Best Fractional CISO Firms: Boutique Team, Named Lead
4 fractional CISO firms deliver through this model: Boutique Team, Named Lead.
Scored against our public methodology. The score stays the same on every page. Rank changes because the set of firms changes.
What to look for
Buying criteria
Ask how the firm serves buyers who want boutique team, named lead, who leads the engagement, and what the monthly CISO rate covers. This page includes a boutique team.
Proof that matters
Ask for a named client for boutique team, named lead and a dated result. This edition records none on the firms below.
Common mismatch
IOmergent publishes a monthly CISO rate. The other firms leave the monthly CISO rate unpublished.
Typical engagement
Published monthly CISO rates run from $8,000 to $25,000. A boutique team accounts for 4 of 4 firms.
Delivery mix
- Boutique team: 4
Ranked firms
| # | Firm | Best for | Why a fit | Evidence | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Growth-stage SaaS, fintech, and healthtech companies that want a fractional CISO who has led security in-house. | Growth-stage SaaS, fintech, and healthtech companies that want a fractional CISO who has led security in-house. | No boutique team, named lead clients recorded in this edition. | 68 / 100 | |
| 2 | Organizations that want a U.S.-based virtual CISO and analyst for interim or part-time security leadership. | Organizations that want a U.S.-based virtual CISO and analyst for interim or part-time security leadership. | No boutique team, named lead clients recorded in this edition. | 51 / 100 | |
| 3 | Healthcare and manufacturing organizations that need a virtual CISO, also described as a fractional CISO, with SideChannel's Enclave platform. | Healthcare and manufacturing organizations that need a virtual CISO, also described as a fractional CISO, with SideChannel's Enclave platform. | No boutique team, named lead clients recorded in this edition. | 46 / 100 | |
| 4 | Companies that want virtual CISO leadership and a security program, as in the EditShare example. | Companies that want virtual CISO leadership and a security program, as in the EditShare example. | No boutique team, named lead clients recorded in this edition. | 41 / 100 |
Scores on this page. IOmergent leads at 68. Cyber Defense Group is at 41.
Boutique Team, Named Lead fractional CISO pricing
Each row is a price the firm publishes or reports, with the source linked.
How we ranked these firms
- We started with the 4 firms in our CISO index that deliver through this model.
- A firm qualifies when the engagement runs as boutique team, named lead.
- Each firm is scored out of 100: Track Record 25, Segment Fit 25, Pricing Transparency 15, Responsiveness & Access 20, Credentials 15.
- Ties go to the firm listed first in the index.
| Rank | Firm | Track Record | Segment Fit / ICP Clarity | Pricing Transparency | Responsiveness & Access | Credentials | Total | Ranking rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IOmergent | 153/5 | 204/5 | 124/5 | 123/5 | 93/5 | 68 | Published pricing and a 2021 founding lift its Pricing Transparency and Track Record scores. |
| 2 | Fractional CISO | 204/5 | 102/5 | 31/5 | 123/5 | 62/5 | 51 | The buyer it names, organizations that want a U.S.-based virtual CISO and analyst for interim or part-time security leadership, lifts its Segment Fit score. |
| 3 | SideChannel | 102/5 | 153/5 | 31/5 | 123/5 | 62/5 | 46 | The buyer it names, healthcare and manufacturing organizations that need a virtual CISO, also described as a fractional CISO, with SideChannel's Enclave platform, lifts its Segment Fit score. |
| 4 | Cyber Defense Group | 102/5 | 102/5 | 31/5 | 123/5 | 62/5 | 41 | The buyer it names, companies that want virtual CISO leadership and a security program, as in the EditShare example, lifts its Segment Fit score. |
Each bar splits the score across the five factors. A gray bar shows the total on its own.
- Track Record
- Segment Fit
- Pricing Transparency
- Responsiveness
- Credentials
- Total only
- Firms
- 4
- Top score
- IOmergent, 68
- Published price range
- $8,000-$25,000/mo
- Delivery
- boutique team
Questions from this page
Which fractional CISO firms are listed for Boutique Team, Named Lead?
IOmergent (68), Fractional CISO (51), SideChannel (46), Cyber Defense Group (41).
Which firm has the highest score for Boutique Team, Named Lead?
IOmergent, with a score of 68.
What monthly CISO rates are published for Boutique Team, Named Lead?
IOmergent publishes $8,000 to $25,000 a month.
Which delivery models appear for Boutique Team, Named Lead?
This page includes a boutique team.
Last verified 2026-10-28. View changelog
- 2026-10-27Initial ranking for this role, ordered by overall score.
- 2026-10-28Added firms verified on their own sites and ordered the page by score.