10 steps to build an IT emergency response plan

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Cyberattacks are often not a matter of if, but when. Is your organization's emergency response plan strong enough to withstand the impact?

The State of Ransomware 2024 report by Sophos revealed that 59% of global organizations were targets of ransomware in 2023. 70% of those attacks were linked to encrypted messaging apps.

Another study shows that small to medium enterprises (SMEs) pay between $137 to $427 per minute in the event of an IT downtime.

Dealing with the risks of cyberattacks and data privacy breaches is also vital since one misstep can cause your organizational security system to crash. Such incidences drain resources rapidly and weaken customer trust and loyalty.

Therefore, it underscores the urgency for IT and SaaS companies to prepare for the potential crisis with a comprehensive emergency response plan.

This blog post discusses steps to build an IT emergency preparedness plan to mitigate loss, including strengthening communication using secure collaboration tools.

10 steps to build a comprehensive emergency preparedness plan

Equifax’s experience with its 2017 data breach significantly shaped its incident response plan. Since then, the company invested over $1.5 billion in security, communication, and technology improvements, enhancing its ability to respond to future incidents proactively.

The steps listed below will assist leaders and security officers in creating an infallible plan to protect employees, systems, and data.

1. Conduct a risk and vulnerability assessment

Before going ahead with your emergency preparedness plan, here are some groundwork you can do:

Identify potential risks and hazards, including technical and non-technical, and analyze the consequences of each risk.
Prioritize the risks according to their severity. It will help you allocate resources accordingly.

Example: Cisco combines an Asset Critically Rating (ACR) score with a Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) to rank assets based on their overall risk exposure.

2. Identify your company’s critical systems and operations

To ensure business continuity, it is important to detail the essential systems and services that underpin your operations.

Consider the dependencies between systems to prioritize the recovery efforts. For instance, if your network fails, access to your computer systems, servers, and software applications is lost.
Conduct a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) to evaluate the impact of each system’s downtime. Consider Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs).
Documenting mission-critical systems streamlines the restoration of your network, data, software, and hardware.

Example: In 2020, when the Microsoft Exchange Service vulnerability was exploited, organizations with clear priorities were able to recover more quickly.

3. Create an IT incident response team

Forming a dynamic response team consisting of technical staff, system administrators, cyber security experts, and incident coordinators will ensure 360° threat mitigation.

The structure of your emergency response team should reflect your company size and incident frequency.
Larger organizations may establish specialized teams for different incidents or locations. Smaller firms can use a centralized team and outsource additional help as needed.
Teams must be trained on various technical and cybersecurity aspects and regularly upskilled on best practices.
Ensure all members maintain real-time communication with top-level management and data owners through secure messaging apps.

Example: Ascension’s restructuring of its incident response team with designated roles and a focus on regular training improved its preparedness and response capabilities during the ransomware attack in May 2024.

4. Establish a communication plan for incident management

An incident communication plan should outline who handles internal and external crisis communications. Consider the following approaches when documenting the plan:

Designate a company spokesperson responsible for external communication, excelled at media and public interactions under pressure.
Use robust workplace team communication platforms like Rocket.Chat to streamline communication between employees, clients, partners, and vendors.
Additionally, preparing messaging and alert templates for various incidents can help you send timely updates to maintain customer trust.
Open-source software systems can help customize these templates whenever required.

Example: For instance, during Cisco’s security incident in August 2023, the company promptly appointed a spokesperson to manage end-to-end external communications to maintain customer trust.

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5. Install recovery and backup systems

Develop a playbook that discusses how to restore your critical systems and resume normal operations. These points may help create a strong playbook:

Implement the recovery solutions across multiple levels – people, hardware, software, and data.
For instance, using cloud computing solutions can enable automatic data backup and recovery. Storing backups in a separate air-gapped network will enhance security.
Set up secondary data centers to reduce interruptions.
Use DNS services to redirect traffic, and consider orchestration systems to manage failover and load distribution for process resilience.

6. Create a cyber-security incident proposal plan (CSIRP)

Since the first few minutes are extremely critical when disaster strikes, incident proposal plans help detect, contain, and mitigate cyberattacks.

Use real-time monitoring tools for rapid assessment of the incident’s scope and impact, facilitating quick escalation and response.
This clarity allows for clearly defined roles and responsibilities. For example, identifying who should be contacted first or what evidence needs preservation for legal actions.

To note, the Federal Trade Commission provides crucial steps to eradicate threats to your data privacy. It includes contacting legal advisors, forensic teams, or cybersecurity consultants.

7. Develop a business continuity plan (BCP)

Your business continuity plan should cover IT and non-IT assets, procedures, human resources, customers, locations, vendors, and partners. Here are a few suggestions to accelerate the process:

Conduct a complete audit to identify assets, resources, and external situations that will activate the BCP.
Develop contingency plans to outline actions for maintaining a full-service level during disasters. (Example: alternative location during a hurricane or another server during a data breach).
Make sure your BCP aligns with your cloud provider and vendor’s continuity measures.

Example: Marriott International’s response to the data breach in 2020 involved a proactive activation of its BCP to minimize disruption and maintain customer trust.

8. Test your preparedness plan regularly

Assessing your emergency preparedness plan regularly will keep your protocols upgraded amid evolving threats and processes. The easiest ways to ensure continuous testing are:

Test your plan in various scenarios annually.
Ensure to revise the plan whenever there are changes in the IT infrastructure, data security, operations, or compliance requirements.
Conduct drills and tabletop exercises to see how the critical portions of your plan act.

Example: In 2021, American Airlines performed regular drills following cyber threats, reinforcing its staff's capabilities in handling real incidents.

9. Enforce data protection and compliance protocols

Finally, to ensure your plan is legally compliant, consider implementing the following steps:

Create a data governance framework that defines rules and regulations for data management and privacy.
Implement E2EE and access control systems to safeguard data against cyberattacks.
Upskill and train employees on data security importance in a SaaS environment and data privacy management.
Perform quarterly audits to ensure compliance with data protection standards, such as GDPR, ISO, HIPAA, and CCPA.

Example: Meta Platform’s compliance efforts after a data protection scrutiny involved strengthening its data governance framework and implementing enhanced encryption protocols.

10. Promote continuous improvement with regular evaluation and upgrades

To ensure the effectiveness of your emergency response plan, here’s what you can do:

Regularly track changes in your emergency response plan. Review and update it based on emerging threats, industry trends, and changes in regulations, processes, and systems.
Modify playbooks based on the outcomes of regular testing, drill exercises, and actual incidents.
Take feedback from employees and stakeholders to rectify errors and identify improvement opportunities.

Why these steps are essential for IT and SaaS emergency preparedness

A well-thought-out emergency preparedness plan is crucial for SaaS and IT companies for several reasons:

Efficient risk management: Prioritizing potential risks can help companies allocate resources and solutions efficiently, ensuring the most critical threat is addressed first.
Business continuity: Allows business operations to be maintained during and after a significant incident.
Crisis guidance: Whether it is an unexpected disaster or natural crisis, ERP lets everyone know how to behave, respond, and act throughout and after.
Financial stability: A proactive emergency preparedness plan will ensure the business remains financially solvent even when it needs to make changes to tackle an emergency.
Trust building: Regulatory compliance during a crisis will result in zero legal consequences and improved public trust.

Key takeaway

A comprehensive emergency response plan will help SaaS and IT companies navigate the unpredictable challenges of the domain.

Rocket.Chat’s open-source collaboration software comes with robust features tailored for emergency preparedness. With E2EE algorithms, powerful access control, and multi-channel options, the platform ensures transparent and secure communication, protecting sensitive information during emergencies.

Leverage Rocket.Chat’s organizational security features to develop your emergency preparedness plan so that you can mitigate risks while maintaining business continuity in the face of hurdles.

To get started with Rocket.Chat, request a free demo now!