Cybersecurity reporting is a critical yet often overlooked opportunity for service providers managing cybersecurity for their clients, and specifically for virtual Chief Information Security Officers (vCISOs). While reporting is seen as a requirement for tracking cybersecurity progress, it often becomes bogged down with technical jargon, complex data, and disconnected spreadsheets that fail to resonate with decision-makers. The result? Clients who struggle to understand the value of your work and remain uncertain about their security posture.
But what if reporting could be transformed into a strategic tool for aligning cybersecurity with business goals? What if your reports empowered clients, built trust, and showcased cybersecurity as a driver of business success?
That’s exactly the focus of Cynomi’s new guide—“Taking the Pain Out of Cybersecurity Reporting: The Guide to Mastering vCISO Reports.” This resource helps vCISOs reimagine reporting as an opportunity to create value, improve client engagement, and highlight the measurable impact of cybersecurity initiatives. By following the strategies in this guide, vCISOs can streamline the reporting process, save time, and elevate cybersecurity’s role as a business enabler.
This guide was co-autherd with Jesse Miller, co-author of the First 100 Days playbook, and founder of PowerPSA Consulting and the PowerGRYD. Jesse is a long-time CISO/vCISO and infosec strategist who has made it his mission to help service providers crack the code for premium vCISO profits.
According to Miller, “Cybersecurity reporting is about creating a shared vision with your clients, where they see cybersecurity as a driver of growth, efficiency, and long-term success.”
Cybersecurity reporting serves four key purposes:
As Miller explains, “The purpose of reporting is to have a business strategy discussion that happens to be about security.“
At its core, reporting isn’t only about showcasing what you’ve done—it’s about framing the client as the hero of their own cybersecurity journey. Your job as a vCISO is to provide the roadmap, measure progress, and guide them toward informed decisions that protect their business.
One of the most common pitfalls in cybersecurity reporting is overwhelming clients with technical jargon and raw data. Many vCISOs assume that clients want deep-dive technical analysis, but this approach misses the mark.
As Miller puts it, “Most decision-makers aren’t cybersecurity experts. They don’t care about firewalls or patch logs—they care about business outcomes.”
Executives think in terms of:
For example, instead of saying: “Firewall logs identified 50,000 external threats, which were blocked based on configured rules.”
Frame it as: “We successfully prevented 50,000 external attacks this month, demonstrating the strength of your current security posture. We’re closely monitoring these threats to identify trends and anticipate future risks.”
By translating technical findings into clear business impacts, you engage decision-makers on their terms. Your reports become tools for strategic conversations, not just a list of activities.
To make reports valuable and actionable, focus on these key components:
As Miller states, “Metrics are how you connect cybersecurity actions to business impact—it’s how you tell the story of value.” These metrics tell a compelling story of improvement, demonstrating a return on investment for the client’s security efforts.
For example, you can use visuals to show a client their threats and vulnerabilities, and their risk mitigation plan.
Manual reporting processes—juggling spreadsheets, extracting charts, and compiling disconnected data—are time-consuming and error-prone.
As Miller points out, “vCISOs need tools that eliminate the manual grind so they can focus on delivering insights, not crunching numbers.”
vCISO Platforms like Cynomi automate data collection, create visually compelling reports, and align findings with business outcomes. By leveraging the right tools, vCISOs can:
A well-crafted report doesn’t just benefit the client—it also protects the vCISO or MSP. By documenting risks, actions taken, and decisions made, you create a record of due diligence. This can be invaluable in the event of:
Effective reporting provides transparency, accountability, and peace of mind for both parties.
Ultimately, cybersecurity reporting is about creating a shared vision for success. By aligning your reports with business goals, translating technical findings into actionable insights, and leveraging automation, you position yourself as a trusted advisor and strategic partner.
In Miller’s words, “Reporting reframes cybersecurity as a business enabler, not a cost center. It’s about showing how security drives growth, efficiency, and success.”
The guide—“Taking the Pain Out of Cybersecurity Reporting”—walks you through how to transform raw data into compelling narratives, demonstrate measurable value, and shape the future of your client’s cybersecurity strategy.
With the right approach, you empower your clients to become the heroes of their cybersecurity journey, while showcasing your expertise as the architect of their success.
