WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOUR BOARD ASKS ABOUT CYBERSECURITY

You're in the quarterly board meeting. Everything's going smoothly. Revenue is up. Operations are solid. Then someone asks: "What's our cybersecurity posture? Are we protected? What happens if we get breached?"

And suddenly, you're stumbling through an answer you're not confident about.

Maybe you talk about firewalls and antivirus. Maybe you mention that IT is "handling it." Maybe you promise to look into it and report back next quarter.

But you know—and they probably know—that you don't have a real answer.

If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. Most small-to-midsize business leaders face the same problem: boards and investors are asking harder questions about cybersecurity, and "we haven't had any problems yet" isn't cutting it anymore.

Why Boards Are Asking These Questions Now

Cybersecurity used to be an IT issue buried in the weeds of technical operations. Not anymore.

High-profile breaches are constantly in the news. Ransomware attacks are crippling businesses of all sizes. Cyber insurance premiums are skyrocketing—and carriers are demanding proof of security controls before they'll issue policies.

Your board members are reading the same headlines. They're hearing about companies that got breached, lost customer trust, faced lawsuits, or went out of business because they couldn't recover.

And they're wondering: could that happen to us?

That's why they're asking. Not because they're technical experts, but because they're responsible for oversight—and cybersecurity is now a business risk, not just a technology problem.

What Your Board Actually Wants to Know

When board members ask about cybersecurity, they're not looking for a technical deep-dive on firewalls and encryption protocols. They want to understand three things:

Are we protected? Do we have reasonable security measures in place to prevent breaches and detect problems early?

What's our risk? Where are our biggest vulnerabilities, and what would happen if we got hit?

What's the plan? If something goes wrong, do we know what to do, who's responsible, and how we'll recover?

They want confidence that someone is thinking strategically about security—not just reacting when problems happen.

Why "IT Is Handling It" Isn't Good Enough

Your IT team might be excellent at keeping systems running. But when your board asks about cybersecurity posture, risk management, and incident response planning, your IT manager probably isn't equipped to provide a comprehensive, business-focused answer.

That's not a criticism—it's just not what most IT teams are hired to do. They manage infrastructure. They fix problems. They keep the lights on.

But strategic security oversight—understanding regulatory requirements, conducting risk assessments, building incident response plans, reporting to boards in business terms—requires different expertise.

When you say "IT is handling it," what your board hears is: "We don't have anyone focused on this strategically, and we're not sure what we don't know."

What Good Answers Actually Look Like

Here's what confident, competent answers to board cybersecurity questions sound like:

Q: What's our cybersecurity posture?

Weak Answer: "We have firewalls and antivirus, and IT monitors things."

Strong Answer: "We conduct quarterly risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities. We've implemented security controls aligned with industry frameworks, and we're currently working toward [compliance certification] to meet customer requirements. Our Virtual CISO provides strategic oversight and reports on our security posture quarterly."

Q: What happens if we get breached?

Weak Answer: "We'd call our IT vendor and figure it out."

Strong Answer: "We have a documented incident response plan that outlines roles, responsibilities, communication protocols, and recovery procedures. Our team conducts tabletop exercises annually to test the plan. We also have cyber insurance with [coverage details] and a relationship with a breach response firm."

Q: Are we compliant with regulations?

Weak Answer: "I think so. IT would know."

Strong Answer: "We're required to comply with [HIPAA/PCI/SOC 2/etc.]. We conducted a gap assessment last quarter, identified three areas needing remediation, and we're on track to complete those by [date]. Our Virtual CISO coordinates our compliance program and prepares us for audits."

Q: How much are we spending on security, and is it enough?

Weak Answer: "We spend about $X on IT, which includes some security stuff."

Strong Answer: "We allocate approximately [%] of our IT budget to security, which is in line with industry benchmarks for companies our size. Our Virtual CISO helps us prioritize investments based on risk—we focus spending on areas that protect revenue and meet compliance requirements, not just buying tools."

See the difference? Strong answers show that someone is thinking strategically, managing risk proactively, and providing oversight. Weak answers sound like you're hoping nothing bad happens.

What You Need to Have Confident Answers

To answer board questions confidently, you need four things:

Someone responsible. A person or role clearly accountable for security strategy—not just IT operations. This is usually a CISO or Virtual CISO.

A clear picture of your risk. Regular risk assessments that identify vulnerabilities, quantify potential impact, and prioritize remediation based on business priorities.

Documented plans and policies. Incident response plans, security policies, disaster recovery procedures—the foundational documentation that shows you've thought through scenarios before they happen.

Ongoing oversight and reporting. Regular updates to leadership on security posture, emerging threats, compliance status, and any incidents or near-misses.

If you don't have these four elements, you're going to keep stumbling through board questions—and eventually, that lack of preparedness will become a real problem.

The Real Risk of Not Having Good Answers

Here's what happens when you can't confidently answer board cybersecurity questions:

Loss of board confidence. If your board doesn't trust that you're managing cyber risk, they'll start questioning other areas of your leadership.

Missed opportunities. Enterprise customers won't sign contracts if you can't demonstrate adequate security. Investors won't close deals if cyber risk isn't managed.

Personal liability. In some cases, executives and board members can be held personally liable for failing to exercise reasonable oversight of cybersecurity risk.

Reactive crisis management. Without proactive planning, you'll end up in panic mode when something goes wrong—spending more money and causing more damage than if you'd been prepared.

How to Get There

If you're currently struggling to answer board cybersecurity questions, here's the path forward:

Get a risk assessment. Understand where you actually stand—what's working, what's not, and what your biggest vulnerabilities are.

Bring in strategic expertise. Whether it's a Virtual CISO or cybersecurity advisor, get someone who can provide the oversight and guidance you need to manage risk strategically.

Document your program. Build the foundational policies, plans, and procedures that demonstrate you're managing security intentionally, not accidentally.

Establish regular reporting. Provide your board with quarterly updates on security posture, key metrics, and any incidents or remediations.

This doesn't have to happen overnight. But it does have to start.

The Bottom Line

Your board is asking about cybersecurity because they're responsible for oversight—and they know cyber risk is a business issue, not just a technical one.

If you can't give them confident, strategic answers, that's a sign you need more than just good IT support. You need someone focused on security strategy, risk management, and compliance—someone who can translate technical security into business language your board understands.

That's exactly what a Virtual CISO provides: strategic security leadership that gives you the answers, the oversight, and the confidence your board is looking for.

About Radiance Cybersecurity

Radiance Cybersecurity provides Virtual CISO services to growing businesses that need expert security leadership without the full-time executive cost. With 8+ years protecting Department of Defense mission-critical systems and CISSP certification, we deliver board-ready security reporting, risk assessments, and strategic guidance that helps leaders answer tough questions confidently.