✦  Virtual CISO UAE

Virtual CISO Services
for UAE Organizations.

Executive cybersecurity leadership on a fractional basis. Security strategy, risk management, NESA compliance, UAE PDPL obligations, and board reporting — without hiring a full-time CISO at AED 600K per year.

Discuss vCISO Services All vCISO Services

AED 8K

Starting from / month

vs 600K

Full-time CISO cost / yr

Day 1

Compliance coverage starts

100%

Senior-led, no handoffs

✦  Why UAE Companies Choose vCISO

The compliance burden arrives faster than the hiring timeline.

Most UAE SMEs and growth-stage companies face a common problem: regulatory requirements arrive before there's budget or time to hire a full-time CISO. NESA IAS compliance, UAE PDPL obligations, a new enterprise contract requiring SOC 2, or an investor's security questionnaire — all of these demand security leadership, immediately.

A virtual CISO fills that gap from day one. Same accountability, same deliverables, same board presence — without the recruitment cycle, the benefits overhead, or the six-figure salary commitment.

Secuara's vCISO service is practitioner-led. Your vCISO attends your leadership and board meetings, owns your security roadmap, manages your compliance programs, and is reachable when incidents happen — not just during scheduled check-ins.

Virtual CISO security posture dashboard

✦  What Your vCISO Covers

Everything a full-time CISO would own — on your terms.

  • Security strategy development and 12-month roadmap
  • Risk assessment and ongoing risk register management
  • NESA IAS compliance program ownership and reporting
  • UAE PDPL compliance and DPO obligations (included in vCISO scope)
  • ISO 27001, PCI DSS, or SOC 2 program management
  • Board and executive security reporting (quarterly minimum)
  • Incident response plan development and tabletop exercises
  • Vendor and third-party risk assessment program
  • Security awareness program oversight
  • Policy development and review cycle

✦  Engagement models: monthly retainer, quarterly advisory, or project-based

Get Started with vCISO

✦  Retainer Options

Essential — From AED 8,000/month

Monthly advisory, risk register, compliance oversight, quarterly board report

Standard — From AED 15,000/month

All Essential + dedicated Slack/email access, incident response support, vendor risk reviews, policy program

Full vCISO — From AED 22,000/month

All Standard + full compliance program ownership (NESA/ISO 27001/PDPL), board presence, team leadership, DPO as a Service

All retainers are minimum 3-month commitments. Pricing varies by scope and complexity.

UAE PDPL + DPO OBLIGATION

Under UAE PDPL, many organizations are now legally required to appoint a Data Protection Officer. Secuara's vCISO service includes DPO as a Service — one engagement, both obligations covered.

Discuss Your Obligations

✦  Frequently Asked Questions

Virtual CISO — Common Questions

What does a virtual CISO do?

A vCISO provides executive-level security leadership on a fractional basis: developing and owning the security strategy and roadmap, managing compliance programs (NESA, ISO 27001, UAE PDPL), conducting risk assessments, reporting to the board, and handling incident response planning. Your vCISO attends leadership meetings, owns outcomes, and is reachable when it matters.

How much does a virtual CISO cost in UAE?

Secuara's vCISO retainers start from AED 8,000 per month for essential advisory services, up to AED 22,000+ per month for full vCISO with DPO as a Service and compliance program ownership. This compares to AED 500,000–700,000+ per year for a full-time CISO hire in the UAE market.

Is a virtual CISO the same as a DPO?

Not by default, but Secuara's vCISO service includes DPO as a Service as part of the scope. A CISO is responsible for the overall information security program; a DPO is specifically responsible for personal data protection obligations under UAE PDPL. For most UAE SMEs, having one senior practitioner cover both roles through a single retainer is the most efficient model.

When should a UAE company hire a full-time CISO vs. use a vCISO?

A vCISO is typically right for organizations up to approximately AED 200–300M revenue or 500 employees, or for companies growing rapidly toward those thresholds. Once your security program requires day-to-day management of a dedicated security team of 3 or more, a full-time CISO becomes more cost-effective. Secuara will tell you honestly when you've reached that threshold.

✦  Get Started

Security leadership from day one.

Book a free 90-minute assessment. We'll review your current posture, your compliance obligations, and your security program needs — and recommend whether a vCISO retainer is the right fit. No commitment required.

Discuss vCISO Services
Need security leadership from day one? Discuss vCISO services