With cyber risk viewed as a definite and current threat, board members are required to be aware of their company’s risks to guide the organization on the most secure course. However, this isn’t always straightforward.
Cybersecurity has traditionally been a sphere dominated by technologists in remote server rooms. Cybersecurity has now become a business risk that affects every aspect of a company, especially in the wake of recent massive security breaches, such as those at Colonial Pipeline and Equifax.
As a result boards are demanding more from their security teams and CISOs. Board members need to see how a well trained security team can protect themselves against sophisticated threats, whether it’s by increasing their spending on new solutions or ensuring that employees are trained. This message should be communicated to non-technical leaders in the boardroom.
An effective way to do this is to make sure that security goals are aligned with the business objectives and use real-time data. By providing regular communications which highlight the changes in your security measures, the decrease of your risk index, as well as other important metrics, you can provide the board members the information they require to influence decision making. Use stories instead of simply official website passing on numbers. You can demonstrate to your board how quick actions prevented a major threat by presenting a true live example.
