How to implement a mature incident response strategy

In 2021, the Biden administration issued an executive order outlining that the government and private sector need to work together to combat cyberthreats and improve the nation’s collective cybersecurity stance. 

As cyberattacks become more common and more costly, the United States — like other nation-states — needs to do everything it can to prevent attacks and rapidly respond to them when they occur, which requires modernizing its approach to incident response.

To help in that effort, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released Incident and Vulnerability Response Playbooks, which include step-by-step instructions organizations can follow whenever an incident occurs. 

While this guidance is certainly helpful and aligns with President Biden’s directive, there isn’t any advice on which tools to use to respond to incidents.

In a recent article, Mattermost VP and General Manager for the Public Sector Barry Duplantis offers guidance on what organizations should consider when assembling their incident response tech stacks along with best practices to ensure optimal outcomes.

Instead of keeping security protocols in documents or spreadsheets or tools that aren’t integrated, organizations should bake as much automation into their workflows as possible. At the same time, they need to invest in a centralized incident response system that keeps everyone on the same page. Once the incident is resolved, they then need to use retrospective intelligence to figure out what worked and what didn’t, using that information to improve their readiness for next time.

In today’s challenging labor market, having a robust incident response plan — and empowering your developers with the tools they need to work diligently when time matters most — can make it easier to attract and retain talent. After all, who doesn’t like working with the perfect tool for the job?

To learn more about what you can do to make sure you’re prepared to respond swiftly to the next incident you face, read Barry’s article.