Noted business management author Peter Drucker famously said, "What's measured is improved." When applied to the world of security, meaningful security metrics can literally transform an organization and solve real business problems. At Cisco, Unified Security Metrics (USM) combines multiple sources of data to create higher-value actionable business metrics and decision-making capabilities to protect the company's data, business processes, operational integrity, and brand from security threats.

Hessel Heerebout, Program Manager for Cisco's award-winning USM program, will give an overview entitled "Cisco Unified Security Metrics: Measuring Your Organization's Security Health" (Session ID#SEC-W05) at RSA Singapore on July 23.

Attendees will learn how to:

• Build a security metrics program through innovative governance
• Foster security partnerships that leverage existing risk management frameworks
• Create communication process flows and feedback mechanisms to gain CIO-level support
• Enable greater visibility of your company's security posture

Heerebout will also share some of the program's early findings and lessons learned.

Threat intelligence is more important today than ever before as organizations work to effectively manage security. Meaningful security metrics can provide organizations with the data needed for preventative or prescriptive remediation, risk management, security hygiene, and operational/business decision-making activities. Organizations also gain expanded operational control and flexibility in managing their security investments, actions, and processes.