Calculate the return on investment of hiring a virtual CISO for your business. Compare costs, see risk reduction value, and understand the financial case.
This free interactive calculator compares the cost of a vCISO retainer against a full-time CISO hire for an Irish business, and estimates the value delivered through risk reduction, compliance savings, and insurance savings — so your board can see how much it could save while meeting NIS2 governance obligations.
What You Enter
The calculator asks four things about your business. It takes about 3 minutes.
- Company size — from 1-20 employees up to 201-500 employees
- Industry — Technology / SaaS, Financial Services, Healthcare, Professional Services, Manufacturing, Retail / E-commerce, or Other
- Compliance requirements — none currently, GDPR only, GDPR + NIS2, GDPR + ISO 27001, or multiple frameworks
- Whether you have had a previous security incident
How the Calculation Works
The calculator estimates the full annual cost of a full-time CISO hire, including base salary, PRSI, pension and benefits, and a typical recruitment fee. It compares this against a monthly vCISO retainer, which scales with your company size and the complexity of your compliance requirements.
On the value side, the model estimates an average breach cost for your profile based on your industry and company size, then applies the reduction in breach likelihood associated with board-level security leadership — the model assumes a vCISO engagement reduces breach probability by approximately 65%. It adds estimated compliance savings and cyber insurance savings to produce a total annual value figure and an overall ROI percentage.
What Your Results Include
- Estimated ROI — the annual return on your vCISO investment, expressed as a percentage
- Cost comparison — full-time CISO cost versus vCISO retainer, shown annually and monthly
- Annual savings versus a full-time CISO hire
- Value breakdown — risk reduction value, compliance savings, and insurance savings
- Your estimated breach cost, based on your industry and company size
- A downloadable PDF report of the full analysis
Who It's For
Built for boards, directors, and CEOs of Irish businesses weighing up board-level cybersecurity leadership. A vCISO provides the governance and oversight that regulations such as NIS2 expect of senior management, at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire. The calculator gives you the financial case to bring to your board.
The tool is free to use. You provide your contact details before starting, and your personalised results are shown on screen immediately, with the option to discuss your vCISO options on a call.
Related Resources
- vCISO Pricing Guide — what vCISO services cost in Ireland
- vCISO vs Security Manager — a decision framework for choosing between the two roles
- Grants Eligibility Checker — check which cybersecurity grants and funding your SME qualifies for