The Importance of an Incident Response Plan

You don’t want to discover the importance of an incident response plan during a crisis. Not only will having an Incident Response (IR) plan allow you to detect, contain, and eradicate security incidents more quickly, but it can also help mitigate the financial, reputation, and customer losses that can occur due to an incident.

Controlling communications is perhaps the most complex and essential aspect of responding to an incident. A communications plan outlining roles and responsibilities and who handles any required communications will allow a controlled message that safeguards your company.

The Impact of Cyber Incidents

Cyber attacks and other security incidents can be devastating both financially and in terms of your company’s reputation. According to Security Intelligence, in a 2021 study, the average total cost of a data breach increased by nearly 10 percent to $4.24 million — the highest ever recorded.

This is even worse for our healthcare system. According to Becker Health IT, data breaches in healthcare were the most expensive industry-wide, at $9.23 million on average; that cost increased by $2 million from last year.

Having an effective incident response plan is the first step to keeping your company, employees, and client information safe. You can be targeted no matter how small or large your business is, with damage often impacting all parts of the organization.

Despite every measure you put into place to avoid a data breach, if (or when) a data breach occurs, being prepared means being ready!

What Is an Incident Response Plan

What Is an Incident Response Plan?

An incident response plan outlines the people, processes, technology and threat intelligence required to respond effectively during a security breach. Integrating threat intelligence into your plan enhances your ability to identify, assess, and respond to threats proactively, ensuring a more informed and effective approach. Having the right people and procedures in place is critical for dealing with a threat swiftly and successfully.

The significant phases of an incident response include preparation, detection, containment, eradication, recovery, and post-incident lessons learned. Furthermore, a central element of an IR Plan is a communications plan that defines who can say what to whom. It is also worth considering engaging an attorney to provide a guided approach that can leverage attorney-client privilege.

Steps to Take to Get Started

The National Institute of Standards (NIST) documents critical steps to developing an IR Plan. The following are cybersecurity incident response steps you will want to follow:

Why an Incident Response Plan Is Important

Why Having an Incident Response Plan is Important

Having an incident response plan is essential to protecting your organization from the growing threats of cyber attacks and data breaches. Without a plan, your company risks significant financial, reputational, and operational damage during a security incident.

In practice, this means that your company should start by assessing current plans and available resources for incident response. Evaluating whether you have the skills and capacity to develop an IR Plan will allow you to determine the best course of action. A trusted external source like AISN can provide invaluable assistance — from collaborating with your team to driving the development of the entire plan.

Preparation Is Key: Communicate, Practice, and Stay Ready

But remember, having a plan isn’t enough. It needs to be communicated, adopted, and practiced! Think of it this way: you wouldn’t just put locks on your house and leave without using them. A robust IR Plan ensures your team is ready to respond effectively to incidents, minimizing damage to affected systems and reducing downtime.

Communicating with your team about a potential breach and the steps you took to eliminate the threat fosters a culture of security awareness, which is critical for long-term protection. Being prepared means being ready, and even if you think you aren’t a target, the unfortunate reality is, you probably are.

We’re Here to Help

We understand the importance of an incident response plan and how critical it is for minimizing damage, ensuring business continuity, and safeguarding your reputation. Let us help you build a plan that’s tailored to your needs and empowers your team to respond effectively to any threat.

Contact AISN to get started with an initial assessment of your organization’s vulnerability and risk. Discover how we can work with you to develop an incident response plan to protect your organization.

Laurie Head

AISN - A Partner You Can Trust

If you have questions about our cloud, cyber and app solutions and services, we have answers. Our experts are always happy to discuss your needs, so get in touch with us today.