Outsourced or shared CISO: why adopt it for your business in 2025?

1. What is an outsourced or shared CISO?

The CISO (Information Systems Security Manager) is a central player in corporate cybersecurity. He supervises security policies, prevents incidents, manages response plans, ensures regulatory compliance and raises awareness among teams.

But faced with the shortage of qualified profiles, ever more complex regulatory requirements (such as NIS2 or DORA), and under budgetary pressure, more and more SMEs, mid-sized companies and communities are opting for one Outsourced CISO or Timeshare CISO.

What is an outsourced CISO?

An outsourced CISO is an independent cybersecurity expert or employee of a specialized company, working remotely or on site, with a tailor-made mission according to needs.

What about a shared CISO?

The shared CISO works part-time in several structures, providing a high level of skills without increasing the payroll. It is particularly suitable for structures that do not need (or do not have the means) a full-time CISO.

2. The growing challenges of cybersecurity: NIS2, DORA and other regulatory challenges

In 2025, two texts are disrupting cybersecurity obligations:

• There NIS2 directive, which imposes strict measures on many essential or important companies (health, energy, transport, digital, finance...).
• The DORA regulations, which applies to financial institutions, fintechs and technology providers, with one objective: to ensure the digital operational resilience of the financial sector.

These texts make one essential cybersecurity support, a NIS2 audit or DORA audit, and ongoing governance, led by an experienced outsourced CISO. This becomes a key player in the NIS2 compliance and DORA, but also the overall management of cybersecurity.

3. The 7 key advantages of outsourced or shared CISO

1. ✅ Immediate access to cutting-edge expertise
   The outsourced CISO provides a global vision of risks, constant monitoring of threats, and controls compliance requirements (ISO 27001, GDPR, NIS2, DORA...).
2. 💸 A more agile economic model
   With a timeshare CISO, you only pay for the time that is actually useful. No recruitment costs, no social charges, but high-level expertise available quickly.
3. 🛡 ️ Strengthening your cybersecurity posture
   The CISO implements a security policy, formalizes processes, carries out a cybersecurity audit, monitors incidents and secures your systems, your data and your cloud uses.
4. 📊 Facilitated regulatory compliance
   It supports you in NIS2 compliance, preparation for DORA requirements, carrying out a DORA audit or even formalizing your continuity and incident response plan.
5. 👀 External and independent vision
   The outsourced CISO identifies vulnerabilities that internal teams no longer see. It takes a fresh, neutral look to strengthen your cybersecurity maturity and your priority actions.
6. ⏱️ Fast deployment and flexibility
   Available in a few days, he can work full-time on a critical mission or part-time on a long-term basis. You adapt the missions to your development and your constraints.
7. 👥 Support for internal teams
   The outsourced CISO works in collaboration with your internal CIOs, CTOs, compliance managers or CISOs. It structures actions, creates synergies and avoids silos.

4. How to successfully outsource the CISO function?

1. 🧭 1. Identify your needs
   First of all, define your maturity level, your obligations (NIS2? DORA? GDPR?) and the risks specific to your activity. An NIS2 audit or cybersecurity audit can lay the foundation.
2. 🤝 2. Choose the right partner
   Opt for an experienced cybersecurity support player who knows your sector and can provide a certified outsourced CISO. Choose sovereign service providers, ISO 27001 certified, and mastering NIS2 and DORA compliance.
3. 📅 3. Organize the mission
   Plan interventions, expected deliverables (PSSI, PRA, access policy...), steering meetings. The CISO acts in project mode with clear objectives and monitored indicators.
4. 🔄 4. Maintain ongoing collaboration
   Cybersecurity is a marathon, not a sprint. A part-time CISO, if well integrated, supports you over the long term to improve your teams' skills and monitor the evolution of threats and legal obligations.

5. Conclusion: for accessible, continuous and compliant cybersecurity

Faced with the rise in cyberattacks, the new constraints imposed by NIS2 directive and the DORA regulations, and the scarcity of qualified profiles, the outsourced CISO or timeshare CISO is a winning solution for SMEs, mid-sized companies, communities and financial institutions.

It allows you to benefit from:

• expert cybersecurity support,
• operational management of your risks,
• and controlled NIS2 compliance/DORA compliance, at a lower cost.