Reporting on the State of Your Cybersecurity Program

3 minute read

January 2021

by Kerin Sikorski

The CISO’s Role and Cybersecurity Program Evolution

As the role of the CISO changes and evolves, they are increasingly expected to deliver strategic insight on the state of the cybersecurity program to the executive team and Board of Directors. The progressive CISO has moved beyond daily fire drills and playing a reactive role to proactively managing intricate cybersecurity challenges and strategically calculating how improvements can impact the organization’s future.

The CISO serves as the Board’s window into the state of cybersecurity enterprise-wide. Boards are increasingly relying on CISOs to provide the information they need to make sound decisions regarding financial allocation and strategic planning.

Make no mistake, the CISO role has evolved and emerged, and with increased responsibility comes greater accountability. Many CISOs don’t make the cut—the CISO lifespan is a meager two years! The CISO role is now a “hot seat” position.

To deliver effective insights, a CISO needs to have visibility across the organization. An effective cybersecurity management program can deliver this broad view and the supporting data and reports to communicate the state of cybersecurity clearly and succinctly to the Board.

Be Ready for the Key Questions About Your Cybersecurity Program

When presenting the state of the cybersecurity program to the Board, CISOs should be ready to answer the following key questions:

  • What are the cybersecurity threats/risks to the business?
  • Which are the most pressing (what is the likelihood an event will occur and what would be the impact to the organization if it does?)
  • What can be done to address the vulnerabilities?
  • How long will the resolution take to implement?
  • What’s the cost?

Your challenge as a CISO in answering these questions is clear: “How do I go about finding all of this information?” The answer is equally clear—without cybersecurity program management software that provides a centralized, comprehensive view into an organization’s state of cybersecurity, you probably don’t.

Gain Understanding with Cybersecurity Program Management Software

A powerful cybersecurity program management platform can provide the real-time insight necessary to thoughtfully build, manage, and continuously improve an organization’s cybersecurity program. A robust cybersecurity program management solution can translate information from across organizations into powerful reporting and monitoring deliverables, including:

Customized reports that cover all relevant risks, threats, control reviews, assets, issues, incidents, projects and policies tailored to the C-suite, risk committee and Board of Directors.

High-value assets monitoring across an organization’s facilities, systems and applications with personalized dashboards

This same real-time insight is needed for a CISO to effectively report to the Board. And it should be available for easy export annually, quarterly or at the click of a button if an ad hoc or immediate need arises.

Move Your Cybersecurity Program (and Role) Forward with Reports and Automation

With an effective cybersecurity program management solution in place, it becomes possible to inventory and understand all the elements of an organization’s cybersecurity program. Ongoing enterprise-wide assessments with automated schedules, workflow and notifications, enable the CISO to move beyond a reactive manager role to become a more proactive leader.

Powerful reporting and interactive dashboards give CISOs real-time visibility into their cybersecurity program—enabling them to respond confidently to any Board inquiry with the ability to drill down and provide supporting details as needed.

Some of the key cybersecurity program reports include:

  • Threat History & Trending
  • Risk Remediation Status
  • Policy Control Coverage
  • Controls Effectiveness
  • Top Third Parties at Risk
  • Current Cyber Review Requests
  • Risk Prioritized Projects
  • Top High-Value Assets at Risk
  • Organization Training Coverage
  • Due Diligence Requests
  • Issues Summary Status
  • Major Incidents Status

To ensure your organization and CISO are board-ready request a demonstration or contact us to learn how we can help you formalize your cybersecurity program.

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ProcessUnity is a leading provider of cloud-based applications for risk and compliance management. The company’s software as a service (SaaS) platform gives organizations the control to assess, measure, and mitigate risk and to ensure the optimal performance of key business processes. ProcessUnity’s flagship solution, ProcessUnity Vendor Risk Management, protects companies and their brands by reducing risks from third-party vendors and suppliers. ProcessUnity helps customers effectively and efficiently assess and monitor both new and existing vendors – from initial due diligence and onboarding through termination. Headquartered outside of Boston, Massachusetts, ProcessUnity is used by the world’s leading financial service firms and commercial enterprises. For more information, visit www.processunity.com.