{"id":2574,"date":"2023-03-02T14:40:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-02T20:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trustarc.com\/?post_type=resource&p=2574"},"modified":"2025-05-13T13:42:42","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T18:42:42","slug":"privacy-program-metrics-how-to-evaluate-your-privacy-programs-effectiveness","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/trustarc.com\/resource\/privacy-program-metrics-how-to-evaluate-your-privacy-programs-effectiveness\/","title":{"rendered":"Privacy Program Metrics: How to Evaluate Your Privacy Program\u2019s Effectiveness"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tArticles<\/strong>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Privacy Program Metrics: How to Evaluate Your Privacy Program\u2019s Effectiveness<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\t
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Why privacy program metrics?<\/h2>\n

Measuring the effectiveness of your privacy program isn\u2019t just a nice thing to do. It\u2019s necessary if you want adequate resources and talent to ensure your program\u2019s success. In some cases, it\u2019s even required. But more importantly, the lack of an effective privacy program<\/a> can kill business deals with partners, vendors, and suppliers.<\/p>\n

Only 14% of organizations in our\u00a02022 Global Privacy Benchmarks Survey<\/a>\u00a0said they do not measure the effectiveness of their privacy programs. Among companies ranging from $50 million annual revenue to those over $5 billion, 83% measure privacy. By contrast, only 39% of smaller companies under $50 million in annual revenue measure privacy effectiveness. As a result,\u00a0Privacy Index scores were much lower for those who didn\u2019t measure.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Beyond record keeping and due diligence, measurement enhances accountability and provides decision makers with information to drive change. Some organizations even view privacy as an essential contributor to innovation and business value.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Cisco 2023 Data Privacy Benchmark Study<\/a>\u00a0found 36% of organizations are getting returns at least twice their spending, with many even realizing returns over three to five times their investments. The study also found\u00a0the estimated dollar value of a privacy program\u2019s benefits is $2.7 to $3.4 million overall<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 even up to $4 million for the largest organizations.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind support for your privacy program depends on your ability to communicate its business value to executives, board members, and other critical stakeholders. If you\u2019re just starting<\/a>, use what you have to establish a baseline to strive for and improve from there.<\/p>\n

Seven keys and five privacy program outcomes that matter<\/h2>\n

To measure privacy program effectiveness, reflect on why you established the program. What does the organization hope to accomplish? This was likely already translated into a strategy and goals for the privacy program. Thus, your privacy program metrics should align with the existing goals.<\/p>\n

TrustArc annually measures how organizations are approaching and measuring privacy. Our statistical modeling results in\u00a012 items that are key to measuring privacy<\/strong>\u00a0at all levels within enterprises.<\/p>\n

Seven keys to privacy:<\/h3>\n
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  1. Having the Board of Directors regularly review and discuss privacy matters.<\/li>\n
  2. Pursuing privacy as a core part of business strategy.<\/li>\n
  3. Making sure privacy permeates daily business decisions with great importance.<\/li>\n
  4. Embracing privacy practices as a key differentiator.<\/li>\n
  5. Being mindful of privacy as a business.<\/li>\n
  6. Ensuring every employee can formally raise a privacy issue with confidence that there will be no reprisal.<\/li>\n
  7. Sufficiently training employees in privacy matters.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Five privacy outcomes that matter:<\/h3>\n
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    1. Confidence your company can keep all employees\u2019 and customers\u2019 relevant data secure and protected.<\/li>\n
    2. Confidence your customers\/clients have in your management of data privacy.<\/li>\n
    3. Confidence your employees have in your management of data privacy.<\/li>\n
    4. Confidence your partners\/third parties have in your management of data privacy.<\/li>\n
    5. Confidence the general public has in your management of data privacy.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Examples of outcomes achieved by privacy programs were also mentioned in the Cisco study:<\/p>\n