Get Enterprise-Level Incident Response On a Small Business Budget
We help growing businesses prepare for cyber incidents, respond 10x faster when attacks happen, and meet compliance requirements—all without the overhead of hiring in-house.
- 1. Build an actionable incident response plan tailored to your business
- 2. Reduce breach costs by up to 60% with rapid containment
- 3. Access expert guidance 24/7 when every second counts
NIST-Aligned • HIPAA Ready • SOC 2 Compliant
Have Incident Responders On Retainer
Our monthly plans work like a legal retainer. You get the upfront work to prepare your team and environment, plus guaranteed access to experts when something goes wrong. That means faster decisions, less downtime, and lower breach costs.
- Preparedness: Custom plan, scenario playbooks, tabletop exercises, team training
- On‑demand response: Hotline access, included emergency hours (plan dependent), expert guidance
- Ongoing upkeep: Quarterly plan updates so your playbooks stay current
What You Get Each Month
- Monthly security briefing tailored to your business
- Threat landscape updates relevant to your industry
- Quarterly plan review and updates
- Scenario tabletop exercises (per plan)
- Team security awareness updates
- Pre-arranged incident contacts and call tree kept current
- Regular response readiness checks
- Continuous playbook refinement
Every Second Counts in a Cybersecurity Incident. Are You Ready?
Most small and medium-sized businesses don’t have incident response plans, and it shows.
When ransomware strikes or data breaches occur, teams scramble without clear roles, processes break down, and critical time is lost. Meanwhile, attackers spread deeper into your systems.
The cost of being unprepared is devastating.
60% of SMBs close within six months of a major cyber incident. Even survivors face an average breach cost of $3.31 million. And that’s before counting reputational damage, regulatory fines, and lost customer trust.
That’s where InventiveHQ’s Incident Response Planning comes in.
You get expert-designed response plans, tested playbooks, and 24/7 access to seasoned incident responders—without the cost of a full security team. We’ll prepare your team, test your readiness, and be there when it matters most.
The Real Cost of Not Having a Response Plan
$3.31M
Average breach cost for businesses under 500 employees
10x
Slower response time without a plan, increasing damage exponentially
60%
Of SMBs close within 6 months after a major cyber incident
8 Reasons SMBs Choose InventiveHQ for Incident Response
Tailored Response Plans
Custom incident response plans aligned with your specific business, industry regulations, and risk profile.
24/7 Expert Support
Pre-onboarded incident response experts available around the clock when attacks happen.
Tabletop Exercises
Regular simulations test your team’s readiness and identify gaps before real incidents occur.
Playbook Development
Scenario-specific playbooks for ransomware, data breaches, phishing, and other common attacks.
Rapid Containment
Stop attacks from spreading with proven containment strategies that reduce damage by up to 60%.
Compliance Alignment
Plans meet NIST SP 800-61, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and other regulatory requirements.
Forensics & Analysis
Root-cause analysis and court-admissible evidence collection for insurance and legal purposes.
Cost-Effective Retainers
Flexible pricing models including pay-as-needed or pre-purchased blocks of response hours.
How Our Incident Response Process Works
We follow the proven NIST incident response lifecycle, adapted for small and medium businesses:
1. Preparation
We develop your incident response plan, establish clear roles and responsibilities, and ensure all tools and access are ready before incidents occur.
2. Detection & Analysis
When suspicious activity is detected, we quickly verify, assess severity, and determine the appropriate response level.
3. Containment
We immediately isolate affected systems to prevent spread while preserving evidence for investigation.
4. Eradication & Recovery
Remove threats completely, restore clean systems from backups, and verify all systems are secure before returning to normal operations.
5. Post-Incident Activity
Conduct thorough analysis, update security measures, refine response plans, and ensure compliance reporting is complete.
6. Continuous Improvement
Regular tabletop exercises, plan updates, and team training ensure you’re always ready for the next threat.
Start Small, Scale as You Grow
Flexible pricing designed for SMBs. No setup fees. Cancel anytime.
🎯 Limited Time: 50% off your first 3 months as one of our founding clients
Essential
$1,500/month
Get started with professional incident response planning.
- ✓ Custom incident response plan
- ✓ Ransomware & phishing playbooks
- ✓ Annual tabletop exercise
- ✓ Quarterly plan updates
- ✓ Next business day response
- ✓ Basic forensics guidance
- ✓ Monthly security briefing
- ✓ Vulnerability and patching alerts
- ✓ 10 hours annual incident response bank
- Use for emergency response and initial incident guidance
- Hours reset annually; additional hours at $500/hour (33% off non-client)
Add-on: 24/7 Hotline +$500/mo
Professional BEST VALUE
$3,000/month
Complete protection with 24/7 expert support.
- ✓ Everything in Essential, plus:
- ✓ All attack scenario playbooks
- ✓ Quarterly tabletop exercises
- ✓ 24/7 incident hotline (15 min SLA)
- ✓ 40 hours annual incident response bank
- Use flexibly for emergency response, digital forensics, evidence collection, and recovery
- Hours reset annually; additional hours at $250/hour (67% off non-client)
- ✓ Advanced forensics & evidence collection
- ✓ Compliance reporting (NIST, HIPAA, PCI)
- ✓ Monthly threat intelligence report
- ✓ Quarterly plan review & updates
- ✓ Periodic response time testing
- ✓ Priority support at partner rates
Most recommended
Enterprise
Custom
Starting at $5,000/month
Full-service response for complex environments.
- ✓ Everything in Professional, plus:
- ✓ Dedicated incident response team
- ✓ Monthly tabletop exercises
- ✓ Unlimited emergency response hours
- ✓ Proactive threat hunting
- ✓ Full digital forensics lab
- ✓ Legal & PR crisis support
Contact for custom quote
Why pre-purchase response hours?
- Non-client emergency: $750/hour, 6-hour minimum ($4,500)
- Essential includes 10 hours annual incident response — $7,500 value at non-client rates
- Professional includes 40 hours annual incident response — $30,000 value at non-client rates
- Pre-purchased hours reduce approval delays and speed incident containment
- Higher non-client rate reflects cold-start time to learn your environment
- Priority access to responders during peak demand
- Faster activation: environment and contacts already set up
- Pre-approved workflows reduce procurement and legal bottlenecks
- Better outcomes from responders familiar with your systems and data flows
- Support for insurance claims and compliance reporting is ready on day one
🚨 Need Help Right Now? Emergency Response Available
Currently experiencing an incident? We offer emergency incident response at $750/hour (6-hour minimum). Our experts can help contain the damage and guide your recovery—even if you’re not a current client. Higher non-client rates reflect additional time needed to understand your environment and cold-start inefficiencies. When you call, please tell the person on the phone that you need emergency incident response.
Who This Is For
- SMBs without a full-time security team
- Teams that want a proven plan and expert backup
- Regulated industries that need NIST/HIPAA/SOC 2 alignment
- Companies wanting faster, cheaper response than ad hoc emergency help
All plans include initial assessment, custom playbooks, and team training. Emergency hours: Essential (10 hours annual bank, $500/hour additional), Professional (40 hours annual bank, $250/hour additional), Enterprise (custom). All plans require an annual commitment; save 10% when billed annually.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly am I paying for with incident response planning?
You’re investing in preparedness and rapid recovery capabilities. This includes custom response plans, tested playbooks, regular training exercises, and on-demand access to incident response experts who know your environment. When an incident occurs, you’ll have clear procedures, designated roles, and expert guidance to minimize damage and recovery time.
How quickly can you respond during an actual incident?
For Professional and Enterprise plans, we guarantee response within 15 minutes of your call, 24/7/365. Because we’ve already developed your response plan and understand your environment, we can begin containment actions immediately—up to 10x faster than starting from scratch. Professional clients also receive partner rates for additional hours at $250/hour (vs. $500/hour for Essential and $750/hour non-client emergency).
What’s the difference between incident response planning and cyber insurance?
They’re complementary but serve different purposes. Cyber insurance helps cover costs after an incident, but it doesn’t prevent damage or speed recovery. Incident response planning reduces the likelihood and impact of incidents through preparation, faster containment, and expert guidance. Many insurers now require incident response plans for coverage or offer premium discounts for having one.
How are response hours tracked?
We track hours in 15-minute increments and provide a monthly usage summary. Annual hour banks reset each year on your plan renewal date. Unused hours do not roll over.
What are the rates for additional hours?
Essential: $500/hour. Professional: $250/hour. Non-clients (emergency only): $750/hour with a 6-hour minimum. We always confirm usage before drawing down your bank or adding hours.
Can you work with our existing IT team or MSP?
Absolutely. We’re designed to complement your existing IT resources, not replace them. We’ll coordinate with your team or MSP during plan development, include them in tabletop exercises, and work together during actual incidents. Our role is to provide specialized incident response expertise that most IT teams don’t have in-house.
What types of incidents do your plans cover?
Our plans address the full spectrum of cyber incidents including ransomware attacks, data breaches, business email compromise, insider threats, DDoS attacks, and supply chain compromises. We develop specific playbooks for scenarios most relevant to your industry and risk profile, ensuring you’re prepared for the threats you’re most likely to face.
Don’t Wait for a Breach to Build Your Response Plan
Get a free assessment of your current incident response readiness and see how we can help you prepare for, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents faster.
No obligation • 30-minute call • Get your readiness score