Your Challenge Security incidents are inevitable, but how they’re dealt with can make or break an organization. Poor incident response negatively affects business practices, including workflow, revenue generation, and public image. The incident response of most organizations is ad hoc at best. A formal management plan is rarely developed or adhered to, resulting in ineffective firefighting responses and inefficient allocation of resources. Our Advice Critical Insight Organizations can’t rely on “out-of-the-box” classifications anymore. They’re too broad and easy to ignore. Save your organization response time and confusion by developing your own specific incident use cases. Results of incident response must be analyzed, tracked, and reviewed regularly. Otherwise a lack of comprehensive understanding of trends and patterns regarding incidents leads to being re-victimized by the same vector. Establish communication processes and channels well in advance of a crisis. Don’t wait until a state of panic. Collaborate and share information mutually with other organizations to stay ahead of incoming threats. Impact and Result Short term: Streamline the process of formalizing an incident management program customized to your organization-specific needs. Respond faster and more effectively by leveraging a mature process rather than starting from scratch. Long term: Once the program is in place, damage will be minimized. As incidents are properly tracked, analyzed and handled according to a well-defined process, potential breaches will be reduced to minor incidents.