CISM Information Security Programme Practice Question
A security manager needs to justify an increase in the security budget. Which metric is MOST compelling to demonstrate the value of security investments to the board?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Return on investment (ROI) from avoided breach costs
ROI calculations, such as breach avoidance value, show financial benefit and resonate with the board.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Number of phishing simulations conducted
Why it's wrong here
Activity metrics do not demonstrate value.
- ✗
Percentage of IT budget allocated to security
Why it's wrong here
This is a comparison, not a value justification.
- ✓
Return on investment (ROI) from avoided breach costs
Why this is correct
ROI shows the financial benefit of security spending.
- ✗
Number of security tools deployed
Why it's wrong here
Tool count does not correlate to effectiveness.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CISM practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISACA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CISM exam.