RemoteSecurity leadership
vCISO Australia: someone senior who owns your security, without a full-time hire.
Clients send security questionnaires. Insurers ask harder questions every renewal. Your board wants to know if you're safe. Most businesses your size have nobody whose job it is to answer. A virtual CISO writes your plan, reports to your leadership and leads when something goes wrong. Your IT stays with Real Bytes.
Real Bytes is a Brisbane based managed IT and security provider. We provide vCISO Australia wide for businesses of roughly 20 to 150 staff, with meetings online or on site. The vCISO role is held by Aegis Cybersecurity, an independent practice.
- A written plan with costs
- Quarterly board report
- Someone who leads in an incident
Reviewed by Blake Bath, General Manager, on 31 October 2026.
What changes
When these moments come, you're not on your own.
The four times most businesses wish someone owned security.
A client questionnaire
Filled in with you from written policies and evidence, so the deal doesn't stall.
- Evidence pack
- Policies
- Fast answers
Insurance renewal
The insurer's questions answered with what's actually in place.
- Dated evidence
- No guessing
- Gaps flagged
The board asks
A short written report every quarter: risks, changes, next steps and cost.
- Quarterly
- Plain words
- Decisions named
Something goes wrong
Who to call, what to tell staff, clients and your insurer, and whether to report to the OAIC.
- Leads response
- Notifications
- Lessons
vCISO fit check
Do you need a virtual CISO?
Sometimes something smaller will do. This tells you which.
Three questions. We'll tell you if a virtual CISO fits, or if something smaller will do.
Our view
A virtual CISO fits
You're getting real questions from people who matter, and someone should own the answers, the plan and the board report.
First priorities
- Build an evidence pack so questionnaires take hours, not weeks.
- Answer the next renewal with dated evidence.
How we actually do it
One team sets the standard. The other does the work.
- Aegis Cybersecurity sets the standard
Reviews where you stand, chooses the framework, writes the plan and reports independently to your leadership.
Visit Aegis - Real Bytes does the work
Runs Microsoft 365, sign-ins and devices, watches for attacks, handles backups and updates, and collects the evidence auditors ask for.
Managed IT
What you get
What the quarterly board paper covers.
Written for a director to read in twenty minutes and an engineer to deliver from.
| Section | What's in it |
|---|---|
| Executive summary | Direction of travel, top three risks, progress and anything needing escalation |
| Risk register | The top risks, named, owned, rated and trended quarter on quarter |
| Posture against the framework | What moved, what was deferred and why |
| Programme and roadmap | Delivered, in flight and next, each tied to a risk or obligation |
| Incidents and lessons | Every incident, how it was handled and what changed |
| Forward signals | Threats and rule changes coming, and decisions the board will need to make |
What happens
Your first year.
- Month 1: where you standSecurity, people and suppliers reviewed. A written report and ranked risks.
- Months 2 to 3: the planA 12 to 24 month plan tied to what clients, insurers and regulators expect, with costs.
- Every month: steady progressA working session with leadership. The board paper every quarter.
- Every year: resetA formal review against how the business and threats have changed.
When this is the wrong choice
When you don't need a vCISO.
- Small team, few questionsA one-off security review and an Essential Eight gap check will do.
- Large and heavily regulatedYou probably need a permanent security lead. A vCISO can bridge the gap while you hire.
- You need hands, not a planIf the plan exists and the work isn't getting done, that's managed IT, not a vCISO.
The Australian rules
One framework to start, not five.
- Essential Eight and ASD EssentialsASD's baseline, and the new framework released October 2026.
- SMB1001A certificate you can show, through CyberCert.
- ISO/IEC 27001When larger clients or overseas buyers ask for it.
- APRA CPS 234 and the Privacy ActWhere the law or your regulator sets the bar.
How we take it on
From first call to the first board paper.
- Step 1Fit check
Is a vCISO right, or will something smaller do?
- Step 2Review
Where you stand, written up.
- Step 3Plan
Priorities, costs and owners.
- Step 4Deliver
Real Bytes does the work.
- Step 5Report
Quarterly to your leadership.
Related
A plan is the start. These turn it into work.
Where vCISO work usually leads.
Get help your way
Six ways to reach us. Pick whichever suits you.
Helpdesk hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm AEST. On Advantage and above, emergencies get a response within 1 hour and outages within 2, with 24/7 best-effort escalation.
- Call 07 3114 2808
An engineer answers Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm AEST. After hours, weekends and public holidays, Chip, our AI agent, answers on the same number or on 07 3180 0965, logs it and escalates urgent incidents to the on-call engineer.
Call now - Email the helpdesk
Send it to helpdesk@realbytes.com.au and a ticket is logged straight away, with a reference number you can quote.
Email us - Client portal
Log and follow your tickets, see what we are working on and who has it.
Open the portal - Remote support
When an engineer asks to see your screen, start a secure session here. You start it, so nobody sees your screen until you do.
Start a session - Chat in Microsoft Teams
Clients can message Chip, our AI assistant, in Teams to log a request without leaving their desk.
How clients reach us - Service status
Check whether Microsoft 365 or another cloud service is down before you lose an hour troubleshooting.
See live status
Questions
What people ask about a virtual CISO.
What is a virtual CISO?
A senior security leader you share rather than hire. They set your security plan, answer to your leadership and board, and lead when something goes wrong, for a monthly fee instead of a full-time executive salary.
Why is the advisor a separate company?
So the people checking the work aren't the people doing it. Aegis Cybersecurity sets the standard and reports on progress. Real Bytes runs your systems against it. You get an honest view, not a provider marking its own homework.
Which frameworks do you work to?
Whichever fits: the Essential Eight and the new ASD Essentials, SMB1001 through CyberCert, ISO/IEC 27001, APRA CPS 234 for regulated financial services, and the Privacy Act. We pick one to start with rather than chasing all of them.
Who is this for?
Businesses of roughly 20 to 150 staff facing security questions from clients, insurers or a board, without the need for a full-time security executive. Law firms, accountants, brokers, schools and community housing providers are typical.
Is there a lock-in contract?
No. Like all Real Bytes services, it runs for an initial 3 months, then month to month with 60 days' notice, and you're billed in arrears. We earn the next month by being useful this month.
Next step
Tired of guessing on security questions?
Tell us who's asking and what they want. We'll tell you straight whether a virtual CISO fits or if something smaller will do. Our vCISO Australia service works the same way in every state.
Keep reading
Reviewed by Blake Bath, General Manager, on 31 October 2026. The vCISO role is delivered by Aegis Cybersecurity. Real Bytes' practice and terms from our published service terms. Aegis Cybersecurity