PRODUCT FEATURE GUIDE
Customisation

Custom incident types refer to the tailored configuration of critical event management platform to suit the specific needs, policies, and procedures of an organisation. This customisation ensures that the process is aligned with the organisation's operational requirements, risk profile, and compliance obligations.

By defining event types that accurately reflect the nature of incidents an organisation faces and the steps required to resolve them, organisations can streamline their response efforts, improve efficiency, and enhance incident resolution outcomes.

Custom Incident Types

Definition: Custom incident types categorise incidents based on their nature, impact, or source, tailored to the organisation's specific operational environment. This categorisation helps in organising, prioritising, and responding to incidents more effectively.

Examples:

• Physical security incidents (e.g., unauthorised access, URBEX, theft)
• Safety incidents (e.g., workplace injury, fire)
• Service disruption incidents (e.g., IT outage, power failure)
• Environmental incidents (e.g., spillage of hazardous materials, pollution)

Benefits:

• Improved Clarity: Helps in quickly identifying the nature of incidents for better clarity among responders.
• Targeted Response: Enables the activation of specific response protocols tailored to the type of incident, improving response effectiveness.
• Enhanced Reporting: Facilitates more accurate incident reporting and analysis by categorising incidents in a manner that aligns with the organisation's operational risks and reporting requirements.

Custom Workflows

Definition: Custom workflows define the sequence of steps, processes, and responsibilities for managing and resolving each type of incident. These workflows are designed to guide responders through the incident management process, from initial detection and reporting through to resolution and review.

Examples:

• Initial Assessment: Determining the severity and impact of the incident.
• Notification: Informing relevant stakeholders and responders about the incident.
• Containment: Steps to limit the impact of the incident.
• Investigation and Analysis: Gathering facts and analysing the incident to identify the cause and impact.
• Resolution and Recovery: Actions taken to resolve the incident and restore normal operations.
• Post-Incident Review: Analysing the incident and response to identify lessons learned and improve future incident response efforts.

Benefits:

• Consistency: Ensures a consistent approach to handling different types of incidents, reducing variability in response quality.
• Efficiency: Streamlines the incident response process, enabling quicker and more coordinated actions that can reduce the overall impact of incidents.
• Accountability: Clearly defines roles and responsibilities, ensuring that all involved parties know what is expected of them during incident response.
• Continuous Improvement: Facilitates post-incident reviews and feedback loops to refine workflows, improve response strategies, and enhance preparedness for future incidents.

Implementing custom incident types and workflows requires a thorough understanding of the organization's unique operational context, risks, and compliance requirements. It often involves collaboration across departments to ensure that the configurations accurately reflect the needs and capabilities of the organization. Additionally, training and awareness efforts are essential to ensure that all personnel understand how to operate within the defined incident management framework.

When setting up a critical event / incident management platform, organisations often face the choice between using "out-of-the-box" event/incident types provided by the platform and creating "bespoke" (or custom) event/incident types tailored to their specific needs.

Ultimately, a balanced approach might be most effective, starting with out-of-the-box incident types and gradually introducing bespoke types as the organisation’s specific needs become clearer and more pressing. This phased approach allows for learning and adjustment over time, ensuring the incident management system evolves in step with the organisation's requirements.

Each approach has its advantages and considerations, and the best choice depends on the organisation's unique requirements, complexity, and operational environment.

Out-of-the-Box Event Types

Advantages:

• Quick Setup: Predefined incident types allow for a faster implementation of the incident management system, as they require less initial customisation.
• Best Practices: Often based on industry standards and best practices, out-of-the-box incident types can help organisations align with recognised frameworks without extensive internal expertise.
• Ease of Use: With a simpler configuration, these incident types are generally easier for staff to adopt and use, especially for organisations with straightforward incident management needs.
• Cost-Effective: Reduces the need for extensive customisation, which can lower the initial setup and ongoing maintenance costs.

Considerations:

• Generic: May not fully align with the specific risks, processes, or compliance requirements of the organisation, potentially leading to gaps in incident management.
• Limited Flexibility: There might be constraints on how well these incident types can adapt to evolving organisational needs or unique scenarios.

Bespoke Incident Types

Advantages:

• Tailored Fit: Custom incident types are designed to match the organisation’s specific operational context, risks, and compliance obligations, ensuring a more precise fit.
• Adaptability: They can be adapted or expanded as the organisation's needs evolve, providing greater flexibility to accommodate changes in operations, technologies, or threat landscapes.
• Enhanced Efficiency: By reflecting the organisation's unique environment, bespoke incident types can streamline incident categorisation, reporting, and response processes, potentially leading to quicker resolution times.
• Improved Relevance: Custom types can include incidents unique to the organisation's industry, geography, or operational model, enhancing the relevance and effectiveness of the incident management process.

Considerations:

• Resource Intensive: Developing custom incident types requires more time and expertise, potentially increasing the initial setup and ongoing maintenance costs.
• Complexity: Tailored solutions may introduce complexity, requiring more extensive training for staff to understand and effectively use the system.
• Risk of Over-Customisation: There's a risk of creating too many specific incident types, which can overwhelm users and dilute the focus on critical incident types.

Making the Choice

The decision between out-of-the-box and bespoke incident types should consider several factors:

• Organisational Complexity: Larger or more complex organisations with specific regulatory requirements might benefit more from bespoke incident types.
• Operational Environment: Organisations in industries with unique risks (e.g., finance, healthcare, critical infrastructure) may require the tailored approach of bespoke incident types.
• Resource Availability: The choice depends on the organisation’s willingness to invest in the initial setup and ongoing configuration of the incident management system.
• Evolution of Needs: Consider future needs and the potential for operational changes. Bespoke incident types offer more flexibility but require a commitment to ongoing adaptation and maintenance.