Book excerpt: Security Smarts for the Self-Guided IT Professional “An extraordinarily thorough and sophisticated explanation of why you need to measure the effectiveness of your security program and how to do it. A must-have for any quality security program!”—Dave Cullinane, CISSP, CISO & VP, Global Fraud, Risk & Security, eBay Learn how to communicate the value of an information security program, enable investment planning and decision making, and drive necessary change to improve the security of your organization. Security Metrics: A Beginner's Guide explains, step by step, how to develop and implement a successful security metrics program. This practical resource covers project management, communication, analytics tools, identifying targets, defining objectives, obtaining stakeholder buy-in, metrics automation, data quality, and resourcing. You'll also get details on cloud-based security metrics and process improvement. Templates, checklists, and examples give you the hands-on help you need to get started right away. Security Metrics: A Beginner's Guide features: Lingo--Common security terms defined so that you're in the know on the job IMHO--Frank and relevant opinions based on the author's years of industry experience Budget Note--Tips for getting security technologies and processes into your organization's budget In Actual Practice--Exceptions to the rules of security explained in real-world contexts Your Plan--Customizable checklists you can use on the job now Into Action--Tips on how, why, and when to apply new skills and techniques at work Caroline Wong, CISSP, was formerly the Chief of Staff for the Global Information Security Team at eBay, where she built the security metrics program from the ground up. She has been a featured speaker at RSA, ITWeb Summit, Metricon, the Executive Women's Forum, ISC2, and the Information Security Forum.