Although closely linked, incident response and disaster recovery are two distinct elements within your cyber security strategy. Both are fundamental in increasing resilience and minimising risk. However, 78% of businesses lack a formal incident response plan, while around 46% don’t have a documented approach to disaster recovery. The fact that many businesses are missing at least one of these key plans is a bit of a worry. So why is it so important to have them both? 

Although they are related, they both address different aspects of incident management.  

In this blog, we discuss the key differences between incident response and disaster recovery, and how both are used to ensure resilience when unexpected events occur. 

So, What’s the Difference? – Simply put.

You can think of an incident response plan as your emergency response team, ready to jump into action at a moment’s notice. It’s all about spotting trouble – like a cyberattack – and making sure things don’t go from bad to worse. On the other hand, your disaster recovery plan is the way you get things back to normal. You’ve responded, now it’s time to get things back on track. 

H2: Incident Response: Reacting Quickly 

An effective incident response plan outlines the clear steps to follow in the face of a cyber event. It enables organisations to act swiftly and systematically when an incident occurs, thereby reducing damage, recovery time, and costs. Without a robust incident response plan, organisations won’t know how to react to a cyber event, leading to prolonged disruption and higher costs. It’s essential to regularly test and review your incident response strategy to ensure it still meets your needs. 

Disaster Recovery: Ensuring Business Continuity

Disaster recovery plans come into play after an event has taken place. These plans are broader in scope and ensure that critical business functions can get back up and running as quickly as possible. A robust disaster recovery plan needs to consider data backups and recovery, roles and responsibilities and more. 

Incident Response and Disaster Recovery – The Key Differences

While both incident response and disaster recovery are essential components of a broader security and business continuity strategy, their focus and execution differ significantly: 

• Scope and Focus – An incident response plan is primarily concerned with cybersecurity incidents and breaches, focusing on identifying and containing threats. Disaster recovery, however, deals with restoring all critical functions of the business after an event, regardless of the cause. 

• Objective – The main objective of an incident response plan is to minimise damage and manage the cybersecurity incident effectively. In contrast, a disaster recovery plan aims to quickly restore business operations, reduce reputational damage, and minimise downtime. 

• Timeline – Incident response plans are executed immediately after an incident is detected to limit its impact. Disaster recovery plans are triggered post-incident to bring systems back to normal. 

Integrating Response and Recovery

While both incident response and disaster recovery plans are distinct, their effectiveness is significantly enhanced when they are integrated and managed cohesively. They shouldn’t be created in silos. Rather, they should be part of a unified strategy to ensure resilience. Coordinating these plans enables a more seamless transition from incident response to disaster recovery, which makes it easier to handle major incidents effectively.  

You Always Need Both

Incident response and disaster recovery plans are both necessary and complementary. You can’t get by with just one or the other. Incident response plans allow organisations to react promptly and effectively to security incidents, while disaster recovery plans ensure that the business can continue to operate and recover smoothly. Together, they form a comprehensive approach to organisational resilience, safeguarding against a wide range of risks and ensuring that businesses can continue to operate in the face of unexpected challenges.  

Remember, having both incident response and disaster recovery plans can be the difference between a minor disruption and complete business failure. It’s crucial for every organisation to invest the time and resources required to develop, test, and refine these plans regularly to stay prepared and resilient.  

Need help in this area? The 848 Group has a dedicated cybersecurity practice with a team of security experts who specialise in incident response and disaster recovery. Get in touch to book your consultation with the team.