CISM Information Security Programme Practice Question
An organization's security budget is 8% of the IT budget. Industry benchmarks suggest 10-15% for mature programs. Which of the following should the CISO do FIRST to justify an increase?
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
✓
Present a cost-benefit analysis showing breach avoidance value
Linking budget requests to specific risk reductions and potential breach costs provides a business case for investment.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Reduce other IT expenses to free up funds
Why it's wrong here
Not the CISO's role; may create conflict.
- ✓
Present a cost-benefit analysis showing breach avoidance value
Why this is correct
ROI justification demonstrates business value.
- ✗
Request additional budget for emerging threats
Why it's wrong here
Too vague without supporting analysis.
- ✗
Highlight the percentage gap compared to peers
Why it's wrong here
Benchmarking is useful but not as compelling as ROI.
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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.