Patent ID: 8516594

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising: a computer system having a processor adapted to perform the acts of: receiving security assessment information for information technology assets of an organization, the security assessment information being representative of an existing risk exposure of the organization; presenting the security assessment information to a user to alter at least one assessment value of the security assessment information, wherein each security assessment information includes an impact evaluation value and a likelihood evaluation value; allowing the user to save a plurality of hypothetical scenarios, each scenario comprising altered security assessment information; receiving a hypothetical scenario of altered security assessment information from the user, the altered security assessment information being representative of a hypothetical risk exposure of the organization; determining first and second data points, wherein the first data point is determined using the security assessment information and is representative of the existing risk exposure, and the second data point is determined using the altered security assessment information and is representative of the hypothetical risk exposure; and displaying a graph on an electronic screen and animating a plurality of successive visual representations in the graph, wherein the graph comprises: a) a first axis and a second axis, wherein the first axis corresponding to the impact value and the second axis corresponding to the likelihood value; b) an initial visual representation indicates the first data point, a final visual representation indicates the second data point, wherein a line drawn from the initial visual representation to the final visual representation that has a positive slope indicates an increasing amount of risk; and c) a background comprising a first region having a first color and a second region having a second color, different from the first color, wherein when the initial visual representation is superimposed over the first region having the first color and the final visual representation is superimposed over the second region having the second color, the organization's risk exposure has increased, and wherein when the initial visual representation is superimposed over the second region having the second color and the final visual representation is superimposed over the first region having the first color, the organization's risk exposure has decreased.