Formal Incident Response Plan

This question asks if you have a written, step-by-step playbook for handling security incidents - not just good intentions or general ideas, but an actual documented plan. Like a fire evacuation plan for your building, an incident response plan tells everyone exactly what to do when something goes wrong: who to call, what steps to take, how to communicate with customers, and how to get back to normal operations. It turns chaos into coordinated action when every minute counts.

A formal incident response plan can reduce incident costs by up to 60% and recovery time by days or weeks. Without one, your team wastes critical early hours debating what to do while attackers expand their access and damage multiplies. Enterprise customers require this because they've seen how unplanned responses lead to data exposure, regulatory violations, and massive lawsuits. A documented plan also demonstrates operational maturity and reduces your customer's risk - often making the difference between winning and losing enterprise deals.

The biggest mistake is having a plan that exists only on paper but has never been tested or practiced. Many companies also create overly complex plans that are impossible to follow during the stress of a real incident. Another common error is failing to update the plan regularly - contact information goes stale, team members leave, and new threats emerge, making outdated plans nearly useless when needed most.