The Challenges of Communicating Cyber Risks
The capacity to effectively convey the dangers posed to cyber-business is one of the most challenging issues faced by every risk management personality in today's constantly evolving cyber security environment. When defining a system's vulnerability, security experts frequently use technical jargon. Key organizational stakeholders, however, demand that communication be synchronized with their language and focused on the financial implications of gain, loss, or risk Making risk judgments for the future success of operations is extremely challenging due to the difficulties of converting standard security prosodies into risk statements used by business executives. Therefore, it is the responsibility of a cyber security professional to ensure that security risks are communicated at all levels of the organization hierarchy.
The Importance of Communication in Cyber Security Programs
The communication of security program metrics, their relevance, and accuracy play a crucial role in ensuring the potency of a cyber security program. When disseminating information on cyber risks, several aspects of communication should be considered. For example, a security professional should be cognizant of the credibility of the information's source, the audience, and a way of placing the risk into perspective (Bada 22). The survival of a business is directly tied to the efficiency of its cyber security program. Such is the case because of an organization's reliance on technology. Specifically, computer networking translates to significant damage to its status quo if the cyber security programs are not meticulously safeguarded (Sharma 25). In light of the risks posed by a lot of cyber-attacks and data breaches, there is need to identify tips on effective communication of cyber security in an organization. The first step to ensuring effective communication of cyber risks involves a comprehensive business impact assessment, the organization's vision, and any relevant tactical plans. Business impact assessment, for example, answers concerns regarding the impact what of a process, service or a feature on the overall business if it is offline of a certain amount of time. Furthermore, it acts as a base for investing in recovery strategies (Sharma 44).
Identifying Stakeholders in Cyber Security Communication
Another important tip in ensuring effective dissemination of cybersecurity information within an organization is the identification of stakeholders at all levels and their respective hierarchy. According to (Brocket et al. pg16 this step plays a significant role in mitigating impacts of cyber risks since stakeholders are the ones likely to be affected by a program's outcome. The stakeholder's list should not only be identified but also updated regularly. This move ensures the simultaneous growth of business with every variation applied to the number of stakeholders. Moreover, the more the stakeholders, the larger the number of possible communication or miscommunication itineraries. Failure to enlist and regularly review stakeholders will indurate timely communication between interested parties and increase the probability that a message might be misunderstood (Brocket et al. 35).
Tailoring Cyber Risk Communication to Different Stakeholders
Additionally, key security metrics, apparently tied to the organization's Key Performance Indicators (KPI) should be identified. The linkage will advance communication of cyber risks to the business executives. Once the company has been assessed, stakeholders enlisted, and relevant security metrics identified, tailored communication to various stakeholders can take place (Brocket et al. 44). Stakeholders at different levels of organization's structure have unique needs. This aspect should be considered when structuring the message to be communicated. When delivering information in written format, however, the security professional should accommodate both the stakeholders that prefer summaries without having to process raw data and those that prefer reviewing data to make their conclusions. Both views are essential because a real risk statement requires both a conclusion and its raw data. As (Bada 27) recommends, cyber security officials should also consider utilizing those security metrics that focus on time and money to appeal to the business executives.
Verifying Stakeholder Understanding and Adapting Communication
Ultimately, the security professional should verify whether the stakeholders have understood information on cyber risks. This step is implemented by gauging understanding based on questions raised during discussions. A lack of response often indicates a failure to communicate. No reply may necessitate a change of communication approach. Moreover, the communication plan should keep up with the rapidly changing nature of cyber security program's vulnerability (Brocket et al. 63). This adaptation should incorporate not only measured data fluctuations but also the stakeholder list as well as the business's strategies.
Bridging the Gap in Cyber Security Communication
In conclusion, the language of security is often technical. This phenomenon poses a lot of challenges to cyber security risk management. However, employing the above comprehensively discussed tips will enhance communication of risk information in financial terms to the business executives for the prosperity of a business venture. Adopting these tips would also go a long way in bridging the gap between cyber business risks and the stakeholder's level of engineering understanding of the cyber-security programs in question.
Works cited
Bada, Maria, and Angela Sasse. "Cyber Security Awareness Campaigns: Why do they fail to change behavior?, 2014.
Brockett, Patrick L., Linda L. Golden, and Whitley Wolman. "Enterprise cyber risk management." Risk Management for the Future-Theory and Cases. InTech, 2012.
Sharma, Ravi. "Study of latest emerging trends on cyber security and its challenges to society." International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research no. 3.6, 2012, pp. 1.
