Introduction
Today’s companies operate in an environment increasingly threatened by advanced and global digital risks. For this reason, cybersecurity is no longer just an IT department issue — it has become a strategic matter that must involve the entire organization.
Following our review of the Cybersecurity KPIs for Senior Management project, we wanted to share some key reflections on this topic in today’s post.
This initiative is led by a working group composed of renowned Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and experts in digital risk management. Its goal is both ambitious and essential: to design a common framework of key performance indicators (KPIs) to help measure, analyze, and effectively communicate cybersecurity across organizations of all types, sectors, and sizes.
📄 Read the full study here
At Unimedia, as developers of complex technological solutions, we understand that a mature cybersecurity posture cannot be achieved with firewalls and multi-factor authentication alone. It requires metrics, visibility, and a language that bridges the gap between technical detail and strategic vision across the company.
What is a cybersecurity indicator, and why does it matter?
A cybersecurity indicator is a quantifiable and objective measurement that reflects the status, evolution, or effectiveness of an organization’s protective mechanisms against digital risks. Its purpose is to provide visibility into key aspects such as threat exposure, the efficiency of security controls, regulatory compliance, or the ability to respond to incidents.
The report emphasizes the importance of standardizing terminology and proposes grouping indicators into:
KPIs (Key Performance Indicators): Reflect the effectiveness of protection actions (e.g., resolution times, applied patches).
KRIs (Key Risk Indicators): Help identify potential risks before they materialize, supporting proactive incident prevention.
The goal is to define indicators that are:
Strategically relevant,
Technically measurable,
Understandable by different profiles (from technical teams to executives).
From Technical Dashboards to Business Language
One of the main challenges for CISOs, according to the report, is to translate technical data into actionable knowledge for senior management. It’s not just about presenting metrics or raw reports — the challenge lies in transforming highly specialized information (such as logs, alerts, or threat statistics) into insights that are both comprehensible and strategically meaningful.
This means designing dashboards that go beyond displaying alerts or vulnerabilities. They must also communicate:
The impact of risks on business objectives,
The evolution of the organization’s security posture over time,
The level of regulatory compliance (such as GDPR or ISO 27001),
And the costs associated with incidents or preventive measures.
This allows decision-makers to better understand where vulnerabilities lie, what level of risk exposure is being assumed, and how the organization’s defensive capabilities are progressing over time.
As developers, we can significantly support this effort by ensuring that the platforms and systems we build include observability, event traceability, and real-time reporting capabilities by design.
Why This Matters for Software Development
Developers don’t just write code — we also play a critical role in system protection. In many cases, we are the first line of defense against cybersecurity risks. That’s why it’s essential for us to understand and align with the key indicators that security leaders report to the board, as many of these metrics are directly influenced by decisions made during development.
From our professional practice, we can contribute meaningfully through actions such as:
Including security metrics in CI/CD pipelines (e.g., percentage of passed security tests, average resolution time for findings),
Automating the collection of logs and indicators in distributed systems,
Participating in the definition of custom indicators based on the product or service being developed,
Incorporating observability and audit tools as standard components in deliverables.
Conclusion: Cybersecurity Starts in the Code — But Doesn’t End There
Cybersecurity is not a feature you add at the end; it’s a mindset that should shape every technical decision — from architectural design to the smallest implementation detail. It’s not just about avoiding errors or protecting services; it’s about building software that is resilient, adaptable, and transparent about its own security posture.
As software professionals, we have both the opportunity and the responsibility to actively contribute to strengthening organizational security. This means not only writing secure code, but also enabling observability, traceability, and the generation of actionable metrics to support security leaders and business executives in making informed decisions.
Ultimately, cybersecurity is not just about protection — it’s about making risk visible, managing it intelligently, and evolving with purpose.
Want to learn more about how we build secure, scalable digital solutions?
Visit us at Unimedia
