CISOs have a variety of metrics to draw upon to measure and optimize their security effectiveness and demonstrate strategic alignment with the business. However, it’s critical that CISOs not get lost in security performance metrics that are devoid of meaning or context. Capturing real value from metrics involves focusing on metrics that illuminate how security propels the business forward.
Effective communication is one of the benefits that the right security performance metrics offers CISOs. CISOs are increasingly utilizing metrics to articulate the efficacy of security protocols and the broader security stance of their organizations. This approach addresses a longstanding difficulty many security leaders faced in effectively communicating their security strategies and outcomes. The metrics provide a unified way to convey security threats and enhancements to non-technical stakeholders.
Keep in mind that when CISOs present highly technical metric reports to the board, they often fall short because board members struggle to understand their context, according to BPM Advisory Partner Fred Rica in an article from CSO Online. He comments, “Telling the board you’ve blocked 100,00 events at the firewall is meaningless. Board members need to be asking (and CISOs need to be answering) three simple questions: What are we doing? Is it enough? How do we know?”
For more about the benefits of security performance metrics for CISOs, read the full article, “10 benefits of security performance metrics for CISOs,” on CSO Online’s website.
