preface

When I first stepped into the world of cybersecurity from software engineering over 20 years ago, it was a rapidly evolving field, brimming with potential and vulnerabilities. Over time, I noticed an unsettling pattern: despite technological advances, many organizations still neglect to measure the effectiveness of their security programs. A chief financial officer would never attend a meeting without clear data, charts, and metrics in hand. Why, then, should a CISO or security leader do any differently?

This realization pushed me to explore how data-driven insights could elevate an organization’s security posture from reactive to proactive. In my roles, spanning AI innovation and cybersecurity, I saw firsthand how metrics, when used properly, could tell compelling stories that influence stakeholders, justify investments, and save companies from potentially devastating breaches.