can add a vCISO for security leadership, policy, incident response planning, and compliance.
Cybersecurity →Standalone vCISO
Need compliance or cybersecurity leadership without changing how your IT is run? Engage a vCISO on its own for risk, policy, insurance, and audit readiness.
CMMC → SOC 2 Type 2 attested
TSR has completed a SOC 2 Type 2 examination by an independent CPA firm. Our help desk is staffed Monday–Friday, 8 am–5 pm, with on-call support after hours, and monitoring runs 24/7/365.
Planning for AI? See AI Implementation. New to the role? Read What the heck is a vCIO anyway? Related: Disaster Recovery · Assessments
Frequently asked questions
What is a vCIO?
A virtual CIO is an experienced technology executive who serves your organization on a flexible basis. A vCIO builds your technology roadmap, plans your IT budget, guides vendor decisions, and reports to leadership, without the cost of a full-time hire.
What is a vCISO, and is it the same as a fractional CISO?
Yes, the terms are often used interchangeably. A vCISO leads your security program part time: assessing risk, writing policies, planning incident response, guiding compliance, and reporting security posture to leadership and boards.
What is the difference between a vCIO and a vCISO?
The vCIO focuses on technology strategy, budgets, and lifecycle planning. The vCISO focuses on security risk, policy, and compliance. Many organizations use both so security is built into the same plan.
Does my organization need a vCISO if we already have managed IT?
Managed IT runs and protects your systems day to day. A vCISO sets security priorities, owns the risk register, and answers to leadership, insurers, and auditors. The two work together.
Can a vCISO help with cyber insurance questionnaires and compliance like CMMC or HIPAA?
Yes. Our vCISO completes cyber insurance questionnaires, joins auditor and assessor meetings, documents your controls, closes gaps, and prepares evidence for insurance renewals, customer questionnaires, and frameworks such as CMMC and HIPAA. See our CMMC page for more.
Is vCIO or vCISO included with TSR managed IT?
vCIO advisory is included with both Fully Managed and Co-Managed IT Support. A vCISO can be added to Fully Managed or Co-Managed IT Support, or engaged on its own for compliance and cybersecurity.
Do you offer vCIO and vCISO services near me?
TSR serves small to mid market organizations across Southern Wisconsin, San Antonio and Austin, Texas, and the Phoenix metro, with local teams in each market.
What is a fractional CIO, and how is it different from a vCIO?
The terms mean nearly the same thing. A fractional CIO or vCIO gives you executive technology leadership for part of the time, without a full-time hire. At TSR, vCIO advisory is included with Co-Managed and Fully Managed packages, so the plan connects directly to the team doing the work.
Get a plan your leadership can trust
Bring your toughest technology and security questions. We will help you see where a vCIO or vCISO could make the biggest difference. No obligation.