Incident Response Plan: Why Your Business Needs One

Incident Response Plan

Incident response plans provide a detailed list of instructions on what to do when a network security incident strikes. Read this blog to learn more!  

Network security problems are a real concern for many organizations. With cybersecurity threats in abundance and networks more vulnerable than ever before, businesses are looking for the best ways to stay protected. But while having the right tools and technology in place is key, you also need the right plan for things to run efficiently. Being prepared for a network security breach is vital when looking to minimize the effect that these events can have on your organization. If you don’t have the right plan in place, you can risk a loss in revenue, a decrease in work performance, and many other serious issues. These plans are called incident response plans.

Incident Response Planning In New Jersey

What is an Incident Response Plan?

One of these plans typically involves a set of instructions used by an organization to help the detection, responsiveness, and recovery involved with a network security incident. While there isn’t one plan that can completely protect your organization from all of the threats out there, an incident response plan helps mitigate risks and can lead to a faster recovery period.

What these Plans Involve

Incident response plans can vary greatly from business to business, so it’s best to decide on one that works best for your organization. However, no matter what plan you develop, there are some common elements to include. Take a look at the different facets of an incident response plan, including their importance to the business:

Roles and Responsibilities

One of the main components of an incident response plan involves who will do what. This plan should clearly illustrate everyone’s role once an event takes place. When developing these plans, try to think about the best qualities of your team members, then place them into certain roles based on those qualifications. Ideally, you’ll want to assign who will be the incident response manager, IT leader, threat researcher, security analyst, etc. Thinking about the positions you need and who will fill them depends on the size of your company, your network, and the qualifications of your team. But no matter your business, making an incident response plan and assigning roles and responsibilities is a very important step!

Recovery Processes

When these incidents happen, one of the top priorities is the recovery process. If the network has been breached or shut down, fixing the problem and restoring normal business functions holds great importance. That being said, it’s vital to have a list of detailed network and data recovery processes. Throughout these processes, it’s also important to make sure that the recovery process doesn’t leave your business vulnerable to another breach.

Business Continuity Plan

Another piece of an incident response plan is a business continuity plan. These are used to ensure your organization is well-protected and safe from another disaster. An effective business continuity plan includes arrangements that help to maintain normal business workflow, including detailed ways on how your business can recover their lost data or assets.

Tools and Technologies

Another vital piece of your plan should be a comprehensive list and summaries of the technologies and tools used for these incidents. These tools and technologies should be listed out in detail with a summary of how to use them. Listing out these tools and understanding how to use them can pay off big time once a disaster strikes. If you have tools but your team doesn’t know how to use them, then educating your staff is the next step.

Communications

Communications are another area that should be covered in your incident response plan. From who provides the communication to what is being communicated, this section in your plan should cover everything involved with both internal and external communication. Communication is a high priority when these events happen, so this area of your plan must be filled out properly and your organization should spend quality time deciding who should handle communication efforts.

Taking the time to develop a comprehensive incident response plan can help your organization be prepared for a network security disaster.