What are the best methods for cost-effective and efficient incident handling procedures?

1 Define incident types and categories

The first step in incident handling is to define what constitutes an incident and how to categorize it based on its severity, impact, and urgency. This will help you prioritize your response, allocate your resources, and communicate with your stakeholders. You can use existing frameworks, such as the ITIL or ISO/IEC 27035, or create your own classification scheme based on your organization's needs and objectives. The key is to have clear and consistent criteria for defining and categorizing incidents, and to document them in your incident handling policy.

2 Establish incident response roles and responsibilities

The second step in incident handling is to establish who is responsible for what during an incident response. You need to define the roles and responsibilities of your incident response team, as well as the escalation and communication channels with other stakeholders, such as management, users, vendors, or regulators. You also need to assign backups and alternates for each role, in case of unavailability or conflict of interest. You can use a RACI matrix or a similar tool to clarify the roles and responsibilities of each party involved in incident response, and to document them in your incident handling plan.

3 Implement incident detection and reporting tools

The third step in incident handling is to implement the tools and mechanisms that will help you detect and report incidents as soon as they occur. You need to monitor your systems and services for any anomalies, alerts, or indicators of compromise, using tools such as antivirus, firewall, intrusion detection and prevention systems, or log analysis. You also need to provide your users and customers with easy and secure ways to report any incidents or issues they encounter, using tools such as helpdesk, ticketing, or feedback systems. You need to collect and store the relevant information about each incident, such as the date, time, source, destination, type, category, symptoms, and impact, in a central database or repository.

4 Follow a structured incident response process

The fourth step in incident handling is to follow a structured incident response process that will guide you through the phases of preparation, identification, containment, eradication, recovery, and lessons learned. You need to follow the steps and procedures outlined in your incident handling plan, and use the tools and resources available to you, such as checklists, templates, scripts, or forensic tools. You need to document every action and decision you make during the incident response process, and update the status and progress of each incident regularly. You also need to communicate with your stakeholders effectively and timely, using the appropriate channels and formats.

5 Evaluate and improve your incident handling performance

The fifth step in incident handling is to evaluate and improve your incident handling performance after each incident or periodically. You need to conduct a post-incident review or analysis to identify the root causes, impacts, and lessons learned from each incident, and to determine the actions and recommendations to prevent or mitigate similar incidents in the future. You also need to measure and report your incident handling performance using metrics and indicators, such as the number, frequency, duration, severity, and cost of incidents, or the customer satisfaction, availability, and reliability of your systems and services. You need to use the feedback and data you collect to improve your incident handling policy, plan, processes, procedures, tools, and resources, and to implement the necessary changes and improvements.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?