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During a cybersecurity assessment for a large Community College District in California, we discovered something alarming—nothing was documented correctly in their network. Everything—network configurations, system dependencies, incident response procedures—was all in the head of their IT Director.
We asked a simple but critical question:
“What happens if Joe (let’s call him Joe for this story) gets hit by a car on his daily motorcycle commute on the Southern California freeways? God forbid, but if something happens to him, how does the Community College District recover?”
Silence.
They had no answer, because the truth was—they couldn’t. If Joe was gone, so was everything they needed to keep the network running. No documentation, no plan, no recovery. Just blank stares and the sudden realization that they were one accident away from complete chaos.
Contrast that with a story from one of my key staff members, who worked for a large global technology firm earlier in his career.
When he gave notice that he was leaving for another employer, his company didn’t just wish him well—they required him to fully document everything he did before his last day. His processes, his systems, his knowledge—all had to be written down, verified, and signed off before he received his final paycheck.
Two months later, he received an unexpected call from his former employer.
The new hire who had taken over his role tragically passed away in an accident over the weekend. The company was able to get someone up to speed quickly because they had a comprehensive record of everything that employee did, how he did it, and what was needed to keep operations running.
These two stories illustrate a crucial truth: If cybersecurity, network infrastructure, and incident response plans exist only in someone’s head, your business is one bad day away from disaster.
Executives often assume their IT team has an incident response plan—but when we assess businesses, we consistently find critical gaps:
In short, most companies aren’t ready for a cyber incident. The few that do have a plan usually haven’t tested it, haven’t updated it, and don’t have the documentation to execute it properly.
Think about it this way:
Would you run a finance department without documented accounting processes? Would you trust legal compliance to someone’s memory instead of written policies?
Of course not. But when it comes to cybersecurity incident response, too many businesses operate under the false assumption that IT “has it handled”—when in reality, critical recovery information is often left with the employee who knows it.
Even among companies that have a plan, key gaps can cause major delays in response and recovery:
Most companies lack up-to-date network diagrams, asset inventories, and system dependencies. When a breach occurs, IT teams waste precious time trying to figure out what’s affected.
Without documentation, incident response becomes an expensive guessing game.
Many plans fail to outline who is responsible for what during a cyber incident. If ransomware encrypts your financial data, does your CFO know who to call first? Does your IT team have clear authority to shut down infected systems?
Without defined roles, critical decisions get delayed—costing businesses time, money, and reputation.
Cyber incidents require immediate, coordinated communication across multiple teams. The biggest mistakes companies make?
These decisions can’t be made in the heat of the moment—they need to be documented in advance.
When an attack occurs, forensic evidence is critical for:
Yet, many companies fail to log security events properly or preserve forensic evidence. This oversight can lead to compliance violations, legal exposure, and increased financial losses.
A major cybersecurity incident should trigger an in-depth review. Yet, many businesses never document lessons learned or update their response plans. Key questions to ask:
Without continuous improvement, businesses remain vulnerable to the same mistakes in future incidents.
At NCX Group, we specialize in Cyber Resiliency Consulting, helping organizations strengthen their ability to prevent, detect, and respond to cyber threats effectively. Our approach ensures:
✔ Comprehensive Risk Assessments – Identify security gaps before an incident occurs.
✔ Incident Response Planning & Testing – Develop and refine documented response strategies.
✔ Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Support – Ensure operations can resume quickly after a cyber event.
✔ Compliance & Regulatory Alignment – Ensure NIST, ISO, CMMC, and other industry frameworks are adhered to.
With over 20 years of experience helping businesses navigate cybersecurity risks, we provide strategic guidance and hands-on support to build an actual cyber-resilient organization.
Cyberattacks are not a question of if but when. Companies that prepare, document, and test their response plans recover faster, reduce financial losses, and maintain customer trust.
If your incident response plan only exists in someone’s head, it doesn’t exist at all.
Is your business truly prepared?
Let’s discuss how to close the gaps in your cybersecurity strategy.
📞 Schedule a consultation today: NCX Group Cyber Resiliency Services
🌎 Learn more about NCX Group: www.ncxgroup.com
P.S.
If your incident response plan is “Bob in IT knows what to do,” you don’t have an incident response plan.
Documentation isn’t just for compliance—it’s for survival when cyber threats strike. Don’t wait for a disaster to realize you’re unprepared.
Let’s fix that.
#Cybersecurity #BusinessContinuity #IncidentResponse #CISO #CFO #RiskManagement
Repost from LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cybersecurity-incident-response-plans-why-most-how-fix-fitzpatrick-yifcf/
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