Incident response plan

It is free to fill in online and needs no account. The finished Word document and PDF cost €4.99, paid once. See all IT and projects templates

• Company name

  For example: Brightwater Analytics Ltd

• Version and date

  For example: 1.0, 1 February 2027

• Plan owner

  For example: Head of IT

• Systems and data in scope

  For example: Customer portal and database Office network and laptops Email and file storage Payment systems

• Incident lead

  For example: Sana Malik, IT manager, +353 1 555 0100

• Response team and contacts

  Name, role and a phone number that works out of hours. One per line.

  For example: Technical lead: Jin Park, +353 1 555 0101 Communications: Priya Nair, +353 1 555 0102 Legal and privacy: Owen Clarke, +353 1 555 0103 Management: Maria Silva, +353 1 555 0104

• Severity levels

  For example: High: customer data exposed or the main service down. Act at once; tell management within 1 hour. Medium: one system affected, no known data loss. Act within 4 hours. Low: a failed attack or a minor fault. Log and review within 2 working days.

• Who must be told, and by when

  Use the real deadlines from the law and your contracts.

  For example: Data protection authority: within 72 hours of learning of a personal data breach, if the law applies Affected people: without undue delay if there is high risk to them Insurer: within 24 hours Main clients: as their contracts say

• Outside help (optional)optional

  For example: Forensics firm CyberAid, 24 hour line +44 20 7946 0100; cyber insurer policy 8841

• Backups and recovery

  For example: Daily encrypted backups stored in a second region and tested every quarter. Recovery target: 4 hours for the portal.

• How often the plan is tested

  For example: a table-top exercise every 6 months

1. 11. Purpose and scope
2. 22. Team and contacts
3. 33. Severity levels
4. 44. Response steps
5. 55. Backups and recovery
6. 66. Telling others
7. 77. Evidence and records
8. 88. Training and testing
9. 99. Review

1. 01

   Fill in

   Type your details in the form. The document fills itself in as you type; click any gap to jump to its field.

2. 02

   Check

   Read it through. Gaps you have not filled stay marked, so nothing goes out half done.

3. 03

   Download

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What details does this template ask for?

The form asks for 11 details, starting with Company name, Version and date, Plan owner, Systems and data in scope, Incident lead. 1 more are optional.

How much does this template cost?

€4.99, paid once. Filling it in and seeing the first part is free. You pay when you download the finished Word document and PDF, with no account and no subscription. Every paid nerix plan includes it.

Can I download this template as Word or PDF?

Yes. When you have filled in the form, press Download and pay once. You get the finished document as a Word file to keep editing and as a PDF to send or print, and the link by email.

Is what I type sent anywhere?

While you fill it in, what you type stays in your browser. When you buy the document, your answers go to nerix to make your files. They are kept for seven days so you can download again, then deleted.

What should I check before I use this template?

Many countries require you to tell the authorities and the people affected within a set time after a breach of personal data, and some sectors have their own duties. Check the rules and the contracts that apply to you, and put the real deadlines in section 6.

Are these IT and project templates free?

Most are. Fill in and download them for free as Word or PDF, with no account. A few longer documents are premium: free to fill in, paid once to download, and marked with their price.

Does a security policy make us secure?

No document does that alone. A policy helps when it matches what people really do, so keep it short, explain it to your team and review it every year.

Is a project charter only for large projects?

No. A small project benefits too, because one page that names the goal, the limits and the decision maker prevents most arguments later.

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