Part 4: The Cost of Compliance Services
One aspect separate from IT & Cybersecurity support is compliance. If your business is in a regulated industry or needs to follow specific frameworks (like HIPAA for healthcare, PCI-DSS for credit card processing, GDPR for data privacy, NIST/CMMC for government contractors, etc.), you may need additional services to ensure compliance.
What is included with a “Virtual Compliance Officer” Service?
A Virtual Compliance Officer (vCO) provides expert guidance to help your organization stay compliant with industry and regulatory standards such as HIPAA, FTC Safeguards, NIST, ISO 27001, CMMC, and more. This service typically includes 2-40+ hours per month of remote support from a certified compliance specialist who acts as your virtual in-house compliance lead. The time needed to meet compliance depends on your company size, complexity, and depth of regulatory requirements.
Learn more about our Scope of Work (SOW): Cybersecurity Framework (Compliance) as a Service (CFaaS)
Core Services
- Policy & Documentation Management: Development and ongoing maintenance of required compliance documents, including security plans, corrective action plans, and system inventories.
- Risk Management & Governance: Scheduled risk review meetings (quarterly, bi-annually, or annually) to assess threats, review controls, and guide strategic compliance decisions.
- Training & Awareness: Access to live virtual training sessions and an on-demand library to help educate staff on compliance responsibilities. Training records are maintained for audit readiness.
- Audit & Assessment Support: Help preparing for internal and external audits, including evidence collection, documentation review, and virtual support during assessments.
- Incident & Vendor Guidance: Support for identifying and reporting security incidents, plus reviews of IT vendors and solutions to ensure they meet compliance standards.
- Operational & Sales Support: Assistance with compliance-related sales activities (e.g., completing questionnaires) and operational changes that impact compliance posture.
- Evidence Tracking: All activities are logged in a secure system, providing a clear audit trail of your compliance efforts.
Additional Benefits
- Discounted On-Site Consulting: Reduced rates for in-person support when physical site reviews or on-site audit assistance are needed.
- Flexible Hourly Support: Additional remote consulting is available beyond the included hours at a reduced hourly rate.
How Much Does a Virtual Compliance Officer Service Cost?
Because compliance work is specialized and often labor-intensive, it can be a significant investment—especially for organizations in regulated industries. Here’s a general breakdown of typical costs:
Small Businesses
- DIY Approach: Some small businesses use third-party compliance software and manage most tasks internally. Costs for software alone can range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per month, depending on the size and features.
- Expert Support: Businesses that need professional guidance can benefit from part-time virtual compliance officer services, which typically range from $750 to $3,500 per month. These services often include access to a compliance management platform and a set number of dedicated expert hours. Organizations with more complex regulatory requirements may require additional time and specialized expertise, which naturally increases overall costs.
Mid-Sized to Larger Organizations
- Companies with more complex environments (e.g., 250+ employees or strict regulatory requirements) may spend $5,000 to $10,000+ per month, especially when deeper involvement or broader coverage is needed.
- These costs usually do not include remediation or implementation work, which may be billed separately as project-based services.
One-Time Projects
- Some providers offer one-time audits or assessment prep for a flat fee. While useful, these are typically limited in scope. Most serious compliance efforts require ongoing support, as regulations evolve and audits recur annually or more frequently.
Additional Costs to Consider
- Don’t underestimate the cost of specialized software, licenses, and services needed to maintain compliance. These expenses can represent a significant portion of your total budget, so it’s important to account for the full picture—not just consulting fees. For example, a small company with around 10 employees might spend anywhere from $500 to $1,000 per month on tools for regulatory tracking, employee training, and secure data storage. While it’s possible to reduce costs by using manual tracking methods like paper files or spreadsheets, the time and effort required often outweigh the financial savings.
Why Is Compliance So Expensive?
Compliance is more than just checking boxes—it’s about protecting your business from serious risks. Failing an audit can lead to fines, legal penalties, lost contracts, and damaged reputation. That’s why the expertise required to navigate complex regulations is both valuable and in high demand.
While many managed service providers (MSPs) include basic security in their standard offerings, true compliance requires additional layers of protection, detailed documentation, and ongoing oversight that go far beyond typical IT support.
Cutting corners on compliance is a false economy. Saving money upfront by ignoring compliance can result in costly consequences later—especially if you fail an audit and have to scramble to fix issues under pressure.
Budgeting Tips for Small Organizations
If you’re working with limited resources, one approach is to use DIY compliance tools and bring in consultants only when needed. This can reduce costs but requires significant internal effort and discipline. The more you invest in professional support, the smoother the process—and the more likely you are to pass audits without last-minute stress.
Plan Ahead
Compliance is often not fully included in standard IT service packages. Be sure to ask what’s covered in any managed services proposal, and what might cost extra. Also, don’t forget to budget for specialized software, licenses, and services—these can be a major part of your overall compliance spend.
Learn More:
- Part 1: We compare Break-Fix vs Flat-Rate (Managed) support models and why proactive flat-rate plans often deliver better value.
- Part 2: We break down pricing per device, per user, per location, and per organization (domain), including typical cost ranges and what features influence those prices.
- Part 3: Deeper dive into IT pricing models where we discuss how bundling vs. line-item pricing works, and how contract terms or volume can affect your rates.
- Part 4: We cover the special case of compliance services (e.g. regulatory or security compliance support) – why they can be costly and what they include.
- Part 5: Finally, we provide tips on evaluating IT service providers – what to look for in their reputation, transparency, and service offerings – so you know you’re getting a fair deal for the price.
- Bonus: Is a ball park estimate good enough?
