Why Crisis Simulations Matter: Preparing for Security Incidents

Cyber incidents like ransomware and data breaches can disrupt any business. Preparation isn’t just about technology, it’s about making sure everyone knows what to do when things go wrong.

Crisis simulations are a proven way to build that understanding, appreciation and capability.

Understanding the Difference: Incident Management vs. Crisis Management

Incident management focuses on the technical and operational steps needed to detect, contain, and recover from a cyber threat. This includes:

• Creating incident response plans and playbooks for specific scenarios, like ransomware or data loss.

• Assigning roles and responsibilities so everyone knows what’s expected of them.

• Ensuring technical teams can act quickly to limit damage.

Crisis management is broader. It covers the entire business response to a major incident:

• Managing internal and external communications, including with customers and regulators.

• Making critical decisions about operations and business continuity.

• Protecting the organisation’s reputation and maintaining stakeholder confidence.

Both are essential. Incident management keeps the threat under control. Crisis management ensures the business can keep running and recover quickly.

Preparation: Laying the Groundwork

Preparation is the foundation of effective response. According to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), organisations should:

• Define clear, step-by-step processes for managing incidents.

• Develop playbooks for the most likely threats, so teams can act without hesitation.

• Build a crisis management plan that covers communications, escalation paths, and key decision points.

Rehearsed plans reduce the impact and duration of security incidents. Having these documents is important but making sure people know how to use them is what really counts.

Training: Building Familiarity and Confidence

Training is critical. Start with simple sessions:

• Walk through the response plans with all relevant staff.

• Clarify who does what, when, and how.

• Ensure everyone knows how to recognise an incident and who to contact.

This step helps ensure stakeholders have clarity on the plans and the expectations placed upon them.

Table-Top Exercises: Testing the Plan

Table-top exercises are a low-cost, high-value way to test your plans:

• Gather key staff from across the business, such as IT, management, legal, communications, HR.

• Present a realistic scenario, such as a ransomware attack or data breach.

• Walk through each step, discussing decisions and actions as a group.

This often reveals gaps in the plans. For instance, you might discover that contact details are out of date, or that escalation paths aren’t clear. These exercises allow you to fix problems before a real incident.

Crisis Simulations: Practice Under Pressure

A full crisis simulation, contextualised to your business, is a more advanced step:

• The exercise unfolds in real time, with new information and twists introduced as it progresses.

• Teams must make decisions under pressure, just as they would during a real crisis.

• Scenarios can be non-linear, meaning unexpected developments force teams to adapt.

According to Help Net Security, these simulations “test processes, spot stress points, and support resilience.” They reveal how teams perform when the heat is on, and where improvements are needed.

External Support: Bringing Objectivity and Expertise

Bringing in external facilitators can make a big difference:

• They design realistic scenarios based on current threats and industry trends.

• They provide an unbiased perspective, highlighting strengths and weaknesses you might overlook.

• They share best practices from across the industry.

Simulations provide internal crisis teams with the coaching and development they need to prepare the organisation for real-world events. External experts can help organisations benchmark their performance.

Starting Simple: Practical Steps for Small Businesses and Start-Ups

You don’t need a big budget to get started:

• Document basic roles and responsibilities for incident response.

• Write a simple, step-by-step plan for what to do if something goes wrong.

• Run a short table-top exercise, even if it’s just a discussion over coffee.

For example, a start-up could simulate a lost laptop or a phishing attack and talk through how to respond. This builds confidence and readiness, even with limited resources.

Maturing Over Time: Building Capability

As your business grows, so should your response capability:

• Add more detailed playbooks for different scenarios.

• Develop a formal crisis communication plan.

• Run regular, more complex simulations that involve different teams and non-linear scenarios.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025 notes that “the most common features include cyber-incident response playbooks, crisis exercises and internal response abilities.” Maturity comes from practice and continuous improvement.

Action Steps: What to Do Next

• Review your current plans and identify gaps.

• Schedule a table-top exercise in the next month—don’t wait for the perfect plan.

• Involve people from across your business, not just IT.

• Consider bringing in external support for an objective review and more advanced simulations.

How ICA Consultancy Can Help

At ICA Consultancy, we help organisations of all sizes:

• Develop and refine incident response and crisis management plans.

• Facilitate table-top and crisis simulation exercises, tailored to your needs.

• Provide clear, practical feedback and steps to improve your readiness.

Simple steps, taken now, can make a massive difference when a real incident occurs. The sooner you start, the better prepared you’ll be.