Computer Incident Response Plans: Why SMBs Need Them

Summary: This article explains the importance of performing detailed cyber security planning before your small business faces a cyberattack. Learn the deadly repercussions and how a detailed cybersecurity business continuity plan can keep your SMB operational in the midst of an attack. Also, find out why SMBs should enlist the help of computer network security companies to create professional computer incident response team plans and cybersecurity business continuity plans.

Computer Incident Response Planning

The time-honored expressions “Forewarned is forearmed” and “Hope for the best, plan for the worst” were coined long before computers were invented. However, they are philosophies that directly apply to all things related to cyber security. A clear, detailed computer incident response plan codifies what needs to happen and who needs to do what in the event of a cyberattack. The main functions of a plan are to:

• Quickly identify cyber incidents
• Assess and respond to attacks
• Assign tasks for an incident response
• Step up the response based on the extent of an incident
• Identify actions required to support an SMB’s recovery from a cyber incident
• Designate who must be contacted in the event of an incident

Why Is Cyber Security Planning So Vital?

Hoping that you won’t be hit with a cyberattack and waiting until one happens to figure out what needs to be done is a dangerous strategy (or lack thereof). Your entire computer network is on the line. Once you are attacked, time is of the essence to reduce recovery time and recovery costs. The immediate crippling consequences of an attack are:

• Interrupted Business – Your SMB’s entire network can be disrupted during a cyber incident, and your business can come to a grinding halt.
• Idle Employees – No small business owner wants to see employees sitting around doing nothing. By planning in advance, everyone can jump into action and perform their roles as outlined in the plan.
• Lost or Unfulfilled Orders – The faster a breach can be identified, contained and mitigated, the less business will be lost. Also, an uncontrolled breach can spread to your customers and vendors, damaging your reputation and exposing you to legal ramifications and sometimes bankruptcy.
• Loss of Email Communication – Email has become more important than phone calls. Calling company contacts can be slow, inefficient and labor-intensive. If your office phone system is internet-based, you might be forced to use personal cell phones, which are limited and pose additional security threats.

Unfortunately, a hacker will unleash a new cyberattack method for every new cyber security protection developed by reputable software companies. It’s a neck-and-neck battle, and no matter how many layers of cyber protection a business has in place, a cyber security incident is likely to occur at some point. However, the stronger your cyber incident response plan, the more likely your SMB will recover quickly and efficiently from an attack, mitigating the damage and keeping your company fully operational. A good plan will detail exactly what has to be done in the event of the most common types of cybercrimes, including attacks by malware, viruses, insider threats, DDoS attacks, ransomware and other malicious data breaches.

The main categories of what’s required as part of a cyber security plan template for small businesses are:

• Statement of the Plan’s Purpose and Scope – Your plan’s goals must be defined as precisely as possible. The response strategy should be described, and recovery goals should be established. Depending on the variety of services or goods your company provides, you might need additional plans with other specific goals.
• List of Possible Threats – Your plan will be better if you brainstorm a list of threat scenarios, creating details about what steps need to be taken to address each possible threat and naming specific individuals responsible for executing those steps in the event of an attack.
• Employee Responsibilities – It is a lousy strategy to wait until a cyberattack to assign employee roles. Everyone involved in the incident response must be noted in the plan, including their titles, contact information and specific responsibilities. Doing so will ensure all your employees will know their roles in the event of an attack.
• Step-by-step Sequence of Response – It is crucial to spell out the sequence of events to be launched when hackers attack your computer system. Step-by-step instructions will be Components of an Incident Response Plan Template

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is considered a trusted authority on incident response and offers a free “Computer Incident Handling Guide.” In the guide, NIST defines the four steps to an incident response: preparation, detection, containment, and recovery, as well as post-incident actions.

Designing a computer incident response plan is complex. However, it is too important to be ignored or done incorrectly. As your SMB’s livelihood depends on protecting your computer system from cybercrime, you should consider hiring IT security experts. Computer network security companies are in touch with the latest cyber threats and have experience and state-of-the-art tools to help you design the best incident response plan for your company’s needs.

Cyber Security Policies and Your Response Plans

Cyber security policies work in tandem with cyber incident response and cybersecurity business continuity plans. Best practices for cyber security support fast and efficient responses. Obviously, it is best to avoid cyberattacks. However, in the event of one, designated employees must have the proper permissions and authority to jump into action at the earliest signs of a breach. There should never be on-the-fly training for cyber events. Everyone must be trained, and team leaders should know the tasks to delegate and who will be the point person to execute them.

Small business IT support includes helping SMB owners in designing comprehensive cyber incident response plans. It is wise to enlist their assistance from the start. In fact, ideally, IT experts should be involved from the beginning so that your network can be set up correctly and will be protected immediately. A reputable cyber security company can also provide IT support for remote employees and train and protect them as part of your company’s incident response plan.

Take Steps to Ensure SMB Network Security

Over 50% of cyberattacks target SMBs, and 60% of those companies go out of business within six months of suffering an attack. Those bleak numbers underscore the importance of robust network cyber security and the need for the best possible cyber incident response plan. Enlisting a trusted partner that is familiar with your network and devices can spring to action during an attack and help ensure business continuity. Contacting an IT network support and security company after an attack will delay recovery. Your business’s security is too important, and you’ve worked too hard to build it for a deadly cyberattack to destroy it.