Skip to content

Services, Wiki-Artikel, Blog-Beiträge und Glossar-Einträge durchsuchen

↑↓NavigierenEnterÖffnenESCSchließen

External CISO

Information Security Officer
on demand - from EUR 1,500/month

Your certified CISO - available immediately, independent of internal hierarchies, and at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire. Including ISMS management, NIS-2 support, and ISO 27001 certification guidance.

Request external CISO How it works
ISO 27001 Lead Auditor NIS-2 certified Available from day 1

External vs. internal CISO

Monthly cost from EUR 1,500 EUR 8,000-10,000
Available from Day 1 3-6 months
Coverage in absence Team coverage None
Industry breadth Multi-sector experience Single company
Certifications ISO 27001, NIS-2, OSCP To be organised
Termination notice 1-3 months 3-6 months

Trusted by over 200 organisations

External CISO mandates
50+
EUR/month from
1,500
Years of experience
10+
Response time SLA
24h

Service Scope

What your external CISO does

Our external CISOs take on all duties of an internal information security officer - tailored to your organisation size, sector, and regulatory requirements.

ISMS Management

Build, maintain, and continuously improve your information security management system per ISO 27001. Documentation, risk management, and policy framework.

NIS-2 Compliance

Applicability analysis, implementation of the 10 mandatory measures, setup of incident reporting processes, and preparation for supervisory reviews.

Risk Management

Regular risk assessments, treatment of identified risks, and escalation reporting to management. Including annual management reviews.

Employee Awareness

Design and delivery of security awareness training. Coordination of phishing simulations and measurement of awareness development.

Incident Management

Assessment and management of security incidents. Coordination of responses, documentation, and reporting to relevant authorities (72-hour notification).

Audit Support

Preparation and support for internal and external audits (ISO 27001, NIS-2, TISAX). Coordination with certification bodies.

Our approach

How the external CISO engagement works

In five phases we take on your information security management - from initial consultation to continuous operations.

  1. Initial consultation & needs analysis: Free intake: we clarify your industry context, regulatory requirements (NIS-2, ISO 27001, critical infrastructure), and the current state of your information security. You receive an initial assessment and a tailored proposal.
  2. Onboarding & current-state assessment: Systematic analysis of your IT landscape, existing documentation, and organisational structures. Identification of quick wins and critical gaps. You have a dedicated point of contact from day one.
  3. ISMS build-out or enhancement: Development or optimisation of your information security management system: risk assessment, security policy, guidelines, and procedures - scaled to your organisation size and sector.
  4. Operational management: Your CISO in ongoing operations: assess security incidents, coordinate measures, raise staff awareness, produce regular status reports to management.
  5. Continuous improvement: Annual management review, adaptation to new threat landscapes and regulatory changes. Audit preparation and support for internal and external reviews.

Why AWARE7 as your external CISO

Was uns von anderen Anbietern unterscheidet

Reine Awareness-Plattformen testen keine Systeme. Reine Beratungskonzerne sind zu weit weg. AWARE7 verbindet beides: Wir hacken Ihre Infrastruktur und schulen Ihre Mitarbeiter - mittelstandsgerecht, persönlich, ohne Enterprise-Overhead.

Forschung und Lehre als Fundament

Rund 20% unseres Umsatzes stammen aus Forschungsprojekten für BSI und BMBF. Unsere Studien analysieren Millionen von Websites und Zehntausende Phishing-E-Mails - publiziert auf ACM- und Springer-Konferenzen. Drei unserer Führungskräfte sind gleichzeitig Professoren an deutschen Hochschulen.

Digitale Souveränität - keine Kompromisse

Alle Daten werden ausschließlich in Deutschland gespeichert und verarbeitet - ohne US-Cloud-Anbieter. Keine Freelancer, keine Subunternehmer in der Wertschöpfung. Alle Mitarbeiter sind sozialversicherungspflichtig angestellt und einheitlich rechtlich verpflichtet. Auf Anfrage VS-NfD-konform.

Festpreis in 24h - planbare Projektzeiträume

Innerhalb von 24 Stunden erhalten Sie ein verbindliches Festpreisangebot - kein Stundensatz-Risiko, keine Nachforderungen, keine Überraschungen. Durch eingespieltes Team und standardisierte Prozesse erhalten Sie einen klaren Zeitplan mit definiertem Starttermin und Endtermin.

Ihr fester Ansprechpartner - jederzeit erreichbar

Ein persönlicher Projektleiter begleitet Sie vom Erstgespräch bis zum Re-Test. Sie buchen Termine direkt bei Ihrem Ansprechpartner - keine Ticket-Systeme, kein Callcenter, kein Wechsel zwischen wechselnden Beratern. Kontinuität schafft Vertrauen.

Für wen sind wir der richtige Partner?

Mittelstand mit 50–2.000 MA

Unternehmen, die echte Security brauchen - ohne einen DAX-Konzern-Dienstleister zu bezahlen. Festpreis, klarer Scope, ein Ansprechpartner.

IT-Verantwortliche & CISOs

Die intern überzeugend argumentieren müssen - und dafür einen Bericht mit Vorstandssprache brauchen, nicht nur technische Findings.

Regulierte Branchen

KRITIS, Gesundheitswesen, Finanzdienstleister: NIS-2, ISO 27001, DORA - wir kennen die Anforderungen und liefern Nachweise, die Auditoren akzeptieren.

Mitwirkung an Industriestandards

LLM

OWASP · 2023

OWASP Top 10 for Large Language Models

Prof. Dr. Matteo Große-Kampmann als Contributor im Core-Team des international anerkannten OWASP LLM-Sicherheitsstandards.

BSI

BSI · Allianz für Cyber-Sicherheit

Management von Cyber-Risiken

Prof. Dr. Matteo Große-Kampmann als Mitwirkender des offiziellen BSI-Handbuchs für die Unternehmensleitung (dt. Version).

Your external CISOs

ISO 27001 Lead Auditors, NIS-2 certified, with over 10 years of ISMS experience - available from day one.

Chris Wojzechowski
Chris Wojzechowski

Geschäftsführender Gesellschafter

E-Mail
PGP 465C26E1AF161AFA

Geschäftsführender Gesellschafter der AWARE7 GmbH mit langjähriger Expertise in Informationssicherheit, Penetrationstesting und IT-Risikomanagement. Absolvent des Masterstudiengangs Internet-Sicherheit an der Westfälischen Hochschule (if(is), Prof. Norbert Pohlmann). Bestseller-Autor im Wiley-VCH Verlag und Lehrbeauftragter der ASW-Akademie. Einschätzungen zu Cybersecurity und digitaler Souveränität erschienen u.a. in Welt am Sonntag, WDR, Deutschlandfunk und Handelsblatt.

IT-Grundschutz-Praktiker (TÜV) IT Risk Manager (DGI) § 8a BSIG Prüfverfahrenskompetenz Ausbilderprüfung (IHK)
Vollständiges Profil ansehen
Jan Hörnemann
Jan Hörnemann

Chief Operating Officer · Prokurist

E-Mail
PGP A3FD64BB96C888E2

M.Sc. Internet-Sicherheit (if(is), Westfälische Hochschule). COO und Prokurist mit Expertise in Informationssicherheitsberatung und Security Awareness. Nachwuchsprofessor für Cyber Security an der FOM Hochschule, CISO-Referent bei der isits AG und Promovend am Graduierteninstitut NRW.

ISO 27001 Lead Auditor (PECB/TÜV) T.I.S.P. (TeleTrusT) ITIL 4 (PeopleCert) BSI IT-Grundschutz-Praktiker (DGI) Ext. ISB (TÜV) BSI CyberRisikoCheck CEH (EC-Council)
Vollständiges Profil ansehen

External CISO success stories

Beratung Informationssicherheit

brainbits GmbH

Ausbau und Begleitung des ISMS zur ISO 27001 Zertifizierung

9

Monate bis zur Zertifizierungsreife

70

Mitarbeitende im Team

Pentesting & Schwachstellenscans

Institut für Verwaltungswissenschaften gGmbH

Externe Schwachstellenanalyse

Transparent pricing

Fixed monthly fees instead of unpredictable hourly rates. Scale as needed.

Essentials

from EUR 1,500 /month

For SMEs with 10-50 employees

  • 2 days/month
  • ISMS maintenance
  • Security incident support
  • Quarterly management report
  • NIS-2 applicability check
Request quote
Most popular

Professional

from EUR 2,500 /month

For mid-sized organisations with 50-200 employees

  • 4 days/month
  • All Essentials features
  • ISO 27001 certification support
  • Awareness training
  • Monthly management report
  • Priority SLA 4h
Request quote

Enterprise

On request

For organisations with >200 employees or critical infrastructure

  • Flexible days/month
  • All Professional features
  • On-site presence
  • NIS-2/KRITIS full support
  • Board reporting
  • 24/7 incident hotline
Request quote

Frequently asked questions about the external CISO

Questions about the engagement model, costs, or collaboration? Find answers here.

The CISO is the central point of contact for all information security matters in your organisation. They develop and maintain the ISMS, advise management, coordinate security measures, train employees, and report regularly on the security status. As the interface between IT, management, and staff, they ensure information security does not remain a siloed topic.
An external CISO brings immediately deployable expertise, is independent of internal hierarchies, and costs a fraction of a full-time role. While a qualified internal CISO (including employer costs, training, and workspace) costs at least EUR 100,000-120,000 per year, an external CISO is available from approximately EUR 1,500 per month. Additionally: they bring experience from many industries and organisations and are free from organisational blind spots.
For organisations subject to NIS-2, an information security officer is practically mandatory. ISO 27001 also requires a named responsible person. Moreover, many clients (particularly in the automotive industry, financial sector, and among critical infrastructure operators) and cyber insurers require a designated CISO. Even without a legal obligation, a CISO is the most structured solution for sustainable security management.
That depends on your organisation size, the maturity of your ISMS, and your regulatory requirements. Typical for an SME with 50-200 employees: 2-4 days per month. During the ISMS build-out phase or in preparation for certification, the effort may temporarily be higher. We scale the scope flexibly - without a long-term commitment to a fixed volume.
Our external CISO is available from EUR 1,500 per month. The exact price depends on organisation size, scope, and the desired service level. For comparison: an internal full-time role costs at least EUR 100,000 per year including employer contributions and training. With an external CISO you also avoid recruitment costs, onboarding time, and the risk of staff absence.
Your external CISO is available by email, phone, and video conference - typically with a response time of a few hours. Regular on-site appointments (monthly or quarterly) ensure personal contact. You have a dedicated point of contact who knows your organisation and provides long-term support. During security incidents we are also available outside agreed hours.
Yes, NIS-2 implementation is a core area of our CISO activities. We support with applicability analysis, building the required security measures, implementing incident reporting processes, and preparing for supervisory reviews. Our CISO service covers all NIS-2 requirements on security management.
Unlike an internal CISO, there is no single-person risk with us. There is always a qualified substitute in the AWARE7 team who knows your organisation and its structures. For critical incidents, availability is guaranteed even during holiday periods. This is one of the major advantages of the external model over a single internal role.
Of course. We actively support the transition: knowledge transfer, documentation handover, and optional coaching of your new internal CISO are part of our service scope. Many clients start externally and build internal competence in parallel. Some also use a hybrid model where an internal coordinator is complemented by our external expertise.

Aus dem Blog

Weiterführende Artikel

Information security - without a full-time hire.

Your certified CISO is available from EUR 1,500/month - immediately, without recruitment costs, without single-person risk.

Request external CISO

Kostenlos · 30 Minuten · Unverbindlich