Incident Response Retainer
Pre-Positioned Protection for When Cyber Attacks Strike
An incident response retainer ensures you have expert responders on standby before an attack happens. Get guaranteed response times, pre-negotiated rates, and a team that already knows your environment.
What is an Incident Response Retainer?
An incident response retainer is a pre-arranged agreement that guarantees priority access to cybersecurity incident responders when you need them most. Unlike ad-hoc engagements where you compete for availability during a crisis, retainer clients receive guaranteed response times, pre-negotiated rates, and responders who are already familiar with your environment and security stack.
Why Do You Need an IR Retainer?
- Your organization handles sensitive data or operates critical infrastructure
- Cyber insurance requires you to have an incident response plan
- You want guaranteed response times, not best-effort during a crisis
- Your internal security team needs expert backup for major incidents
- You want to reduce incident costs through pre-negotiated rates
Our Incident Response Retainer Process
Environment Assessment
We learn your infrastructure, security tools, and business processes so we're ready from day one.
Runbook Development
Custom incident response playbooks tailored to your specific environment and risk profile.
24/7 Hotline Access
Direct line to certified incident responders—no call centers or escalation delays.
Rapid Deployment
When incidents occur, we mobilize within hours with full context of your environment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Incident Response Retainers
How much does an incident response retainer cost?
IR retainer costs vary based on organization size, industry, and service level. Most organizations invest between $25,000-$100,000 annually—a fraction of the average $4.45M data breach cost. Retainer clients also receive discounted hourly rates during active incidents.
What's included in an IR retainer?
Our retainer includes guaranteed 2-hour response times, 24/7 hotline access, annual environment assessments, custom incident playbooks, quarterly tabletop exercises, and pre-negotiated rates for active incident response. We also provide unlimited phone consultations for security concerns.
How is a retainer different from cyber insurance?
Cyber insurance covers financial losses after an incident. An IR retainer provides the expert responders who contain and remediate the incident. Many insurers require or recommend having an IR retainer, and retainer response often reduces overall claim costs.
Can we use retainer hours for proactive services?
Yes. Unused retainer hours can be applied to proactive services including security assessments, penetration testing, tabletop exercises, and security architecture reviews. We encourage clients to use hours proactively rather than wait for incidents.
What industries do you serve?
We serve organizations across all industries with particular expertise in healthcare, financial services, legal, manufacturing, and critical infrastructure. Our team holds industry-specific certifications and understands regulatory requirements like HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and SOX.
Secure Your IR Retainer Today
Don't wait for an incident to find out your response team is unavailable. Get guaranteed protection now.