What is the ROI from Information Security Management?
For those who take the topic seriously, the RoI from better information security and privacy can be very attractive too but it takes a strategic approach to the subject. Whether that is a real return on the bottom line, future cost avoidance or better risk management is something this paper can help you consider.
We have set out to help determine the RoI and included the following aspects which you can build on for your own organisation’s business case:
- What an ISMS is and how the combination of people and technology that deliver it are crucial for achieving an optimal RoI. The people and technology can come from internal sources or be complemented by external resources too.
- Why you should have an ISMS. If you or your leadership don’t already believe then this will help you determine where the benefits can materialise, including: – Financial and reputational threats, areas for future cost avoidance. – Opportunities for growth and material gain.
- Who the stakeholders are and what their expectations might include. That will help form your ISMS scope and consider how far to go with the solution, ranging from basic GDPR, into cyber hygiene through to more comprehensive standards-based methodologies like ISO 27001:2013. To build or to buy, and whether to use your own people, complement them with external resources and how to evaluate the technology component of the ISMS.
- To build or to buy, and whether to use your own people, complement them with external resources and how to evaluate the technology component of the ISMS.
The equation for RoI from an ISMS is simply as follows:
Forces driving for change + powerful stakeholder expectations + benefits from the ISMS
less Resisting forces + costs of people & technology for the ISMS during implementation and ongoing management.
As with any business case analysis, increasing the numerator is great, and decreasing the denominator is also likely to be of value in reducing risk, cost and time to get work done.
Depending on your value at risk and the size of the opportunity or threat, the document may lead towards an immediate decision to do something, or perhaps involve much more planning and analysis before decisions are taken.
Whatever the size enterprise, the return will almost certainly outweigh the investment of people and technology, assuming the resisting forces can be addressed.
An ISMS delivers a positive return on investment. The goal of our whitepaper is to show you why, what, and how you can get RoI from an ISMS that fits the business needs.
