Incident Response
Retainer
Guaranteed priority access to expert incident responders — before a crisis strikes. Pre-positioned, pre-scoped, and on-call with contractual SLA commitment 24/7.
Priority · Prepared · Proactive
Guaranteed SLA access, pre-positioned environment knowledge, and proactive security work to maximize retainer value.
Guaranteed SLA Response When It Matters Most
Retainer clients jump the queue — guaranteed 1-hour remote response and 4-hour onsite deployment. During a ransomware attack or active breach, our responders are already scoped on your environment and can begin effective triage immediately rather than spending hours on environment discovery.
- 1-hour remote engagement SLA — guaranteed
- 4-hour onsite deployment SLA for major Indian cities
- Dedicated emergency hotline direct to senior responders
- Priority resource allocation — your incident, your team
Use Retainer Hours for Proactive Security Work
An IR retainer doesn't have to sit idle waiting for a breach. Unused response hours can be converted to proactive security work — tabletop crisis simulation exercises, threat hunting, IR plan review, or readiness assessments — so your retainer builds resilience rather than just providing coverage.
- Tabletop exercises (TTX) simulating real breach scenarios
- IR readiness assessments identifying recovery gaps
- Threat hunting campaigns on your EDR telemetry
- Security advisory hours for architecture and risk questions
Pre-Positioned for Instant Effective Response
We invest before the incident — reviewing your IR plan, documenting your environment, validating tool deployment, and pre-staging access credentials. When the call comes, our responders already know your architecture, your business priorities, and your recovery sequence — enabling immediately effective response.
- Incident response plan review and gap identification
- Environment documentation — architecture, critical assets, contacts
- EDR and forensic tool deployment validation
- Access credential pre-staging for instant remote connection
Without a Retainer, You Wait While the Attacker Moves
When ransomware hits at 2am on a Saturday, every DFIR vendor faces the same surge — multiple simultaneous incidents competing for limited responder capacity. Without a retainer, you join a queue. With a retainer, your call goes straight to a dedicated team who already knows your environment.
The difference between a 1-hour response and a 24-hour response during an active ransomware attack is the difference between containing the blast to 2 servers or losing 200. A retainer is insurance you use before you need it.
Priority Queue Access
Your call goes first — guaranteed SLA regardless of how many simultaneous incidents other clients are experiencing.
Pre-Negotiated Rates
Retainer hours are 30-50% cheaper than ad-hoc emergency rates — and pre-agreed, so no price shock during crisis negotiations.
Insurance Recognition
Cyber insurers increasingly discount premiums or cover retainer costs for organizations with pre-arranged DFIR retainers in place.
Proactive ROI
Convert unused hours to tabletop exercises, threat hunting, and IR plan reviews — delivering security value whether or not an incident occurs.
5-Phase Retainer Setup & Maintenance
From scope agreement and environment documentation through IR plan review, tabletop exercises, and ongoing readiness maintenance.
Retainer Scoping & Commercial Agreement
Defining retainer scope — annual hour volume, response SLA tiers (remote vs. onsite), geographic coverage, proactive use-of-hours allocation, and pricing. Documenting data processing agreements and non-disclosure provisions. Confirming cyber insurance notification requirements and retainer recognition.
Environment Documentation & Access Pre-Staging
Conducting an environment intake session — documenting network architecture, critical asset registry, key contacts, escalation hierarchy, and recovery priorities. Pre-staging VPN access, EDR console credentials, and forensic jump host deployment where applicable.
IR Plan Review & Playbook Alignment
Reviewing your existing incident response plan against current threat scenarios. Identifying gaps in playbooks for ransomware, data breach, insider threat, and cloud incidents. Documenting the specific actions our team will take during each incident type and how they align with your internal processes.
Tabletop Exercise & Readiness Validation
Running a tabletop simulation exercise with your leadership team — working through a realistic breach scenario to test decision-making, communication, escalation, and recovery processes. Identifying gaps that would slow your response during a real incident.
Continuous Readiness & Quarterly Reviews
Quarterly retainer health reviews — updating environment documentation, validating access credentials, reviewing any changes to your IR plan, and assessing threat landscape changes. Annual retainer renewal with SLA and scope review to ensure the retainer keeps pace with your security posture changes.
Everything Your Retainer Covers
Priority response, proactive hours, readiness documentation, and regulatory support — all in a single retainer contract.
Priority SLA Response
Jump-the-queue response — your incident is handled before non-retainer engagements, with pre-negotiated rates and pre-positioned access enabling faster, more effective emergency response.
Proactive Retainer Hours
Convert unused response hours to proactive work — tabletop exercises, threat hunting, readiness assessments, and security advisory — ensuring retainer value even without an incident.
IR Plan & Playbook Review
Annual IR plan review identifying gaps in your documented procedures for ransomware, data breach, insider threat, and cloud incidents — with updated playbooks aligned to current threat scenarios.
Tabletop Exercises
Facilitated crisis simulation exercises for leadership and technical teams — testing decision-making, communication, escalation, and technical response against realistic breach scenarios.
Threat Hunting Hours
Proactive threat hunting campaigns using retainer hours — searching for indicators of compromise, dormant APT access, and persistent threat actors in your EDR and SIEM telemetry.
Regulatory Response Support
Expert guidance on DPDP, SEBI, RBI, and GDPR breach notification obligations during an incident — timelines, technical documentation, and regulatory communication aligned to your retainer scope.
Prepared Before, Effective During, Accountable After
Contractual SLAs, pre-positioned access, and cyber insurance alignment — retainer designed for real-world incident response.
Contractual SLA Guarantees
1-hour remote and 4-hour onsite SLA backed by contractual service credit provisions — not a best-effort commitment.
Pre-Positioned Access
VPN, EDR console, and forensic tool access pre-staged during retainer onboarding — instant effective response from minute one.
Insurance Alignment
Retainer structured to meet cyber insurance panel requirements. We work directly with your insurer during incidents to streamline claim processing.
Veteran Responders
Senior IR analysts with ransomware, APT, and data breach response experience — not junior staff learning under crisis pressure.
IR Tools Pre-Staged for Retainer Clients
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about IR retainer services
Be Ready Before the Breach Happens
Contact us to scope your IR retainer — we'll review your environment size, risk profile, and insurance requirements, then provide a retainer proposal with pricing within 48 hours.
Get in Touch
Ready to secure your future? Reach out to us for a consultation.