IT GRC is a very broad topic encompassing nearly all aspects of information security. In this blog, we’ve tried to list down some key metrics that you should be tracking as part of your IT GRC program. Like all metrics these can be tracked on a periodic basis (monthly, quarterly etc.) and represented using a trending graph. Solutions like IT GRC Platforms can help automate the collection and reporting of metrics.

Maturity Score

This will be based on the frameworks the organization is following, like NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), COBIT etc. Demonstrating progress based on maturity levels should be a key requirement for your IT GRC program.

Policy Related Metrics

These metrics provide insights into the effectiveness of your policies and can include metrics like:

1. # Policy Exceptions and/or violations
2. Avg Duration of Policy Exceptions
3. # of Redundant Controls

Risk Metrics

This is very broad topic and should be based on organizational context. Organizations can also look at frameworks like FAIR for adopting a quantitative approach to cyber risk management. Here are some generic metrics organizations can consider:

1. Risk Assessment Frequency
2. Risk Tolerance or Risk Appetite (in $ value if possible)
3. Residual Risk / Risk Tolerance Level
4. # of Open Critical / High findings (via Risk Assessment)
5. Average Time to Remediate Risk

Audit & Compliance

Audit related issues grab attention quickly. These are some of the metrics which can help track your audit program (monthly / quarterly / annual).

1. # Critical or High Audit Findings
2. Audit Exceptions Index (this can be calculated by : Audit Exceptions / Audit Findings)
3. # Control Test Failures (by Criticality)

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Incidents Metrics

Here’s a short list of key metrics which you can consider to monitor your incident management program:

1. Incident Cost or Loss (brand impact)
2. Critical or High Incidents Frequency
3. Number of Incidents by Category (e.g.: Malware, Data Loss, Downtime etc.)

This is a short list of metrics, help us expand the list by listing your favorite metrics in the comments section.