As the quantity and class of cyber threats and dangers develop, cybersecurity has turn out to be mission-critical for companies of all sizes. To deal with this shift, SMBs have been urgently turning to vCISO providers to maintain up with escalating threats and compliance calls for. A latest report by Cynomi has discovered {that a} full 79% of MSPs and MSSPs see excessive demand for vCISO providers amongst SMBs.
How are service suppliers scaling to satisfy this demand? Which enterprise upside can they count on to see? And the place does AI slot in?
The solutions could be present in “The 2025 State of the vCISO Report”. This newly-released report gives a deep dive into the vCISO market evolution and the broader shift towards superior cybersecurity providers. The underside line? What was once a distinct segment providing is now a foundational service, and AI is remodeling the way it’s delivered. Under, we deliver among the foremost findings of the report.
319% Development in vCISO Adoption: MSPs & MSSPs Race to Meet SMB Demand
vCISO choices present a versatile, cost-effective manner for organizations to entry high-level cybersecurity experience with out the overhead of a full-time govt. And with a rising variety of assaults alongside the rising consciousness of the significance of cybersecurity, it is no shock that demand for vCISO providers is skyrocketing amongst SMBs. Demand for vCISO providers is outpacing even compliance readiness and cyber insurance coverage assist.
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| Determine 1: Demand for Superior Cybersecurity Providers Amongst SMB Shoppers |
In response, adoption of the vCISO providing amongst MSPs and MSSPs has jumped from 21% in 2024 to 67% in 2025. It is a 319% enhance in only one 12 months. As well as, 50% of the service suppliers who do not but, plan to launch vCISO choices by 12 months’s finish. This adoption curve displays a transparent business shift, from vCISO being a distinct segment service to changing into a core one.
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| Determine 2: Plans for Providing vCISO Providers |
Actual Enterprise Influence: Larger Margins, Higher Upsell, Extra Recurring Income
The expansion in adoption is not simply pushed by shopper demand. It is also underpinned by robust enterprise outcomes for suppliers. Organizations that supply vCISO providers report substantial features:
- 41% report a rise in upsell alternatives, leveraging vCISO for extra service choices
- 40% see improved working margins
- 39% report a measurable enlargement of their buyer base, together with entry to new prospects
And naturally, vCISO providers provide important safety advantages to purchasers. From the service supplier angle, main safety experience elevates them past mere momentary distributors to trusted, long-term strategic companions.
Adoption Limitations Are Actual, However They’re Operational, Not Strategic
Whereas enthusiasm amongst service suppliers is excessive, not each supplier has but made the leap into vCISO providers. Amongst these nonetheless in planning mode, the report identifies three major issues:
- 35% cite uncertainty round profitability or ROI.
- 33% spotlight excessive upfront funding necessities.
- 32% level to a scarcity of certified cybersecurity professionals.
Importantly, few suppliers doubt the market demand or enterprise worth of vCISO providers. As a substitute, they’re struggling to implement them effectively and profitably.
That is the place know-how and automation come into play. As AI-powered platforms scale back handbook effort and allow scalable service supply, the operational burden turns into much more manageable, opening the door for broader market participation.
AI Is Reshaping the vCISO Supply Mannequin
AI is now not a future consideration. It is already having a profound affect on how vCISO providers are delivered. In accordance with the report, 81% of MSPs and MSSPs are already utilizing AI or automation inside their vCISO workflows, and a further 15% plan to undertake it throughout the subsequent 12 months.
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| Determine 3: Use of Automation and AI Instruments in vCISO Service Supply |
The purposes of AI in vCISO providers are wide-ranging and impactful: reporting automation and insights, remediation planning, compliance readiness and monitoring, danger and safety assessments, activity prioritization, and extra.
The result’s a major discount in handbook workload: a mean lower of 68%, with 42% of suppliers seeing 81–100% workload reductions in some areas.
This enables service suppliers to assist extra purchasers, ship higher-quality outputs, and enhance revenue margins, all with out increasing headcount. In impact, AI is enabling the sort of scale and consistency that conventional, human-led supply fashions couldn’t maintain.
The Street Forward: AI-Pushed Scale, Technique and Service Differentiation
The 2025 State of the vCISO Report paints a transparent image: As service suppliers proceed to spend money on automation and clever tooling, the vCISO mannequin will shift from resource-heavy to AI-powered and extremely environment friendly.
Trying ahead, we count on to see:
- Wider market penetration amongst MSPs and MSSPs
- Deeper integration of AI throughout vCISO providers
- Larger ROI, as service suppliers implement AI and different applied sciences of their processes and choices.
For an entire view of tendencies, benchmarks, and greatest practices shaping the way forward for digital cybersecurity management, obtain the complete 2025 State of the vCISO Report.