Executive board members need to understand the business implications of technical data. Traditional reporting methods do not connect well with leaders, leading to misinformed decisions and inadequate resources. To effectively translate cyber risk metrics to executives, C-suite leaders should focus on business impact rather than technical risks.

Limits of Traditional Cyber Risk Metrics

Traditional cyber risk metrics do not appropriately demonstrate cybersecurity risks. Data like CVSS scores, IDS alerts and patch counts do not provide actionable insights into how to strengthen an organization’s cybersecurity.

Threats are evolving due to new technology. AI-driven phishing attempts have become more personal, which tests the cybersecurity skills of employees and managers. Companies must rely on employees’ expertise and training to prevent powerful data breaches.

Traditional defensive strategies cannot keep pace with the speed and scale of AI cyberthreat tactics. AI-powered threats, according to 78% of security officers, are a significant concern for organizations. As cyber threats evolve, so should executives’ responses.

How to Translate Data into Business-Focused Metrics

The key is for C-suite leaders to translate complex data and cybersecurity jargon into business-focused metrics that executives can understand and act on. An organization’s cybersecurity defense should then improve over time.

Business Impact

C-suite leaders must produce metrics that align with the business. Time to respond to threats, time to recover from threats and uptime vs. downtime are all relevant metrics. These results demonstrate an organization’s ability to withstand an attack and maintain its operations. If the metrics are below average, it can negatively impact customer trust and revenue.

Financial Risk

Demonstrating financial risk through cybersecurity metrics is crucial as well. Information on cybersecurity vulnerabilities, the ROI of security tactics and annual loss expectancy are essential metrics to illustrate the need for enhanced security protocol. Delivering these metrics to executives connects cybersecurity directly to potential financial losses.

Strategic Priorities

Strategic priorities are essential, especially when evaluating the effectiveness of company-wide cybersecurity training programs. Metrics such as security framework coverage, employee phishing click rates and time spent patching vulnerabilities are key ways to demonstrate the strength of a business’s security program. It can also identify areas for improvement for executives and determine whether the current program investment is effective.

Compliance Status

Another good metric to measure and present to executives is the company’s compliance status. Data on audit finding closure rate, days overdue on critical findings and compliance adherence scores are viable ways to demonstrate the effectiveness of current compliance practices. The information also shows how fines, legal action and reputational damage impact the company as a whole.

Data as a Compelling Narrative

Data cannot just be numbers on a page, given the current cybersecurity climate. The information should help create reliable metrics that C-suite leaders can translate into a compelling narrative for executives. Demonstrating a clear business impact through specific metrics directs the conversation to the most risky areas and leads to actionable change from business leaders.

The Executive’s Role

Once C-suite leaders present the metrics to executives, it is up to them to decide on doable solutions to improve or maintain the company’s current cybersecurity framework. Because business professionals may not know the right questions to ask about metrics, C-suite leaders can guide them toward more sophisticated ones.

Board members should ask detailed questions that demonstrate the overarching impact of the current metrics. Asking questions about how the metrics have changed over the current quarter or what the most significant cybersecurity risk to primary business objectives is can kick-start the decision-making process. Executives can also ask about how current trends impact the overall program maturity of the company’s current cybersecurity framework.

Business-Centric Metrics are Important

C-suite leaders should adopt business-centric metrics to elevate themselves from data presenters to strategic advisors. Cybersecurity risk is more than just a security function. It is a critical component of modern business leadership.