Compare your options
What you are really choosing between.
Software, advice, monitoring and staff each solve a different part of running a security program, so the right choice depends on who will do the work.
As of October 2026
Six ways to run a security program.
Descriptions are general. Individual providers differ, so check what each offers today.
Compliance-automation platform
Examples: Vanta, Drata, Secureframe
- What you get
- Software that connects to your systems, collects evidence and monitors controls against a framework.
- Who runs it
- Your team, using the software.
- Where it fits best
- You have someone with time to own compliance and mainly need evidence gathered for an audit.
- Where it falls short
- Someone on your side still decides what matters, writes the program and acts on findings.
vCISO platform
Examples: Cynomi, RealCISO
- What you get
- Software for assessments, policies, risk and reporting, built around a vCISO-style program.
- Who runs it
- Typically a service provider or consultant who delivers it to clients. Some are also sold to in-house teams.
- Where it fits best
- You already work with, or are choosing, an advisory firm that uses one.
- Where it falls short
- The software is not the person. Results depend on who operates it and how well.
Fractional vCISO
- What you get
- A senior security leader for a defined scope, on retainer.
- Who runs it
- The individual or their firm.
- Where it fits best
- You need senior judgment for strategy, board and customer conversations, or a few key decisions.
- Where it falls short
- Capacity is one person. Day-to-day upkeep of evidence, vendors and reviews often returns to your team.
MSSP or MDR provider
Example: Arctic Wolf
- What you get
- Security operations: monitoring, detection and response run by the provider’s security team.
- Who runs it
- The provider’s security operations team.
- Where it fits best
- You need threats detected and handled around the clock.
- Where it falls short
- It is operations, not governance. Policies, risk register, vendor reviews and audit preparation typically sit outside it.
In-house hire
- What you get
- A dedicated employee who knows your business.
- Who runs it
- You.
- Where it fits best
- The workload keeps a full-time person busy and you want the knowledge to stay in the company.
- Where it falls short
- One person rarely covers strategy, GRC and technical work. Hiring takes time and the role becomes a single point of dependency.
Vectra View managed program
- What you get
- A cybersecurity program run end to end on our platform, with VectraIQ drafting, scoring and tracking.
- Who runs it
- A named lead expert and team. Your team makes the changes in your environment.
- Where it fits best
- You need the program run, with experts accountable for it, without building a GRC department.
- Where it falls short
- It is not an MDR or SOC, and it does not replace the independent auditor.
Which fits
Choose the one that matches the work.
These are not exclusive. Many teams combine a platform, a monitoring provider and a program owner.
Choose a platform or an in-house hire if you have the people.
If you already have someone who can own compliance, software that collects evidence may be all you need. If the work fills a full-time role and you want it to stay in house, hire. Neither needs us.
Choose a fractional vCISO if you need judgment more than a program.
A few hard decisions, a board presentation or a customer security review may call for one senior person. A retainer is a good fit when your team can carry the routine work.
Choose an MDR or MSSP if the question is detection and response.
Watching for threats around the clock is a separate job. We are not an MDR or SOC and do not replace one. If you have one, we work alongside it and your existing tools.
Choose Vectra View if you need the whole program run.
That means a named expert team accountable for assessments, policies, risk, vendors and audit readiness, with VectraIQ doing the drafting and tracking. Do not choose us if you want software to run yourself, a few hours of strategy advice, round-the-clock monitoring, or someone to perform the audit. An independent auditor does that.
Questions, answered.
Can I keep my current compliance tool or MDR?
Yes. We work alongside your SOC or MDR provider and your existing tools.
Do you replace our auditor?
No. An independent auditor performs the audit and decides the outcome. We get you ready and manage the program around it.
Is this comparison neutral?
It is written by Vectra View, so read it with that in mind. We describe each category in general terms and name companies only as examples. Check each provider’s own site for what it offers today.
Where do AI builds fit?
Custom AI builds are a separate service from the managed program, scoped on their own.
Product and company names are trademarks of their owners. They appear only as examples of a category and do not imply any affiliation with, or endorsement by, those companies. Information on this page is as of October 2026, drawn from providers’ public websites and our own services.
See what a managed program would cover.
Tell us where you are today and a lead expert will say plainly whether we are the right fit.