Many companies miss the point of having a cybersecurity KPI. But this is important. Why is that so? And what do you need to measure?
Let us dig deeper into that in this article.
Cybersecurity KPI: Why Important?
To manage something, you will need to measure it. And the same goes with cybersecurity. If you do not measure your efforts, you will not know where you are at the moment.
You may already know this, but cybersecurity is not a one-time thing. It is an ongoing effort with no end to it. Further, it evolves all the time.
So, how will you know if your security measures are still effective? Yes, by measuring them. There is no other way than that.
Further, these are two key reasons why having KPIs are crucial:
- Gives you an overview of how your security team is working. Then, you will know what is still working or getting worse. Or what is helping your decision-making.
- Gives you information that you can show to higher-ups and the board. This lets them know that you take security very seriously.
But what KPIs should you make?
Cybersecurity KPI: What to Measure
Preparedness Level
To prevent any attacks at bay, you need to be always prepared. But how will you know if you are prepared enough?
Know how many devices are patched well. Then, see if all are up to date. Do scans to see any vulnerabilities present. This will reduce any risks at hand. Then, find ways to fix them.
Of course, always keep track of your preparedness level. As they say, prevention is better than cure.
Number of Reported Incidents
This is one of the most basic KPIs in cybersecurity. It tracks the number of reported incidents. Then, it sees whether your company experienced an increase or decrease of such.
With this, you will be able to know whether your tools are effective or not. It will also let you find which areas are incidents happening the most.
Thus, giving you time to see where the problem lies and then solving them.
Cost Per Incident
After reporting incidents, this is the next KPI to have. But this might be tricky. Why? Because needs to include both human and technical assets needed to solve the problem.
So, how can you calculate it? By these three categories:
- Direct costs. Like forensic and investigation costs and fines.
- Indirect costs. Like response time or recovery efforts.
- Cost of lost opportunity. Like negative press or reputation management.
Time to Resolve
Since the birth of cybersecurity, this type of KPI has been around. Like the Mean Time to Identify (MTTI). Or the Mean Time to Contain (MTTC).
As the name suggests, it measures how long it took you to identify a threat or attack. Or how long it took you to resolve it.
If you put in place this KPI, you will have valuable numbers. You can see whether you were fast or slow in taking action. Then, you can aim to improve on the next incident.
