Data Breach Response Providers: Top 5 Qualities to Look For

Searching for the best data breach response provider to work with if your organization suffers from a data breach can be stressful on an organization. 

A successful breach response depends, in large part, on the data breach response vendor you select. While many companies tout data breach response solutions, their actual services vary widely. It’s critical to examine the details any vendor is offering since the breach response is only as good as the company behind it. 

With the average cost of a data breach in the United States surpassing $9.44 million and continuing to rise year-over-year, learning the five essential qualities to look for when selecting a provider is becoming more important:

1. Understanding today’s data breach risks 

From ransomware to phishing to credentials sold on the deep and dark web, your organization can be vulnerable to a data breach. The best providers are working with organizations each and every day to understand the latest risks and challenges they are facing with the escalating risk of a data breach.

2. Experience and reputation 

A provider’s business clients are an excellent yardstick for assessing the company’s credentials. It’s important to ask questions like:

• What other organizations does the provider serve? Look for experience across a broad spectrum of clients (sizes, industries, etc.).
• How long has the provider been in the data breach business and how many clients would recommend them? Long-term focus on this business and client relationships build trust and a strong commitment to service.
• Has the client been awarded government contracts? If yes,this indicates they have built their products and services to meet the highest of security clearances required by government agencies.

3. Customizes its Services

Your breach response partner should be able to help create a customized response that both fits the situation and complements your internal capabilities. This helps you avoid buying more services than you need. In addition, your provider should work closely with your counsel to provide customized communications to the breached population and regulators, when appropriate.

4. Scalable to meet your needs

Few data breach response providers can handle both small and large data breaches. Some only handle the mega breaches affecting millions of individuals and won’t provide services for the smaller and more frequent breaches. Conversely, others lack the capacity to manage large breaches, and service quality suffers when the breach is large. Find an experienced breach response provider that is willing to respond as quickly and efficiently if you need help with a small breach impacting a handful of individuals as they would if you needed help with a large breach of more than one million impacted individuals. Is the service quality the same? Do they help the individuals equally regardless of breach population size?

5. Service that provides peace of mind

Your organization is busy with a million other projects, so finding a provider who makes the breach response process as easy and hassle-free as possible is important. They should give you the roll-out plan so you understand the vital steps in the process and to help you communicate with the impacted population. The ideal provider also offers concierge-style recovery if a breach victim ultimately becomes an identity theft victim.

The time to invest in breach response services is always before you need them. Identifying the right partner can seem overwhelming which is why knowing what criteria to look for and having the time to thoroughly vet vendors are so critical. Ready to learn more? Download this breach response buyer’s guide from IDX – now part of ZeroFox – to help you evaluate breach response providers.