Nearly seven in ten CISOs and CIOs say they’ve been told to stay quiet about security incidents, a sign of how often the desire for more transparency conflicts with reputational risk management. At the same time, only 64% of CISOs say their boards see eye-to-eye with them on cybersecurity, a sharp decline from 84% last year.
This disconnect leaves organizations exposed to the reality of how impactful security incidents are as cyber risks grow more frequent and costly, with the global average breach costing organizations more than $4 million over the last year.
If boards reduce CISOs to mere cost-center defenders measured only by audits passed, vulnerabilities fixed, or incidents avoided, they are far less likely to heed critical security and GRC recommendations — a stance that creates major, avoidable risk for the organization. One example: 64% of CISOs who were forced to forgo support for a business initiative due to insufficient security funding said the cutback led to a breach or other incident.
To secure influence in the boardroom, CISOs must evolve from protectors into business-savvy enablers. That shift starts with speaking the board’s language by tying well operating security and GRC programs to growth outcomes and proving its value with tangible, data-driven insights.
Why Board Alignment Is Slipping
Boards and CISOs share a common goal: protecting the organization’s future. But they often bring different assumptions, priorities, and definitions of risk to the table.
CISOs are, at times, evaluated on one thing: zero breaches. Though, others may be graded on operational outcomes such as vulnerabilities reduced, audits passed, or incidents minimized enough to avoid headlines. Because breaches so often unfold in public and carry reputational fallout, a single incident can overshadow years of steady progress and even have a direct impact on the CISO’s competency and reputation. Other executives may also face narrow scorecards, but their setbacks rarely damage trust as visibly. That leaves CISOs with unusually fragile influence in the boardroom, especially when the board may be focused on other business metrics such as new and retained revenue and company financials.
The gap also comes down to language. Boards frame discussions in terms of risk to revenue and strategy, while CISOs tend to speak in technical detail about security and GRC risks, vulnerabilities, and controls. Without translation between those perspectives, alignment falters and confidence in security leadership erodes.
Until boards and security leaders align on a clear, shared perspective on risk and priorities, CISOs risk losing their seat at the very table where their voices matter most.
4 Ways CISOs Can Regain Boardroom Influence
Gartner predicts that 70% of boards will include at least one member with cybersecurity expertise by 2026. While most boards recognize they cannot make sound strategic decisions without a stronger grasp of cyber risk, appointing a single expert is not enough to rebuild alignment.
CISOs must seize this moment to shift perceptions and reframe security as a growth driver.
1. Speak the board’s language.
To gain credibility, CISOs must frame security discussions around business impact: revenue protection, deal velocity, customer retention, and operational resilience.
For example, show how automated compliance reporting reduces procurement delays or how streamlined trust documentation accelerates deal cycles. Revenue unlocked and impacted over time directly resulting from security and GRC efforts is another key metric. The time to value as a result of these efforts can be quantified in core business metrics such as ARR and NRR influenced by security and GRC team efforts. Examples like these help boards see the business value of a stronger security posture.
2. Quantify trust.
Trust no longer has to be abstract. Track metrics like time to complete security questionnaires, the frequency of NDA requests, and rates of documentation access during procurement.
When connected to pipeline and deal data, these metrics help show how strong security readiness reduces friction and accelerates sales.
3. Reframe objectives.
Audits and incident prevention are table stakes. Go further by setting objectives around faster deal cycles, stronger retention, or easier purchasing experiences for customers. This makes the link between security investments and business outcomes explicit for the board.
4. Lead with consistency and transparency.
Boards value clear, regular communication. CISOs who share plain-language updates and are honest about breaches or near misses will build trust over time.
Providing visibility into response timelines and control improvements further demonstrates accountability and shows that security is being managed effectively.
Trust Is a Two-Way street
While CISOs can demonstrate the business value of security, they cannot close the gap alone. Boards must involve security leaders early in strategic planning, not just during audits or after incidents.
By requesting trust-focused metrics alongside compliance updates and creating space for transparency — even when the news is uncomfortable — boards help shift the CISO from a reactive responder to a proactive partner in growth.
The seat at the table is still there. Now it’s time for CISOs to claim and maintain it.