Security in the boardroom is becoming an issue of major concern. Boards are becoming more worried about this matter, as the news media spotlights high-profile data breaches and shareholder proposals seek to link CEO compensation to cybersecurity performance. But, CISOs are faced with the task of communicating with business leaders who might not know what information to ask for or how to interpret the language of cybersecurity.
Cyber risk is no longer viewed as a matter for IT teams in distant server rooms; it’s an essential business risk and boards should be able to understand it at their level. They want to see how their business is performing in comparison to its peers, and they must be in a position to make decisions based on clear and precise metrics.
In order to do this it’s essential to have the proper framework in place. This includes a central board portal that allows for easy sharing and collaboration. This means that your board members won’t need to communicate via messages that aren’t protected which increases risk of being hacked and vulnerable to malware. Using a management tool for boards with multilayer encrypting and secure collaboration tools can protect you from the most typical dangers.
CISOs can also help bridge the gap between the boardroom and the world of security by providing board members with real-time cyber risk metrics as well as aligning security with business goals and educating them on security nuances. This will ensure that security teams can have a more productive dialogue with their business counterparts and that there are clear lines of communication between the two.