Reporting to Stakeholders
Getting CRO, GRC, and CFO Buy-In for Cyber Initiatives
The Importance of Stakeholder Buy-In for Cybersecurity Initiatives
Obtaining Executive Support
As cyber risk management emerges as a high-level business function, key stakeholders must be involved in the relevant discussions, allowing them to understand how cyber mitigation can provide cross-departmental value. The modern-day CISO, therefore, must leverage the solutions available to translate the value of cyber into a language all stakeholders understand and garner the necessary support.
Tailoring Risk Communications
In the past, cybersecurity has been conspicuously absent from board meetings and, if present at all, widely misunderstood due to cybersecurity’s complex nature. However, by leveraging a cyber risk quantification solution, cyber risk managers can translate these complexities into broader business terms, enabling meaningful stakeholder engagement. Once everyone understands the context, decision-making is more straightforward.
Aligning Broader and Cyber Goals
Once everyone tangibly understands the risk cyber activities pose to the business and the potential value of cybersecurity mitigation initiatives, leadership teams can begin to align cyber management strategies with broader goals, such as revenue generation. With the common language provided by CRQ, these stakeholders can develop creative solutions to ensure cyber resilience and enable growth simultaneously.
Demonstrating Mitigation ROI
Another key strategy to leverage is demonstrating the ROI of various cybersecurity initiatives. With a financial cyber risk assessment, CISO can quickly determine how much a specific security upgrade would reduce the organization’s financial exposure. Comparing this metric to the cost of implementation, CISOs can then present their findings to the board, who almost always appreciate positive returns.
Building Company-Wide Trust
Fostering transparency when reporting cybersecurity matters not only leads to executive buy-in but also helps to create a sense of shared responsibility. Likewise, it signals to non-technical colleagues that, rather than being the department of “no,” cybersecurity exists to help others succeed in their respective roles. With the common language provided by CRQ, this concept is much more easily understood.
Reporting to Stakeholders With CRQ FAQs
Speak to an Expert to Learn MoreWhy are color-coded risk matrices an ineffective way to communicate cyber risk?
In the early days of corporate-level cybersecurity, cyber risk managers used color-coded risk matrices to condense the more complex aspects of cyber risks into a more approachable framework for board members. However, nowadays, these colorful heat maps are entirely too simplified, not providing the data-driven insights boards required for budget planning and resource allocation. These stakeholders need tangible, outcome-driven metrics.
How does cyber risk quantification enhance high-level reporting?
Although executives and other key business stakeholders typically have a limited background in cyber risk, they conversely have extensive experience in fiscal planning based on a company's potential financial loss. By translating this technical business risk into more familiar terms, board members and senior management are readily equipped to discuss these important cyber matters and, subsequently, utilize the information provided to create strategies that cost-effectively bolster business resiliency.
Is it okay to report technically oriented metrics to key stakeholders?
When communicating metrics, it's always important to consider the audience and their respective knowledge. Therefore, even impressive, technically oriented KPIs may not deliver the intended effect. If you still want to include these metrics in your board and stakeholder reports, make sure to demonstrate how they tangibly impact the business in financial terms, allowing your audience to understand in full. Kovrr provides a free, customizable board reporting template that was designed to help you present the metrics that matter in the boardroom.
Are my organization’s executive stakeholders interested in third-party cyber risk?
Yes, very much so. Relationships with third-party service providers have the potential to leave your organization open to a slew of cyber-related vulnerabilities, which executives need to account for when developing strategies for the upcoming year. With cyber risk quantification platforms like Kovrr's, these stakeholders readily understand the company's financial exposure due to various third-party service provider connections and can invest in the necessary action plans to mitigate this risk.
Effective Stakeholder Reporting. High-End Resilience.
While communicating with non-technical stakeholders and board members can prove challenging, it can be made easier by leveraging CRQ. Reach out to one of Kovrr’s cyber risk experts today and learn how to improve the reporting process.
Speak to an Expert