Enterprise Security Leadership — Without the Enterprise Overheads

A full-time CISO costs $250,000+ per year. Most SMBs don’t need one — they need the outcome: expert security oversight, proactive monitoring, and someone accountable for keeping the business protected. That’s what AusCi delivers.

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ASD Essential Eight Framework

All Work Performed In-House

Over 30 Years Experience

Trusted by Australian Organisations

24/7

Continuous security monitoring — not just business hours

Fractional

CISO-level expertise at a fraction of the full-time cost

Retainer

Ongoing relationship — not a one-off engagement

PIP-backed

Infrastructure monitored on Australia’s own network backbone

What Is Managed Security & vCISO?

Two complementary services, designed to work together — or independently depending on what your business needs.

Managed Security: is the operational layer: continuous monitoring of your network, systems, and endpoints for threats, anomalies, and active incidents. When something happens at 2am, we see it — not you.

Virtual CISO (vCISO): is the strategic layer: a senior security professional embedded in your business on a retainer basis, responsible for security governance, policy, risk management, board reporting, compliance oversight, and vendor management. The thinking that sits above the tools.

Together they give you what enterprise organisations have always had — a security function — without the cost of building one in-house.

AUSCI – CYBER SECURITY SPECIALISTS

The SMB Security Problem

Cyber threats don’t scale their ambition based on company size. Ransomware, business email compromise, and credential theft hit SMBs just as hard as large enterprises — often harder, because recovery resources are limited. But the security tools and talent that enterprises use are priced for enterprise budgets.

AusCi was built to solve exactly this. Backed by PIP’s own network infrastructure and datacentre, we deliver monitoring and security leadership at a price that fits a business with 20 staff as readily as one with 200.

Two Services, One Security Function

24/7 Managed Security Monitoring

Continuous monitoring of your network, endpoints, and cloud environment
Threat detection and alerting — real incidents, filtered from noise
Log aggregation and analysis across your environment
Incident triage: we assess, contain, and escalate as required
Monthly security reporting — what we saw, what we did, what you should know
Backed by PIP’s own Australian infrastructure — your data stays in Australia

Virtual CISO (vCISO)

Dedicated senior security advisor on a monthly retainer
Security strategy and roadmap aligned to your business goals
Risk register development and ongoing management
Policy and procedure development (ISMS documentation)
Board and executive security briefings
Compliance oversight — Essential Eight, ISO 27001, industry-specific requirements
Vendor and supply chain security assessments
Cyber insurance support and liaison

How We Onboard a Managed Security Client

Step 1 — Security Baseline Assessment

We establish which framework (or both) is right for your business and why. We scope the engagement to your environment — size, industry, existing controls, and your specific compliance driver (client requirement, insurance, government contract, or proactive posture improvement).

Step 2 — Monitoring Configuration

A structured assessment of your current controls against the chosen framework. Every gap documented, every requirement mapped. The honest starting point.

Step 3 — Policy & Runbook Development

We close the gaps — implementing missing controls, updating or creating policy documentation, building the evidence base your compliance requires. All technical work done in-house.

Step 4 — Go Live

For Essential Eight: formal maturity level assessment. For ISO 27001: internal audit and certification readiness review. We prepare you for the formal assessment, not just the appearance of readiness.

Step 5 — Ongoing Operations

For ISO 27001: coordination with an accredited certifying body for the formal Stage 1 and Stage 2 certification audit. For Essential Eight: maturity level attestation documentation.

What’s Included

Our commitment to customer service, privacy and personalised service sets us apart from the competition.

Managed Security Monitoring

24/7 network and endpoint monitoring
Threat detection, triage, and alerting
Log management and retention
Incident response coordination
Monthly security report
Australian infrastructure — data sovereignty maintained

Virtual CISO

Monthly retainer with dedicated senior advisor
Security strategy and roadmap
Risk register and management
Policy and ISMS documentation
Board / executive reporting
Compliance program management (E8, ISO 27001)
Vendor and supply chain assessments
Cyber insurance support

Is This Right for Your Business?

You’re growing faster than your security is

Revenue is up, headcount is up, systems are multiplying — but security hasn’t kept pace. A vCISO brings structure before a breach forces it.

A client or insurer is asking questions you can’t answer

“What’s your security posture?” “Do you have a CISO?” “What’s your incident response plan?” A vCISO gives you the governance layer to answer those questions with confidence.

You’ve had a scare — or a breach

If something’s already happened, or nearly happened, managed monitoring and strategic oversight are the practical response. Not panic-buying tools.

Free to start

Security That Scales With Your Business

Retainer pricing is scoped to your environment and requirements — we don’t charge enterprise rates for SMB needs. Start with a conversation.

Talk to Us → Free Security Audit First →

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the minimum engagement for managed security monitoring?

We typically work on monthly retainers with a minimum initial term. Scope and pricing are set based on your environment size and monitoring requirements — contact us for a scoped proposal.

Do we need both managed monitoring and a vCISO?

Not necessarily. Some clients engage only monitoring (operational layer). Others engage only the vCISO (strategic layer — particularly useful if you already have internal IT managing day-to-day). Many engage both. We’ll advise on what makes sense for your situation.

Where is our data processed and stored?

In Australia. AusCi’s monitoring infrastructure is backed by PIP’s own network and datacentre — your log data and security telemetry doesn’t leave Australian shores.

Can a vCISO attend our board meetings?

Yes — board and executive briefings are a standard part of the vCISO service. Frequency and format are agreed as part of the engagement scope.

e already have an IT provider. Does that conflict?

No — we work alongside existing IT providers regularly. The vCISO role is specifically focused on security governance and oversight, not day-to-day IT operations. Managed monitoring complements whatever tooling your IT provider already has in place.

What happens during an actual incident?

Our monitoring team detects, triages, and initiates your incident response plan. If you have a vCISO engaged, they coordinate the response at the leadership level. For clients without a vCISO, we provide incident response coordination as part of the monitoring service. See also our dedicated Incident Response service.