Talking Cybersecurity to the Board: The CISO’s Challenge 🚀

As a CISO, capturing the attention of the board of directors is a real challenge. It’s not just about speaking the language of business, but about making cybersecurity relevant to the company. And if you master the art of storytelling, you have a powerful weapon to turn technical concerns into genuine strategic opportunities.

Talking Cybersecurity to the Board: The CISO’s Challenge

As CISOs, we’re constantly reminded that we must “speak the language of the board” to ensure cybersecurity has a seat at the decision-making table. It’s almost like imagining a CISO pleading, “I want to sit at the grown-ups’ table, I’m not a child anymore.” But to speak like an adult, you must first master the language of the business.

Speaking Business Doesn’t Mean Oversimplifying

We often hear that we need to “speak business” to be understood by the board. In reality, it’s not about dumbing things down, but about making cybersecurity risks and issues relevant to the company. We need to communicate clearly—especially when our work doesn’t directly generate revenue. Talking tech to a business audience is like speaking French to people who only speak Chinese. To get the message across, you must make yourself understood.

The Misperception of the CISO Role: A Barrier to Overcome

One of the biggest difficulties lies in how the CISO role is perceived. Too often, we are still seen as “technicians,” even though our role is increasingly strategic. Boards expect us to understand and translate technological risks, but if we fail to earn their trust or align expectations around risk and capital allocation, our impact remains limited.

KPIs: Useful, But Not Enough

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are essential for measuring and communicating cybersecurity performance, but they often come with issues. A single metric can vary across teams, creating misalignment—especially when bonuses or rewards are involved. It’s tempting to prioritize some KPIs over others, but this shouldn’t come at the expense of coherence and overall effectiveness.

“Risk dashboards” and other measurement tools have become popular, but their value depends on context and audience. When I started in cybersecurity, I made the rookie mistake we’ve all made: I shared metrics like the number of blocked emails or detected intrusion attempts. These figures don’t really resonate with board members—if anything, they might just worry them more.

Talking Cybersecurity to the Board: A Balancing Act

The real question to ask is: are we truly in control? When you discuss vulnerabilities with the board, it’s not enough to talk about patches or system updates. You also need to address topics like business continuity, financial impact, employee training, or improvement opportunities that could generate revenue—even indirectly.

That’s where storytelling comes in. Mastering the art of storytelling can be a powerful way to captivate your audience and get your message across. Instead of drowning your audience in technical jargon, tell a story. For example, illustrate how a proactive cybersecurity strategy allowed a company not only to avoid a disaster but to turn that vigilance into a competitive edge.

Storytelling helps make cybersecurity issues tangible and relevant to the board by directly linking them to the company’s strategic objectives. When combined with discussions about business continuity and financial impact, you can shift cybersecurity from a support function to a driver of growth and resilience.

Conclusion: Turning Problems into Opportunities

If you truly want to capture the board’s attention, you must translate cybersecurity challenges into business opportunities. Talk about resilience, business continuity, and show how solid risk management can strengthen customer trust and open new paths for growth.