Incident Response Is No Longer About Response Alone. It's About Resilience.

An organization’s ability to respond to a cyber incident depends on decisions made long before an incident occurs. Investigating a breach, containing a threat and meeting legal and regulatory requirements remain essential. But effective incident response must also support a broader business objective: long-term resilience.

Forrester’s report, The Cybersecurity Incident Response Services Landscape, recognizes this shift from emergency support to standing incident response partnerships. It calls for preparedness that accounts for multiple stakeholders and scenarios, supported by a plan that is reviewed regularly and updated after an incident. Having a plan is only the starting point; keeping it relevant is an ongoing responsibility.

Kroll’s recent report, Bridging the Cyber Resiliency Gap, found that 99% of businesses reported having an incident response plan, yet 3% update it only after an incident. The gap between having a plan and maintaining readiness reflects the broader expectations now shaping incident response partnerships and the evolution of Kroll’s Cyber Incident Response Retainer.

 

Incident Response Has Changed

Boards and security leaders are asking a different question than they did five years ago. Instead of asking, “Can this provider investigate a breach?” they are asking, “Can this provider help us maintain trust, recover faster and emerge stronger?”

In addition to supporting legal and regulatory compliance, trusted incident response partners must navigate complex internal and external stakeholder structures and fragmented technical environments, both when preparing for an incident and when responding to one.

AI adds another dimension. As Forrester highlights, AI can accelerate investigations, identify patterns across large data sets and improve response times. Those operational benefits must be considered alongside the defensibility of investigative work, particularly when investigations are conducted under privilege or require expert testimony.

 

Evolving to Meet Market Demands

Understanding both the technical aspect of incident response and an incident’s wider business implications is now critical. Kroll draws on decades of experience, and its recently launched Complex Digital Events practice builds on that experience, delivering bespoke support to law firms and clients facing cyber incidents, regulatory investigations, litigation, board-level matters and national security engagements.

Colin Sheppard, Managing Director, Cyber and Data Resilience at Kroll, says: “Cyber resilience is built on real-world incident experience. With thousands of cases handled annually, Kroll understands that while deep forensic expertise is table stakes, understanding an incident's business impact drives successful recovery. Organizations need a trusted partner that can rapidly engage experts across cyber, legal, regulatory and insurance disciplines while executing the technical response to contain threats, restore operations and strengthen resilience. Kroll’s depth of experience provides the unique expertise, intelligence and global network, to navigate even the most complex cyber incidents and emerge stronger.”

This need for coordinated support has also informed Kroll’s investment in its Cyber Incident Response Retainer. Alongside prioritized access to incident response services, the retainer enables organizations to proactively build resilience across multiple risk management services; including cybersecurity, regulatory compliance, financial crime, AI risk management, executive and physical security.

A unified client portal, KrollONE, provides a connected experience that enables clients to view credit usage, understand escalation paths and access additional value-added services, including Managed Detection and Response and threat intelligence.

In the future, as the incident response market matures and as cyber threats, regulatory pressures and AI-related risks evolve, the organizations best positioned to recover will be those that treat resilience as an ongoing business priority, with preparedness, response and recovery reinforcing one another over time.

Dave Burg, Global Group Head of Cyber and Data Resilience at Kroll concludes, "We are seeing more cyber intrusions than ever before. For a CEO and board, a serious incident can quickly become a test of operational continuity, stakeholder trust and enterprise value. The decision about whom to call should already be made. A retainer with a trusted, globally respected response partner gives leaders access to seasoned judgment and the ability to mobilize when their organization, shareholders, constituents and customers need it most.

“Kroll’s incident response expertise is recognized worldwide, and we were pleased to contribute to Forrester’s Cybersecurity Incident Response Services Landscape. Our enhanced retainer offering brings together deep investigative capabilities with readiness, response and recovery strategies. It helps leadership teams make informed decisions under pressure, navigate critical incidents with confidence and strengthen resilience over the long term.”

To learn more about Kroll’s incident response services and the Cyber Incident Response Retainer, visit  
 
Cyber Incident Response Retainer