Post 12: Measuring Cybersecurity Performance

What gets measured gets managed. Cybersecurity is no different. NIST CSF 2.0 emphasizes that governance must include metrics to evaluate whether controls and policies are effective. Without measurement, leaders cannot know if the program is reducing risk or simply consuming budget.

What It Means in Business Terms
Measuring cybersecurity performance means tracking results, not just activity. Strong programs define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) that align with business goals. Examples include:

• Mean Time to Detect and Respond to incidents.

• Percentage of critical vulnerabilities remediated within agreed timeframes.

• Completion rate for employee training across the workforce.

• Number of vendors reassessed annually based on criticality.

• Percentage of risks above tolerance in the risk register.

These metrics transform cybersecurity into something the board and executives can monitor alongside financial and operational performance.

Why It Matters to Businesses
Without performance measurement:

• Leaders have no visibility into whether cyber investments are effective.

• Regulators, insurers, and auditors see programs as immature or non-compliant.

• Resources are allocated reactively instead of based on results.

With structured metrics:

• Leadership can see progress against risk reduction goals.

• Weak areas are identified early and addressed before they become incidents.

• Cybersecurity is tied to measurable business outcomes.

What Leaders Should Do Now

• Approve a Cybersecurity Oversight and Performance Policy that defines KPIs and KRIs.

• Require quarterly reporting of performance metrics to executive leadership.

• Use dashboards that show trends over time, not just snapshots.

• Integrate cyber performance measures into enterprise performance management frameworks.

Leadership Takeaway
Cybersecurity is too important to be judged on effort alone. By measuring performance with meaningful KPIs and KRIs, businesses can prove the value of security investments, identify gaps, and maintain alignment with strategic goals.

At STGRC Solutions, we help organizations define cybersecurity performance measures, build executive dashboards, and integrate risk metrics into board reporting. The result is governance that is measurable, transparent, and accountable.