Multi-Class IR Collaboration: Breaking Down Barriers Between Corporate Paladins and Other Party Members

Picture this: You just got breached. 

The alarms are blaring, the stakes have never been higher, and your IR plan is about to face its ultimate saving throw. 

The catch? 

Your cybersecurity team isn't just a solo-player situation anymore. It’s a party affair—and you need to move as a cohesive unit if you’re going to find victory against the dragons.

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That’s why multi-class collaboration is critical for seamless integration of the internal corporate paladins, and the many different external companions they’ll be working with. 

It’s time to break out of segmented guilds and come together, operating with the type of synergy that can turn a potential TPK (total party kill) into a full, decisive victory against cyber threats. 

Read on to learn what you need to know about crisis communication for cyber teams, and elevate your incident response protocols to be clearer, cleaner, and far more effective.

The Role of Corporate Paladins: Protectors of the Kingdom

Your internal IR team members are the knights of your digital realm. They know every asset, door, and “corner” of your digital kingdom, and are exceptionally loyal to the company and its interests. Understanding how these cyber team members work is the first step to successful crisis communication in those moments where it matters most. 

Corporate paladins typically excel in three core areas of IR: 

Prevention and preparation: Before any incidents occur, your internal cyber team members are implementing and maintaining security controls, honing skills with strategic tabletop exercises (TTX). They’re also spreading the word about the organization’s IR playbook, encouraging fellow team members to dust it off and give it a read. 

‍First response: When threats breach the perimeter, your paladins are the first ones on the scene. They know the network and systems like the back of their gauntlets, and can quickly assess what's been compromised before further damage is dealt.

Recovery and restoration: After the battle, your cyber team members on the inside are rebuilding while the rest are, well, resting and settling back in. They’re getting systems back online, conducting forensics, and strengthening defenses for the next encounter—using their deep institutional knowledge to meld the business context, political interests, and real-world impact elements together into an IR recovery plan that delivers. 

Unfortunately, though, even the most skilled paladin has their limitations. They can't be everywhere at once. Additionally, some threats require specialized skills that go beyond their core training, and those are critical misses in the heat of a breach. That's where effective crisis communication becomes valuable, enabling them to coordinate with external specialists to respond better, faster, and stronger. 

Let’s do a quick run-through of the list of allies your paladin has to call on—and see how each of them fits in an effective IR crisis communication plan. 

The External Parties to Consider Before You Go To Battle 

Building a full adventuring party means you have to call in some “NPCs”—which, for our intents and purposes, will mean “non-paladin colleagues” > non-player characters. 
Each NPC brings specific skills to the table, playing their role in the crisis communication flow that either makes or breaks the outcome of your response. Allies to consider including before you head to battle include: 

• Digital Forensics & Incident Response (DFIR) Specialists: Consider these team members your trackers and investigators. They follow each crumb an attack leaves, building a picture of exactly what happened and where the hole(s) might be. Having this information allows paladins to communicate effectively with stakeholders and the public, being as transparent as possible to quickly regain trust. 
• Cyber Insurance Representatives: Not to be outdone, these emergency fund quartermasters help teams coordinate coverage, recovery efforts, and vendors, preventing expensive mistakes and keeping everything as compliant as possible. It’s important to get them in the loop early on – your coverage may depend on it.
• Legal Counsel: Serving as party strategists and advisors, these wise counselors guide all members of the team through each regulatory hoop and liability concern; allowing your party to bounce back faster and more efficiently. They also proactively limit unnecessary exposure, functioning as another layer of protection over the party and organization’s interests. 
• Crisis Communication Specialists: These incident response bards craft narratives, support stakeholder messaging, and ensure that any communication that happens outside of the party is as unified and as helpful as possible. 
• Ransomware Negotiators: If you run into a dragon demanding tribute, it’s time to call on the experts. Ransomware negotiators speak the “language” of negotiation, calling on key skills like attacker psychology, negotiation tactics, and demand reduction to help your organization have as favorable an outcome as possible. 
• Law Enforcement: All quests have moments where “official” backup is needed. In many larger breaches, this looks like calling on federal investigators. Knowing how and when to engage them in the IR communication flow is crucial. 

Vendors and Critical Stakeholders: Both your vendors and your stakeholders are valuable trading partners. They are the recipients of your timely and accurate communication, and their trust is needed to keep your company going. Understanding who these entities are and how they communicate best is critical to your successful containment of an event.

Breaking Down Barriers: Why Multi-Class Collaboration is Essential 

Alright, quick recap. You have the plan. You have your party. Now, it’s time to communicate effectively in times of crisis. 

The problem? 

Most cybersecurity teams operate like separate guilds…and that leads to delays, silos, and critical details slipping through the cracks…ultimately giving the dragons the upper hand. 

Cyber teams that adopt a shared initiative order approach are the most effective during events, working within their role, acting accordingly, and passing the baton of responsibility seamlessly between party members and departments. 

Improving crisis communication protocols in your organization is a simple, two-step process: 

1. Determining clear crisis communication policies before the event begins, 
2. Making sure all critical parties have access to the policies, tools, credentials, and data need for an incident, and 
3. Practicing said policies until they become an instinctual second nature. 

Calling for a Group Ability Check: Crisis Communication Best Practices for Cyber Teams 

If you’re an IR consultant looking to improve crisis communication in your party, you’re not alone…and you don’t need a magical spell to secure the results you’re after. Instead, start with these tried-and-tested tips from cyber team leaders like you: 

1. Establish unified communication channels…and stick to them. 

Before a crisis begins, it’s important to have clarity around who communicates what, when, and through each platform. While simple, this step saves time and money during each second of a true containment event. 

2. Assign a communication lead for each major external relationship. 

Just like you’d assign party roles in an RPG, it’s important to designate specific team members across relationships to simplify and streamline communication efforts. This step also helps prevent any miscommunications that can occur when there are too many spokespeople adding input. 

3. Use shared dashboards as your “tactical map.” 

Everyone in your party, from cyber teams to external specialists, should be able to see the same real-time status updates and progress markers across a unified, shared dash. This step makes sure everyone’s up-to-date and “speaking the same language,” simplifying the crisis communications process.

Takeaway

The quest is clear for our brave paladins: unite the party and operate as a coordinated arm of cyber defense against the dragons storming the jewels. 

The challenge, though, is real. Getting everyone on the cyber teams to speak the same crisis communication “language” is easier said than done—especially when there’s external pressures and timelines involved. 

Parties who are able to blend the institutional knowledge of corporate paladins with the niche skills from other external specialists in the cyber team will ultimately prevail against any threat that faces the org…so long as they’re able to communicate clearly. 

Cyber teams that prioritize cross-party collaboration and crisis communication skills before disaster strikes will find themselves better prepared for the real thing—and it’s never been easier to start. 

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Ready to transform your incident response documentation and analysis from a solo campaign to a coordinated party victory? Try Ally for FREE today and discover how our TTX platform helps establish cross-team knowledge and collaboration, ensuring your party is well prepared for whatever comes next. Connect today to request a demo.