What are the best practices for presenting security metrics to non-technical stakeholders?

1 Know your audience

Before you prepare your security report, you need to understand who your audience is, what their goals and expectations are, and how they prefer to receive information. For example, senior executives may want to see the big picture, the return on investment, and the strategic alignment of your security initiatives. Clients may want to see how you protect their data, comply with their standards, and handle incidents. Regulators may want to see how you adhere to the relevant laws, policies, and frameworks. Tailor your report to suit your audience's needs, interests, and level of technical expertise.

2 Choose the right metrics

Not all security metrics are equally important or relevant for your audience. You need to select the metrics that best demonstrate your security performance, progress, and value. For example, you can use metrics that show how you reduce vulnerabilities, prevent breaches, respond to incidents, comply with regulations, or improve user satisfaction. Avoid using too many metrics, as this can overwhelm or confuse your audience. Focus on the key indicators that align with your audience's goals and priorities.

3 Visualize the data

One of the most effective ways to present security metrics to non-technical stakeholders is to use visual aids, such as charts, graphs, dashboards, or infographics. Visual aids can help you simplify complex data, highlight trends and patterns, compare results, and illustrate impact. However, you need to use visual aids wisely and appropriately. Choose the right type of visual aid for your data, such as a pie chart for proportions, a bar chart for comparisons, or a line chart for changes over time. Use clear labels, legends, and titles for your visual aids. Avoid cluttering, distorting, or misrepresenting your data.

4 Tell a story

Another way to engage and persuade your non-technical audience is to tell a story with your security metrics. A story can help you connect your metrics to your audience's pain points, challenges, and opportunities. It can also help you explain the context, meaning, and implications of your metrics. For example, you can use a story to show how you solved a security problem, how you achieved a security goal, or how you delivered a security benefit. Use a simple and logical structure for your story, such as a problem-solution-benefit or a before-after-outcome format.

5 Provide recommendations

Finally, you need to provide recommendations based on your security metrics. Recommendations can help you show your audience how they can take action, make decisions, or support your security efforts. For example, you can recommend how to improve security processes, policies, or practices; how to allocate resources, budget, or time; or how to address security risks, gaps, or issues. Make your recommendations specific, actionable, and realistic. Provide evidence and rationale for your recommendations. Highlight the expected outcomes and benefits of your recommendations.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?