Cybersecurity is critical — but it’s not the only thing on a board’s mind. Executive leaders must make strategic decisions across the entire business, often with limited capital. So when CISOs ask for budget based solely on rising threats, without showing how it stacks up against other priorities, it becomes difficult to justify the spend.
Let’s consider a real-world scenario.
A company has $15 million in capital budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Multiple departments bring urgent and well-supported requests:
- The CISO presents a cyber risk analysis using the FAIR model, showing that threat levels have surged due to automated AI-driven attacks. There’s now a 12% chance of a $15 million breach, and a 6% chance of a loss exceeding $35 million. A $6 million investment could reduce both the likelihood and potential impact by half.
- The Chief Compliance Officer flags a looming regulatory risk. Without a $4 million compliance program upgrade, the company could face sanctions under new data transfer rules, risking both fines and disrupted global operations.
- The Chief Marketing Officer argues that $5 million is needed to counter a competitor’s aggressive campaign launch. Without it, brand visibility may drop significantly, leading to an estimated $25 million decline in annual revenue.
- The Strategy Lead proposes a $5 million acquisition of a startup with a product that complements their core offering. Early analysis projects a 30% return on investment within the first 12 months.
- The Head of Workplace Safety requests $3 million to modernize outdated safety equipment and procedures. Incident reports are rising, and the potential cost of a serious injury — not to mention reputational damage — could be far greater.
- The CIO outlines a $4 million plan to implement AI across customer service and logistics. The projected first-year impact: $2 million in savings and $6 million in additional revenue.
Each proposal has merit. But only $15 million is available. Should cybersecurity receive funding without evaluating how it compares to these other strategic needs?
Absolutely not.
Boards don’t decide based on fear — they decide based on business value. For cybersecurity to compete, it must be communicated in business terms: risk-adjusted ROI, financial exposure, and alignment with strategic goals. The days of saying “this is a critical vulnerability” without quantifying business impact are over.
Cyber risk is business risk — and it must be treated that way.
So here’s the real question: Are you making the case for cybersecurity in isolation? Or are you enabling informed, enterprise-level decisions?
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