Governance, Risk & Strategic Advisory

Security Metrics & Executive Dashboard

  • May 8, 2025
  • 0

Sherlocked Security – Security Metrics & Executive Dashboard

Transform Security Data into Actionable Insights for Strategic Decision-Making

1. Statement of Work (SOW)

Service Name: Security Metrics & Executive Dashboard
Client Type: Enterprises, C-level Executives, Security Teams, Compliance Departments
Service Model: Custom Dashboard Development + Metrics Tracking + Real-Time Security Reporting
Compliance Coverage: SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST 800-53, CIS Controls, GDPR

Service Focus Areas:

  • Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Security Operations
  • Customizable Executive Dashboards for Real-Time Monitoring
  • Metrics for Compliance, Risk, Incident Response, and Vulnerability Management
  • Integration with SIEM, GRC, and other Security Tools for Automated Data Collection
  • Reporting for Board Meetings, Compliance Audits, and Risk Management

2. Our Approach

[Security Data Source Integration] → [Custom KPI Development] → [Executive Dashboard Design] → [Automated Reporting Setup] → [Real-Time Monitoring & Alerting] → [Continuous Improvement & Feedback]

3. Methodology

[Data Collection] → [Security Metrics Definition] → [Dashboard Design (Power BI, Tableau, Grafana)] → [Integration with SIEM/GRC Tools] → [Automated Reporting] → [KPI Monitoring and Alerts]

4. Deliverables to the Client

  1. Custom Security Metrics & KPI Dashboard
  2. Integration with SIEM, GRC, and other existing security tools
  3. Real-Time Security Monitoring and Alerting System
  4. Executive Reporting Templates for Board or Leadership Presentations
  5. Incident & Risk Trend Analysis Reports
  6. Monthly/Quarterly Metrics Review Reports for Security Operations
  7. Continuous Feedback Loop for Improving Metrics & Dashboard Design

5. What We Need from You (Client Requirements)

  • Access to current security tools and data sources (SIEM, GRC, vulnerability scanners, etc.)
  • Information on the key security objectives and metrics critical to your organization
  • Access to executives or teams to understand reporting preferences
  • Any specific compliance or industry standards the metrics should align with
  • NDA and scope confirmation

6. Tools & Technology Stack

  • Data Visualization & Reporting: Power BI, Tableau, Grafana
  • SIEM Platforms: Splunk, IBM QRadar, Elastic Stack
  • Security Tools: Qualys, Nessus, Rapid7, Tenable
  • Compliance & Risk Management Tools: ServiceNow GRC, LogicGate, RiskLens
  • Incident Response Platforms: PagerDuty, ServiceNow, Opsgenie
  • Alerting & Monitoring: Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog

7. Engagement Lifecycle

1. Kickoff & Security Metrics Definition → 2. Data Source Integration → 3. KPI Development & Dashboard Design → 4. Testing & Feedback Loop → 5. Reporting Setup & Alerts → 6. Ongoing Monitoring & Optimization

8. Why Sherlocked Security?

Feature Sherlocked Advantage
Custom KPI Development Metrics tailored to your organization’s unique risk and security needs
Seamless Integration with Security Tools Easy integration with SIEM, GRC, and other existing platforms
Real-Time Monitoring & Alerting Immediate alerts for security events, incidents, and threshold breaches
Tailored Executive Dashboards Visual, easy-to-understand dashboards for C-level executives and board members
Continuous Improvement Process Ongoing adjustments based on security priorities, incidents, and feedback

9. Real-World Case Studies

Global Financial Institution Enhancing Security Visibility

Issue: The client struggled with correlating security data and reporting it efficiently to the executive team. Lack of clear, actionable security metrics.
Impact: Slow decision-making, lack of security visibility at the executive level.
Fix: Designed a custom executive dashboard integrating data from the SIEM, vulnerability management tools, and incident response systems. Developed KPIs for threat detection, incident response times, vulnerability management, and compliance metrics. The client now has real-time visibility into security performance and can report on critical security risks to the board efficiently.

Healthcare Organization Enhancing Compliance Reporting

Issue: The healthcare organization had difficulty tracking and reporting security and compliance metrics for HIPAA audits and executive reviews.
Impact: Increased time and effort spent on preparing audit reports, with no centralized view of compliance health.
Fix: Developed a compliance-specific dashboard integrating with their GRC tool. Created metrics for compliance checks, audit readiness, incident response, and vulnerability remediation. The dashboard provided real-time audit evidence and compliance health for HIPAA reporting, reducing audit preparation time by 40%.

10. SOP – Standard Operating Procedure

  1. Security Data Source Integration

    • Identify key security data sources (SIEM, GRC, vulnerability management, incident response)
    • Integrate data sources into the reporting pipeline for automated data collection
    • Ensure that all data is centralized and can be easily accessed for reporting purposes

  2. Define Key Security Metrics (KPIs)

    • Collaborate with internal teams (security operations, compliance, risk management) to define relevant KPIs
    • Examples: Mean Time to Detect (MTTD), Mean Time to Respond (MTTR), patching compliance, incident severity breakdown
    • Prioritize metrics that align with strategic objectives (e.g., risk reduction, threat detection, compliance status)

  3. Custom Dashboard Design

    • Design a user-friendly, visually appealing dashboard for C-level executives
    • Develop dashboards in tools like Power BI, Tableau, or Grafana based on client preferences
    • Ensure dashboards provide both high-level insights (e.g., overall security health) and deep dives (e.g., incident trends, compliance status)

  4. Real-Time Monitoring & Alerting Setup

    • Set up real-time monitoring for key security metrics and alert triggers for critical thresholds
    • Configure automated alerts based on predefined criteria (e.g., vulnerability CVSS scores, incident severity, SLA breaches)
    • Provide daily/weekly executive summaries with actionable insights

  5. Automated Reporting & Executive Presentations

    • Create templates for automated reporting and executive presentations
    • Provide regular metrics reports (weekly, monthly, quarterly) on key security and compliance indicators
    • Make the reports customizable, enabling executive teams to adjust the scope and level of detail

  6. Ongoing Monitoring, Feedback, and Optimization

    • Continuously monitor the performance of the security metrics and dashboard setup
    • Implement feedback loops with executives and security teams to refine metrics and dashboard layouts
    • Optimize the reporting system over time to ensure that it stays relevant to the organization’s evolving security needs

11. Security Metrics & Executive Dashboard Checklist

1. Data Source Integration

  • All relevant security tools (SIEM, GRC, vulnerability scanners, incident management) integrated into the dashboard
  • Real-time data flow from sources to ensure up-to-date security metrics
  • Automated collection and normalization of data from multiple platforms

2. KPI Definition & Prioritization

  • Key security metrics (e.g., patch compliance, incident response time, risk reduction progress) defined and agreed upon
  • Metrics mapped to organizational security goals and business priorities
  • Metrics cover both operational security and compliance status

3. Dashboard Design & Development

  • Dashboards created using Power BI, Tableau, or Grafana with executive-level filters and views
  • Visuals designed for ease of understanding (graphs, pie charts, and heatmaps for trends and incidents)
  • Multi-level drilldowns for detailed analysis (e.g., drill down from overall compliance score to specific areas like access controls)

4. Real-Time Monitoring & Alerting

  • Continuous monitoring setup for real-time alerts on critical security thresholds (e.g., incident escalation, SLA breaches, CVSS score)
  • Alerts configured for both severity-based and time-based incidents (e.g., critical vulnerabilities unpatched after 30 days)
  • Automated alerts sent to relevant teams (security operations, IT, compliance)

5. Reporting & Executive Communication

  • Automated executive summaries for key metrics (e.g., security health, incident trends, compliance progress)
  • Customizable reporting templates for quarterly, monthly, and weekly reports
  • Regular reporting cycles set (weekly/bi-weekly/monthly) with insights on trend analysis and performance

6. Continuous Monitoring & Improvement

  • Continuous review of security metrics based on evolving threat landscape and business needs
  • Feedback from security, IT, and executive teams incorporated for optimization
  • Metrics updated to reflect changing compliance requirements and security operations shifts
Risk-Based Vulnerability Management (RBVM)
Security Program Management (vCISO+)