Rethinking Human Risk: It's Not What You Think
If you've ever sat in a meeting and heard the phrase, "Our people are the weakest link," you may have nodded along in agreement. It's become a go-to...
When budgets tighten and boards demand proof, cybersecurity leaders are often asked one deceptively simple question: What is the ROI of our human risk and security awareness program?
Traditionally, cybersecurity investments have focused on technical controls with clear cost-avoidance metrics: firewalls, EDR, and vulnerability scanning tools. Human-centric programs haven’t always had the same luxury. How do you quantify a breach that didn’t happen? Or an employee decision that prevented data loss?
Despite the difficulty, measuring the return on investment (ROI) for human risk initiatives is not only possible—it’s essential.
Today, human risk is business risk. From phishing attacks to insider threats to accidental exposure via SaaS tools, humans are involved in over 74% of breaches, according to the 2025 Verizon DBIR. As digital transformation accelerates and AI adoption reshapes workflows, people’s choices and behavior are increasingly inseparable from enterprise cyber posture.
Boards, regulators, and executive leaders are now demanding greater visibility and accountability into how human risks are managed and reduced. ROI isn’t just a metric—it’s a strategic imperative.
Let’s move beyond superficial measures like training completion rates or phishing click-through stats. A meaningful ROI framework for human risk and awareness programs includes:
Behavioral trends: Are risky behaviors decreasing over time?
High-risk groups: Are targeted interventions reducing incidents in key cohorts?
Attack simulation results: Are employees responding better to social engineering attempts?
Are near misses becoming fewer and less severe?
Are costs per incident declining in areas with strong awareness programs?
Has time-to-detection improved for human-facilitated incidents?
Are people more likely to report suspicious behavior?
Are employees engaging in optional cyber learning resources?
Are sentiment and belief indicators showing higher risk awareness and accountability?
Are security champions more active across the org?
Is risk conversation more embedded in daily workflows?
Are business units using security guidance more proactively?
Calculating ROI doesn’t require magic. It requires baselining, benchmarking, and linking outcomes to business impact.
Baseline: Use assessments to measure starting risk and behavior levels. This gives you a clear picture of where your organization stands today, highlighting vulnerabilities and behavior patterns that need attention. A strong baseline helps prioritize efforts and tailor interventions effectively.
Benchmark: Compare over time and against industry standards. This step allows you to track progress and demonstrate improvement in measurable ways, while also understanding how your organization stacks up against peers. A desired stat might be a 30% improvement in key risk behaviors year over year.
Correlate: Show links between improved awareness and reduced incidents or costs. Correlation helps make the case that human risk programs are preventing real harm, from fewer phishing clicks to lower remediation costs. For instance, you might tie a drop in incident response time directly to an awareness initiative.
Communicate: Translate outcomes into business impact (e.g., fewer downtime hours, avoided fines, improved audit scores). This ensures your message resonates with leadership by connecting human risk to operational resilience and financial protection. A good stat to aim for might be showing ROI in terms of cost savings per avoided incident or improved audit readiness scores.
High-ROI human risk programs don’t just prevent bad outcomes—they unlock better ones. In mature programs, we see:
40–70% reduction in phishing-related security events over 12–18 months, as reported by industry benchmarking sources and aggregated customer outcomes. These figures reflect organizations that pair targeted phishing simulation with behavior-driven training and culture initiatives.
Up to 3x more reporting of suspicious behavior
Cultural shifts where cybersecurity becomes part of "how we work"
Improved resilience during incidents due to better decision-making and collaboration
Ready to transform your metrics into momentum?
✉️ Let’s talk about how Cybermaniacs can help measure what matters—and prove the value of your human risk investments.
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