It's 3:47 AM. Your phone buzzes. Multiple alerts. Systems are encrypted. A ransom note demands £150,000 in Bitcoin within 48 hours.
Do you know what to do first? Who to call? What not to do? How to communicate with clients? Whether to pay?
Most UK businesses have an incident response plan. But when we ask "Have you actually tested it under pressure?" the answer is almost always no.
The Hard Truth About Incident Response
According to IBM's 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report, the average time to identify and contain a breach is 248 days globally. However, organisations with tested incident response plans and regular training detect and contain breaches significantly faster.
For UK small businesses, the government's Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2024 shows the average data breach costs £53,000, with typical cyber security incidents costing £1,120-£3,230. The difference? How quickly and effectively you respond. A well-prepared response can contain costs to a few thousand pounds. Chaos and delays can push that into six figures once you factor in downtime, client loss, and regulatory penalties.
Source: UK Government Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2024, IBM-Ponemon Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024
This is why we created a free interactive incident response simulator and professional Table Top Exercise service. Our simulator gives you a quick assessment of your readiness, while our expert-led sessions provide comprehensive training for your entire team.
Why UK Businesses Need Incident Response Training
The threat landscape for UK businesses has fundamentally changed. The UK Government's Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2024 found that 50% of UK businesses experienced a cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months. Cyber insurance underwriters are demanding proof of incident response capabilities before issuing policies. And clients increasingly require evidence of incident response testing during due diligence.
But here's what makes this particularly challenging: incident response isn't just a technical problem. It's a leadership, communication, legal, and business continuity problem all at once.
Common Gaps We See in UK SMBs
Through our incident response consulting work, we consistently see the same patterns when businesses face their first real cyber incident:
- Decision paralysis: No one knows who has authority to take systems offline or engage external help
- Communication chaos: Staff notify clients before legal review, triggering premature regulatory obligations
- Evidence destruction: Well-meaning attempts to "fix it quickly" destroy forensic evidence needed for insurance claims
- Backup surprises: Backups haven't been tested and turn out to be corrupted or incomplete
- Escalation confusion: Hours wasted figuring out who to call when every minute counts
The Pattern: Most of these costly mistakes aren't technical failures - they're procedural gaps that would surface immediately in a practised scenario. A single Table Top Exercise identifies these issues before they cost you clients, money, or reputation.
The problem isn't that businesses don't have plans. The problem is that plans look very different on paper than they do at 3 AM when systems are down, clients are calling, and the board wants answers now.
Try Our Free 5-Minute Incident Response Simulator
Our free online tool puts you in a ransomware scenario and tests your decision-making under pressure. Face realistic decisions about containment, communication, ransom payment, and regulatory notifications. Get immediate feedback on your choices compared to NCSC best practices.
Perfect for: Quick team awareness, getting leadership buy-in, identifying whether you need professional training. No registration required.
Professional Table Top Exercise - £950
The free simulator is great for awareness, but real incident response requires team coordination. Our expert-facilitated 2-3 hour session trains your entire team through a realistic scenario specific to your industry.
What's Included
Live Exercise: We run an interactive scenario with your IT, leadership, legal, and operations teams. Choose from ransomware, data breach, supply chain compromise, business email compromise, or insider threat scenarios.
After the Exercise:
- Detailed gap analysis of procedural, technical, and communication weaknesses
- Prioritised action plan (30-day quick wins through 12-month strategic improvements)
- Decision matrix templates and communication templates for clients, ICO, insurance, and media
- 90-day email/phone support during implementation
ROI: £950 vs £53,000
The UK Government's 2024 survey shows the average breach costs UK small businesses £53,000. Our Table Top Exercise identifies 15-20 critical gaps before they cost you in a real incident:
- Extended downtime prevented - Practiced teams contain incidents 60-75% faster
- Insurance claims protected - Proper evidence handling saves £20k-£50k claims
- Regulatory compliance demonstrated - Required by many insurers, satisfies due diligence
Perfect for: UK SMBs (10-250 employees) in professional services, financial services, technology, healthcare, or any business holding sensitive client data.
Test Your Incident Response Readiness
Start with our free 5-minute simulator to identify gaps. Then book a comprehensive £950 Table Top Exercise for full team training and expert guidance.