Understanding Incident Response Metrics to Enhance Efficiency and Performance

From multinational corporations to local small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), modern organizations run on data. Customer records, ordering and inventory systems, vendor portals, payroll and other daily operations are now digital, which means responding to a cyber event quickly and efficiently is crucial to get an organization back to business. 

For the IT and security professionals responsible for an organization’s incident response (IR), specific metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) can help measure the effectiveness of plans and procedures, uncover areas for improvement, and validate the team’s value to executives and customers.

Understanding key IR metrics and KPIs is the first step to evaluating and enhancing how an organization will perform in the wake of a data breach, social engineering scam or cyber attack.

What are incident response metrics?

IR metrics are the measurements that enable an organization to gauge the effectiveness of its cyber defense and recovery time in the event of a cyber event. These can include the average number of incidents, how often they occur, and response and resolution times.

Given the amount of data IT, operations and security teams must track, here are a few key IR metrics teams should consider tracking.

1. Mean time to detect (MTTD)

This measures the average time it takes to identify a threat once it’s on the network. The lower the MTTD, the better the organization’s detection capabilities, while a higher MTTD indicates a threat can be on the system longer without being found — during which time it can cause damage. An organization must continuously fine-tune its detection rules, threat intelligence and monitoring tools to help ensure anomalies are found quickly.

2. Mean time to acknowledge (MTTA)

This benchmark is the time it takes between when an incident is detected and when the organization’s incident response team acknowledges and begins addressing the issue. Minimizing the impact of an incident requires a quick response from the professionals charged with addressing it, so a low MTTA is the goal. Regularly testing the IR plan with exercises that reinforce team members’ roles and responsibilities can help reduce the MTTA.

3. Mean time to respond (MTTR)

This gauges the time between when a cyber incident is detected to when the response begins. A faster response enables organizations to take steps more quickly, helping reduce potential damage. Having a current and regularly tested IR plan that defines roles and responsibilities, details response procedures and establishes clear communication channels can help improve an organization’s MTTR.

4. Mean time to contain (MTTC)

MTTC measures how long it takes to contain a threat once it’s been detected. A low MTTC indicates the organization can contain potential threats quickly, preventing spreading and helping minimize the incident’s potential impact. Effective containment strategies — such as deploying automated containment tools and predefined containment procedures — can help bring down an organization’s MTTC.

5. Mean time to recover (MTTR)

This metric indicates how long it takes to restore normal operations once a threat is contained, which is a vital metric for understanding the downtime and disruption an incident can cause to a business. An organization can reduce its MTTR by establishing a robust IR plan, as well as backing up regularly and establishing efficient restoration processes.

6. Incident volume

This metric refers to the total number of incidents detected during a specific period. Tracking volume can help organizations identify trends or patterns — since a sudden spike in volume might indicate a targeted attack or vulnerability that needs to be addressed. These insights enable organizations to allocate cyber resources more effectively.

7. Incident resolution rate (IRR)

A measure of how effective the IR team is at addressing and mitigating threats, this figure indicates the percentage of incidents successfully resolved within a specific period of time. Continuous training, regular testing of the IR plan, and employing advanced IR tools and technologies can all help improve an organization’s IRR.

8. Mean time between failures (MTBF)

A key indicator of system reliability, the MTBF measures the average time between failures a repairable system experiences during normal operations. The longer a system can operate between failures, the more reliable it is. Understanding the MTBF enables an organization to intelligently schedule system maintenance and better forecast system lifespans.

9. Mean time to failure (MTTF)

The average time a non-repairable asset operates before it fails is known as the MTTF. While MTBF applies to repairable systems, MTTF is used for assets that are replaced rather than repaired. Knowing the typical life expectancy helps the organization plan for replacing such non-repairable components.

How IR metrics help enhance outcomes

The ability to measure specific aspects of an organization’s IR can help respective team members develop dispassionate recommendations for leadership based on facts rather than emotions. IR metrics and KPIs can also provide additional benefits, including:

1. Improved efficiencies: By understanding how quickly and effectively incidents are addressed — from detection to response to containment and resolution — an organization can identify potential bottlenecks and areas for improvement.
2. Enhanced visibility: By establishing benchmarks, the organization can better evaluate and address strengths and weaknesses of its cyber defenses, IR plan and IR team.
3. Better resource allocation: Knowing how often incidents occur, when equipment needs to be repaired or replaced, and the impact a cyber event will likely have on its operations helps an organization better allocate resources, both in preparation for potential events as well as during a cyber incident.
4. Clear stakeholder communications: IR metrics enable the IR team to explain risks facing the organization while demonstrating the quantifiable value the team provides, both of which can help convince leadership to invest in security initiatives.
5. Continuous improvement: Examining IR metrics on a regular basis empowers organizations, providing the insights needed to continuously improve their incident response capabilities so they can address new and emerging threats.

Don’t let a cyber incident define your success

An organization’s success is often measured by a variety of numbers and figures. When it comes to ITOps, cybersecurity and an organization’s resiliency, IR metrics and KPIs are essential tools. IR metrics help ensure an organization is in control when a cyber event occurs — confirming its team is prepared to respond quickly and effectively so the impact on operations is kept to a minimum.

For more guidance on how to strengthen your IR planning to help your organization prepare for potential threats, visit TruEmpowerTM Incident Response Solutions.