How to build a scalable incident response plan
Organizations industry-wide face an increasing array of threats to their operations, data, and finances. Professionals who are responsible for business continuity, security and resilience must be cognizant of evolving risks and the varying degrees of damage they can cause. Fundamentally, risks need to be considered and proactively approached from multiple angles if organizations are to weather the proverbial storm.
As these threats continue to escalate in frequency and severity, it only illustrates the need for having a robust, adaptable incident response (IR) plan in place within an organization’s incumbent security strategy. A plan such as this not only helps businesses react swiftly and proactively to crises but also ensures long-term business continuity in the face of unpredictable and unforeseen challenges.
With the right implementation strategy, a business’s cyber IR plan can scale accordingly as its requirements and security posture change over time.
The importance of a scalable incident response plan
An adaptable IR plan serves as a quintessential roadmap for organizations to follow when confronted with a crisis in the vein of a cyber hack, data breach, or similar incident.
The dynamic and ‘always-on’ business environment that surrounds us requires plans to be less static and more scalable. As such, developing an incident response strategy that can pivot when necessary and adapt to changing business needs, new threats and vulnerabilities, and shifting supply chain dynamics, has become imperative.
Making an IR plan scalable offers several key benefits to organizations:
- It can accommodate various categories of incidents of varying scales, meaning the incident response strategies can account for minor service disruptions to full-blown disaster recovery operations.
- A well-structured plan can allow for the streamlining and automation of processes like threat containment and isolation, minimising the risk of alert fatigue and human error while enabling faster and more decisive responses.
- The plan can easily be adjusted to incorporate new technologies and integrations as well as fit new business or customer requirements.
- Scalable plans ensure a compliant and uniform approach to incident management across organizational departments, functions and locations.
Key components of a scalable incident response plan
Incident response orchestration is pivotal to maximising resources and increasing an organization’s overall security hygiene and posture. As the volume of security incidents skyrockets and the cyber skills gap continues to widen, scalable incident response automation is becoming increasingly sought-after.
Building a demonstrably effective and adjustable IR plan requires organizations to consider the following key elements.
- Unambiguous roles and responsibilities
Establish specific roles within your incumbent incident response and security team, outlining their definitive responsibilities. This should include roles pertinent to technical lead, communications coordination, legal and human resource representation, and others, depending on the scale and size of your function. Ensure that each designated role has a primary assignee and one deputy - with appropriate systems in tow - to maintain continuity in case of absence or turnover.
- A tiered classification system
It’s important to classify incidents based on their potential impact and severity. Some form of tiered system which signals appropriate resource allocation and escalation procedures will help organizations develop sufficient responses depending on how high-profile an incident is. From minor incidents with minimal impact to critical breaches threatening operational disruption, levels can be assigned accordingly.
- Strict communication protocols
During times of crisis, clear communication channels and protocols for respective incident stages are vital. Whether it’s internal communications, escalation channels to senior management or external liaisons with customers, stakeholders and the media, clarity is essential. A Level 10 Meeting is an effective way to communicate a strict agenda to internal departments, team members, and external parties. Meanwhile, templates for numerous types of communications can ensure consistency and save time during a crisis.
- Incident response guidance
Detailed, step-by-step manuals and playbooks will come in useful when trying to navigate different incident scenarios. They must be action-focused with clear instructions, easily accessible for all team members, and continuously updated based on evolving vulnerabilities and lessons learned. Gradually bolster your guidance as your cyber maturity improves, incorporating both automated and manual processes.
- Strategic integrations
Identify and integrate the most appropriate, relevant and helpful tools to support your IR plan. This could include:
- Real-time threat monitoring
- Customisable alerts
- Incident tracking and management
- Secure collaboration portals
- Data analysis tools
- Digital forensics software
Depending on the size of your workforce, enhancing your incumbent infrastructure with such tools can prove instrumental in keeping all personnel engaged with developments, improving response times, and minimising the risk of human error.
- Training and simulation exercises
Develop rigid and comprehensive training programmes to test your team’s response times, processes and effectiveness. Conduct regular simulations and exercises - from tabletop exercises to full-scale, department-wide simulations - to identify opportunities for improvement while championing successful tests. Be sure to provide clarity and transparency during post-exercise debriefs to pinpoint any weak spots.
Start by evaluating your existing architecture and incident response capabilities, taking note of any pervasive gaps and priorities. Start by addressing the most common and critical incident types that could affect your organization, and develop the most imperative structural frameworks and procedures based on urgency. Use this as a foundation on which to build, where you can begin exploring tools, integrations, simulations, feedback mechanisms and training programmes thereafter.
Ensuring scalability in your incident response plan
Making your incident response efforts scalable involves the consideration of additional components. When building your plan, ensuring that it accomplishes the goals set out above is, understandably, the priority.
However, consider the following strategies when creating a plan that’s truly scalable alongside your organization.
- Modular design
Components that can be easily added, removed, or modified can make your bespoke incident response plan more customisable and fit for purpose. Modular components in any software, tools, integrations and classifications can help you create a plan that’s unequivocally unique to your organization.
- Automation
Over time, as your workforce and responsibilities change, introducing appropriate automation for repetitive tasks and orchestration for complex workflows can improve consistency and efficiency across your function.
- Cloud
Adopt cloud-based infrastructure and platforms that can easily scale with your organization’s growth. For multinational organizations, cloud environments can account for different regional or national estates, and can be localised as needed.
- Vendor and partner integration
Develop processes for integrating your architecture and incident response efforts with key vendors, partners, and suppliers. This will improve overall supply chain resilience while reinforcing cyber hygiene across all touchpoints.
A robust, documented and adjustable incident response plan is pivotal towards a successful organizational growth plan. Focusing on flexibility, efficiency and continuous improvement will allow organisations to build a solid, reliable framework that evolves with their changing needs and increasingly volatile and unpredictable cyber threats.
As threats propagate and businesses become increasingly digitised, the importance of scalability in incident response cannot be overstated. Invest in this upheaval now to reinforce your infrastructure and protect it - along with your data, assets and consumer trust - for the future.
About the author
-
Chester Avey
Freelance Writer , specialising in IT, digital marketing, AI, cyber-security, software and e-commerce.
More on
