Cybersecurity for the Management Committee: from cost center to strategic investment

Cyberattacks are no longer an issue exclusive to the IT department. Today they represent a direct threat to business continuity, with an average cost of $4.88 million per incident according to the 2024 IBM Security report.

However, there is a dangerous disconnect among top management: while 84% of directors recognize cybersecurity as a critical business risk (Gartner, 2024), only 39% of executives believe that their Board has a proactive understanding of this risk, as revealed by a recent Harvard Business Review study.

This gap is not technical. It is communicative. And it is costing companies millions when left unbridged.

The Real Challenge: Translating Technical Risk into Business Language

Most CISOs master their technical field. They understand vulnerabilities, manage incidents, and maintain secure infrastructures. However, when it comes time to present to the Board, many encounter executives who do not understand terms such as "Mean Time to Detect" or "false positive rate."

The issue is not a lack of technical knowledge among executives. It is that the CISO is not translating that knowledge into the only language the Board understands: business impact, financial risk, and competitive advantage.

Four Strategies That Work

CISOs who gain consistent support from the Board apply these techniques:

1. Business Contextualization: Instead of discussing a "critical vulnerability on the production server," they talk about a "risk of a 48-hour customer service interruption, with an estimated loss of 2 million euros in revenue and reputational damage."
2. Financial Risk Narrative: They present concrete scenarios: "A ransomware attack similar to what our competitor X experienced cost them 15 million in recovery, 8 million in regulatory fines, and a 12% drop in their stock over three months."
3. Sector Benchmarking: They use industry benchmarks: "Our cybersecurity maturity is at the 65th percentile in the sector. Companies in the 90th percentile experience 40% fewer incidents and recover three times faster."
4. Simplified Visualization: Executive dashboards that highlight trends rather than technical metrics. For example: "35% reduction in successful phishing attempts after the training program" instead of "12,384 emails analyzed with a 4.2% click-through rate."

KPIs the Board Needs to See (and Understand)

Not all indicators are equivalent. The Board does not need to know how many events the SOC processes daily. It needs to understand whether the organization can detect and respond promptly when something goes wrong.

Detection and Response Metrics

These three indicators summarize the organization’s real capacity to manage incidents:

Mean Time to Detect (MTTD)

1. Translation: How long does it take us to realize we are under attack?
2. Context: The industry average is 207 days. Leading organizations reduce this to less than 24 hours.

Mean Time to Respond (MTTR)

1. Translation: Once the issue is detected, how long are we exposed to risk?
2. Context: Every hour of exposure exponentially increases the potential damage.

SLA Containment Rate

1. Translation: What percentage of incidents do we manage to contain within the agreed time frames?
2. Context: A rate of 90% or higher indicates a mature response program.

Critical Note: These KPIs are only achievable with a quality SOC, tailored to the organization’s environment. Not all SOCs are alike.

Security Hygiene Indicators

These metrics reveal whether the organization is implementing the fundamental protection measures:

1. Training Completion Rate: At least 90% of employees must complete mandatory training annually
2. Simulated Phishing Click Rate: Exceeding 5% indicates a significant risk that requires immediate action
3. Compliance with Configurations: The percentage of systems meeting established standards (target: >95%)
4. Critical Patch Speed: Average time to apply critical security updates (target: <72 hours)
5. Vulnerability Management Cycle: Time from discovery to mitigation, including analysis, prioritization, and coordination among teams

The UK Government reports that 84% of successful attacks against companies in 2024 were phishing attacks, underlining the importance of continuous training and simulation as part of basic security hygiene.

Communication Strategies by Audience

Effective CISOs tailor their message based on the Board member involved:

1. For the CFO: Cost-benefit metrics, ROI, tangible savings, and operational efficiencies. They speak of "investment in prevention that reduces insurance premiums by 15%" or "automation that frees up 2 FTEs from the IT team."
2. For the Legal Director: Regulatory compliance (NIS2, GDPR, DORA), mitigation of legal liabilities, and protection against fines. "Non-compliance with NIS2 can result in fines of up to 10 million euros or 2% of global turnover."
3. For the CEO: Reputational risk, business continuity, competitive advantage, and enabling growth. "Our ISO 27001 certification allowed us to participate in the bid for client X, valued at 5 million annually."
4. For the Entire Board: An executive summary that connects all elements: "Cybersecurity protects our capacity to operate, comply with regulations, win strategic bids, and maintain the trust of clients and investors."

Building Long-Term Credibility

The Board’s trust is not earned with a single impressive presentation. It is built through:

1. Proactive Transparency: Communicate identified gaps before they evolve into problems. "We have detected this vulnerability in our environment and already have a mitigation plan in place with closure date X."
2. External Validation: Recognized certifications (ISO 27001, SOC 2, ENS) and third-party audits that objectively demonstrate the maturity of the security program.
3. Consistent Reporting: Regular metrics (at least quarterly) that show trends and improvements.
4. Strategic Anticipation: Prepare well-founded responses to common objections: "Why do we need more budget if we haven’t suffered any major incidents?" Answer: "Precisely because we invest in prevention. Our competitors X and Y who did not are now managing million-dollar breaches."

The Paradigm Shift: Investment, Not Expenditure

The concept of cybersecurity as a "necessary evil" is outdated. Leading organizations recognize that effective security not only protects existing value but also enables the creation of new business value.

According to Gartner, by 2025, 50% of cybersecurity leaders will have attempted to use cybersecurity risk quantification (CRQ) to drive business decision-making. This marks a fundamental shift in how organizations perceive and manage cyber risk.

The New Narrative?

Modern CISOs present cybersecurity as a business enabler that generates measurable returns:

1. Prevention of Costly Incidents: Preventing a single breach can justify the entire annual budget
2. Improvement of Operational Efficiencies: Automation that frees up resources for growth initiatives
3. Optimized Regulatory Compliance: Avoiding multi-million-dollar fines and maintaining operating licenses
4. Protection of Brand Reputation: The most valuable asset, and the hardest to restore after an incident

NEVERHACK: Your Cyber Performance Partner

When Boards understand that every euro invested in cybersecurity can prevent exponentially greater losses while enabling secure business growth, the conversation naturally evolves from budget justification to strategic investment optimization.

This conceptual transformation is fundamental to building truly resilient organizations in today’s threat landscape.

At NEVERHACK, we support CISOs in this transformation process, helping them build the bridge between technical risk and strategic value. If you would like more information on how to implement these strategies in your organization, contact us.