Orlando, Florida, Oct. 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cynomi, the agentic Security Growth Platform for service providers, today announced the release of its 2026 State of vCISO Report: The Commercial Opportunity in Untapped Strategic Advisory. The report finds that 95% of clients would be more likely to increase their overall security spend if their provider delivered more proactive planning and strategic guidance, yet only 28% of service providers offer vCISO services today. Among MSPs, just 5% do.
Now in its fourth year, Cynomi's annual report for the first time surveys both sides of the relationship: 200 senior leaders at MSPs, MSSPs and vCISO firms, and 200 end client security leaders. The result is a direct comparison of what providers think they're delivering against what clients say they need, and the gap between the two is a growth opportunity hiding inside existing client bases.
"Every client we surveyed already works with an outside security provider. The market doesn't need to be convinced to outsource; it's asking to be guided," said Erin McLean, Chief Marketing Officer, Cynomi. "Detection keeps clients safe, but advisory keeps them retained. The providers who standardize how they deliver strategic guidance, and deliver it continuously rather than once a quarter, will own the next decade of growth in this channel."
2026 State of vCISO report key findings
- MDR alone isn't closing the gap. 0% of MDR clients surveyed say their strategic needs are fully met; 61% need more guidance and 39% say their provider does detection and response only. Nearly half of providers (47%) already consider MDR commoditized, compared with just 6% for vCISO services.
- Clients will pay for advisory and stay for it. 95% of clients would be more likely to increase security spend with more strategic guidance, and 83% would be likely to buy strategic advisory as a standalone service. Strategic advice and risk visibility are the top two retention drivers for providers and clients alike; pricing and packaging rank last.
- The vCISO opportunity is wide open. Only 28% of providers offer vCISO services today. Among MSPs, it's just 5%, compared with 32% of MSSPs.
- Providers are solving yesterday's problem. Clients' top goal is reducing overall business risk (53%), and not a single client named "maximizing cybersecurity ROI" as their priority. Business continuity matters to 41% of clients, but only 19% of MSPs believe it does.
- Compliance is the front door to advisory. Compliance readiness is the strategic outcome clients value most (58%). MSSPs are moving faster to address compliance with 39% selling advisory as a separate paid service, compared with 24% of MSPs.
- Demand is continuous; delivery is quarterly. Providers say 56% of their clients, on average, ask for strategic guidance beyond fixing technical issues. But 70% still deliver advisory mainly through quarterly business reviews, and only 7% through a client portal or dashboard.
- AI raises the value bar, not the discount. Not one provider surveyed has cut prices because of AI, and 84% of clients say prices should hold while service quality or scope improves. Only 15% of clients expect AI to lower prices. Instead, clients expect better reporting (60%), better outcomes (55%) and more proactive recommendations (54%).
"MSPs and MSSPs have spent a decade building operational excellence in detection and response. That work is valuable, but clients now see it as the baseline," continued McLean. "The data is clear that the next margin opportunity is advisory. The challenge is delivering it consistently across hundreds of clients without hiring a CISO for each one."
Cynomi exists to bridge that gap. As an agentic Security Growth Platform, Cynomi helps service providers standardize and scale security and compliance service delivery with CISO Intelligence, so teams of every experience level can deliver consistent, strategic advisory services across every client.
The full 2026 State of vCISO report, including detailed breakdowns by provider type and the complete client-side findings, is available for download at https://cynomi.com/state-of-the-vciso-2026/.
Methodology
Cynomi commissioned Global Surveyz, an independent research firm, to survey 400 respondents in the U.S. in August 2026. Half were senior leaders (Director or above) at MSP, MSSP and vCISO firms with 20 or more employees that provide cybersecurity consulting or strategic services. Half were IT, cybersecurity, risk or compliance leaders at client organizations ranging from 20 to more than 1,000 employees across industries including financial services, healthcare, technology, manufacturing, government, retail and energy.
About Cynomi
Cynomi is the agentic Security Growth Platform for service providers, powered by CISO Intelligence, with the decision-making logic of an experienced security leader embedded into every workflow. Purpose-built for MSPs, MSSPs and consultancies, Cynomi helps service providers deliver, scale and grow cybersecurity services across every client and every maturity level. By combining complete security program management with portfolio-level revenue insights, Cynomi turns cybersecurity into a repeatable, profitable growth engine that improves margins, standardizes delivery, strengthens client trust and uncovers new recurring revenue opportunities. Learn more at cynomi.com.
Joanne Hogue Smart Connections PR for Cynomi +1 (410) 658-8246 joanne@smartconnectionspr.com