Back on track: Why recoverability matters as a KPI

How measuring recoverability drives faster, stronger cyber incident response

Takeaways

• Recoverability is an essential KPI for cyber incident response, helping organizations measure how effectively they return operations to normal after an attack.
• While detection and containment of cybersecurity incidents are improving, remediation remains a significant challenge, often taking weeks to complete.
• Tracking recoverability through specific KPIs — such as mean time to remediate (MTTR), mean time to detect (MTTD), vulnerability reopen rates, and exposure risk scores — enables organizations to identify gaps and strengthen their cyber resilience.
• Using recoverability data to inform remediation practices can help reduce downtime and minimize the impact of future cyber incidents.

Businesses are getting better at detecting and containing cybersecurity incidents. According to the SANS 2025 State of ICS Security Report, 49% of all incidents were detected within 24 hours, and 55% were contained in 48 hours. 

Remediation, however, remains a challenge. As noted by Help Net Security, the mean time to remediate (MTTR) issues remains stuck at 4 weeks. The result is a defensive disconnect — while teams can spot issues and secure systems within two days, getting back on track takes nearly a month.

Addressing this challenge means measuring recoverability as a key performance indicator (KPI) and using this data to inform remediation best practices. 

Recoverable realities: What organizations need to measure

Recoverability is a big-picture KPI — one that's made up of multiple, more specific indicators across security, risk management and operational domains. By tracking, measuring and combining these KPIs, companies can take action to improve incident remediation and cyber resilience. 

Common KPIs that contribute to recoverability include:

• Mean time to remediate (MTTR) – This represents the average time required to remediate an issue. It can be measured per system, per asset or as a combined value across network operations. 
• Mean time to detect (MTTD) – This measures the average time to detect an incident. As noted above, MTTD is generally improving across enterprises, but tracking this KPI remains critical. Higher MTTD means slower remediation since teams can't fix what they don't know is broken. 
• Vulnerability reopen rates – Closing vulnerabilities reduces the risk of further incidents or exposure. But companies can't rest on their laurels — if vulnerabilities reopen but aren't tracked, remediation efforts may be undermined. 
• Exposure risk scores – Remediation requires ranking. Given the complexity of IT systems and software, not all issues can be addressed simultaneously. Exposure risk scoring helps quantify remediation efforts. It is typically calculated as follows: Risk score = Probability x Severity. The higher the likelihood and the greater the impact of an event, the larger its risk score.
• Patch compliance rates – Stopping risks before they happen reduces the need for remediation. As a result, teams need to track patch compliance rates. Low or falling compliance may expose systems to avoidable vulnerabilities. 

Five components of an effective KPI strategy

Effective measurement doesn't just happen. Instead, it’s the product of purpose-built KPI strategies that combine tactics and technology to improve visibility. Here are five components for success.

1. Identify top priorities

Risk score is one component in identifying remediation priorities. Enterprises must also consider system criticality, availability and connectivity when creating an effective strategy. Consider a fintech firm that specializes in high-frequency trading (HFT). To remain profitable, system availability is critical. As a result, remediation strategies are naturally shaped around this priority. 

2. Implement routine restore testing

How long does it take to restore systems after a power outage? After a last-mile internet failure? After a cyberattack? Routine restore testing provides this data and enables targeted action. To make best use of restore data, teams should schedule regular testing and also test systems after any significant change, such as the addition of a new database or server, or the integration of a new cloud-based service.

3. Deploy immutable backups

Immutable backups leverage a write-once-read-many (WORM) approach. This means data cannot be altered once it is written to backups, in turn eliminating the risk of changed or deleted files. Immutable backups are an essential part of recoverability — if other defenses fail and critical data is compromised, immutable backups provide a starting point for restoration.

4. Leverage cyber-informed engineering

The U.S. Department of Energy defines cyber-informed engineering (CIE) as “an emerging method to integrate cybersecurity considerations into the conception, design, development, and operation of any physical system.” This also extends to digital systems — by adopting a security-by-design approach to operational and IT environments, enterprises naturally reduce their risk of compromise and improve overall recoverability. 

5. Create a framework of accountability

Finally, there must be a chain of accountability from frontline staff to the C-suite. This enables clear delineation of roles and responsibilities, and it also ensures there is an executive champion in the boardroom to articulate funding needs. 

How tracking recoverability improves response time and resilience

Improved detection and containment rates reduce the impact of cyber incidents. 

Enhanced recoverability, meanwhile, reduces the time and effort required to get systems back up and running. Consider a manufacturing firm that uses a combination of industrial control systems (ICS), supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) tools, computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), and enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions. The interconnected nature of these systems means that incidents may spread well beyond their initial inflection point — attempting to bring tools and technology back online without thorough remediation can lead to secondary compromises. 

Tracking KPIs gives teams the knowledge they need to fully remediate and restore systems. The result? Reduced risk, enhanced recovery and improved resilience.