With cyber-related risk being viewed as a real and imminent danger, board members need to know their company’s risks in order to steer the organisation to its most secure path. But this is not always straightforward.
Cybersecurity has always been a sphere controlled by technologists in remote server rooms. Cybersecurity has now become a business risk that impacts every aspect of a business especially in the wake of recent massive breaches such as those at Colonial Pipeline and Equifax.
Boards are now demanding more of their CISOs, and their security teams. Whether it’s increasing spending on new security solutions or making sure staff receive proper training, board members need an unambiguous and convincing understanding of how a well-trained security team can defend itself against the most sophisticated threats. And this message should be presented in a way that is easily understood by nontechnical executives in the boardroom.
An effective way to do this is to make sure that security goals are aligned with the business objectives and utilize real-time metrics. By providing regular updates that show the evolution of your security measures, a decreasing risk index, and other important metrics, you will be able to provide the board the information they require to guide decision making. Make a compelling story instead of simply passing on numbers. By presenting a real-life instance of this article the swift actions of your team prevented an enormous threat and show your board that they are protected and that their efforts are having an impact.
