Created using OpenAI’s DALL·E (2025)

Intro

To move beyond intuition and gut-feeling, we need structure. Impact modeling provides that structure—a clear, logical framework that reveals how security initiatives contribute to measurable business outcomes.

At its core, an impact model helps trace causal relationships, align with stakeholder priorities, and make visible the ways in which cyber security fuels performance across the organization. It enables leaders to uncover the often-overlooked connections between security measures and broader business success—beyond risk mitigation.

Hurdles

1. Fear of Complexity or Oversimplification
Impact modeling is often seen as either too complex to implement or too simplistic to reflect real business dynamics – leading to hesitation or inaction.

2. Prevention Culture is Missing
Many organizations react to incidents instead of proactively embedding security into core processes and value creation.

3. Low Executive Ownership
Security remains a technical issue, rarely championed by leadership which weakens alignment with business priorities.

4. No Clear Link to Business KPIs
Without a structured model, the connection between security measures and outcomes like revenue, customer trust, or EBIT remains invisible.

5. Siloed Thinking Blocks Integration
Fragmented views across departments prevent a shared understanding of how security impacts the organization holistically.

Game Changers

1. Use Impact Models to Navigate Complexity – Not Avoid It
Impact models help make complex systems understandable. They reveal the hidden logic behind security actions and how they influence business outcomes – turning perceived complexity into actionable clarity.

2. Make Security a CEO-Level Narrative
Reposition cyber security as a lever for business stability, growth, and trust – not just risk mitigation. Bring it into the C-suite with language tied to EBIT, brand value, and customer retention.

3. Map Security Contributions to Revenue and Resilience
Use impact modeling to trace how specific security activities protect revenue streams, reduce churn, support market access, and improve uptime – translating defense into business value.

4. Acknowledge Goal Conflicts to Remove Friction
Use the modeling process to surface and openly discuss goal tensions – like cost vs. quality, speed vs. safety – and find balanced decisions that support both business and security.

5. Install Leverage Points Instead of More Controls
Identify and activate the few high-impact levers (e.g. customer trust, process continuity, data integrity) where security creates the most measurable advantage – focus on influence, not overload.

Cyber Circle, located in Switzerland, is a project that connects CISOs (Chief Information Security Officers) with researchers. This collaborative community meets every two months for an evening of valuable discussions and activities centered around their roles. The focus is on providing insights, facilitating cross-industry learning, enabling external peer networking, and conducting practical workshops.

The ultimate goal is to establish improved cybersecurity principles, including human-centered security, within companies.

Join Cyber Circle and become part of a friendly community shaping the future of cybersecurity!

Circle hosts:
Milena Thalmann, White Rabbit Communications
Stefan von Rohr, Peer Consult
Peter Kosel, cyberunity