By: TRPGLOBAL
The New Reality: Trust Is a KPI
In 2025, digital trust has evolved from a compliance checkbox to a critical boardroom metric. Boards no longer consider cybersecurity an isolated IT concern. Today, trust underpins every digital interaction, shaping customer behaviour, influencing investment decisions, and driving competitive advantage.
According to IBM’s 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report, the global average cost of a breach has surged to $4.88 million. However, the hidden cost is often higher: lost trust. Once breached, customer confidence is difficult to regain, and reputational damage can linger for years.
Digital trust is not just about preventing breaches; it’s about consistently proving that your organization can be trusted to protect data, respect privacy, and operate transparently.
What Exactly Is Digital Trust?
Digital trust is the level of confidence users, customers, partners, and regulators have in your organization’s ability to:
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Protect data and digital assets (Security)
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Handle sensitive information responsibly (Privacy)
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Act transparently and ethically (Transparency)
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Deliver dependable digital services (Reliability)
It is the sum of perceptions created by every interaction a user has with your digital ecosystem. And these perceptions are increasingly influenced by news headlines, social media, and peer reviews.
From Technical Metric to Boardroom Priority
Boards are now asking: “How do we know our digital house is in order?” Unfortunately, many CIOs and CISOs are unprepared to give confident, quantifiable answers.
A Deloitte survey found that while 87% of board members recognize cybersecurity as a top risk, only 14% are confident their company is ready for a major cyber incident. This disconnect highlights a failure to align technical metrics with business impact.
To bridge this gap, digital trust must be communicated in business terms—as a driver of customer loyalty, brand strength, and even market valuation.
“Trust is now a business enabler, not just a risk mitigator.” — Forrester Research
Where Most Companies Are Falling Short
Despite increased attention, most organizations still fail the digital trust test. Here are the common pitfalls:
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Siloed Operations: Cybersecurity, privacy, and compliance often function independently.
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Lack of Ownership: No single leader is accountable for trust as a strategic metric.
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Poor Communication: Technical metrics don’t translate well in boardrooms.
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Outdated Mindsets: Treating digital trust as an IT or compliance problem only.
Even companies with strong technical controls often stumble when it comes to governance, measurement, and culture.
Building Digital Trust: A Strategic Framework
To build and sustain digital trust, organizations must think long-term and company-wide. Here are five strategic steps:
1. Appoint a Chief Trust Officer or Trust Council
Someone must own digital trust at the executive level. Whether it’s a CISO, CTO, or a newly appointed Chief Trust Officer, accountability is essential.
2. Define & Track Trust KPIs
You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Consider:
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Percentage of systems compliant with security policies
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Time to detect/respond to incidents
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Frequency of customer data access audits
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Number of phishing simulations passed
These metrics should be visualized and reviewed regularly with business stakeholders.
3. Adopt a Recognized Security Framework
Frameworks like NIST CSF, ISO 27001, or Zero Trust provide a structured way to evaluate and improve posture.
4. Invest in Awareness & Training
Employees are your first line of defence. Regular training, simulated attacks, and real-time alerts help reinforce secure behaviours.
5. Be Radically Transparent
Customers want to know how their data is handled. Publish privacy policies in plain language. Share your security certifications. Respond to breaches with honesty.
“Transparency is the foundation of digital trust. Silence breeds suspicion.” — Gartner
Real-World Case Study: Marriott International
After suffering a major data breach in 2018, Marriott overhauled its digital trust strategy. It:
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Built a new centralized trust office
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Conducted global privacy audits
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Increased customer notifications and control over data
These changes, although costly, helped them restore customer trust and re-establish market confidence. They now publish an annual Digital Trust & Ethics report.
Business Value of Trust
Building digital trust leads to:
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Stronger Customer Retention: Consumers stay with brands they trust.
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Regulatory Favourability: Proactive trust practices reduce compliance friction.
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Market Differentiation: Trust becomes a unique selling proposition (USP).
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Incident Resilience: Trusted organizations recover faster after breaches.
“70% of consumers say they would stop doing business with a company after a data breach.” — Cisco 2024 Consumer Privacy Survey
Digital Trust as a Brand Asset
Treat digital trust like brand equity. It’s built slowly, lost quickly, and incredibly hard to regain. This means every department—not just IT—must contribute.
Marketing should align messaging with privacy commitments. Legal should ensure clarity in terms and policies. HR should promote a culture of integrity. And leadership should champion trust from the top.
Final Thoughts: The Time to Act Is Now
The next 12 months will define whether your organization leads in trust or lags behind. Boards are watching. Customers are deciding. Regulators are tightening. Digital trust is the new currency of business.
Don’t let it become your weakest link.
Ready to Evaluate Your Trust Strategy?
We’re helping forward-thinking companies elevate trust into a measurable, strategic advantage. From cybersecurity assessments to trust framework design, we offer tailored solutions that meet you where you are.
Contact TRPGLOBAL today to schedule a digital trust readiness assessment.
Stay secure. Stay transparent. Stay trusted.