Incident Response Retainer

A pre-agreed retainer with response times, contacts, and a rehearsed activation process. Delivered by DESSS with a documented 6-step workflow, named deliverables, and a 24-hour discovery response.

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SOC &AMP; MDR

What does DESSS deliver for Incident Response Retainer

DESSS delivers Incident Response Retainer on SOC, SIEM & Managed Detection through the incident response retainer deployment: threat model and use cases; telemetry onboarding; detection engineering; triage runbooks and escalation; tuning window; operations and hunting. Each step closes with named deliverables you sign off before the next begins.

THE WORKFLOW

6 steps, start to finish

Every engagement follows a documented sequence, so you always know which stage the work is in and what closes it.

Threat model and use cases — Weeks 1–2
Telemetry onboarding — Weeks 2–5
Detection engineering — Weeks 4–7
Triage runbooks and escalation — Weeks 6–8
Tuning window — Weeks 8–11
Operations and hunting — Ongoing

WHAT YOU GET

Named deliverables, signed off

Each step closes with deliverables you review and approve before the next one begins — progress you can audit rather than a status colour on a slide.

Use-case catalogue
Threat model
Priority detections
Connected sources
Parsing validation
Ingestion cost model
Analytics rules
ATT&CK coverage map
Simulation results
Triage runbooks

HOW WE DELIVER

Inside the Incident Response Retainer workflow

Detection built from your threat model, tuned until analysts can sustain the alert volume.

Step 01

Weeks 1–2

Threat model and use cases

Detection use cases are selected from the threats that realistically apply to your sector and estate, so Incident Response Retainer collects telemetry for a purpose instead of filling storage.

Deliverables:

Use-case catalogue
Threat model
Priority detections

Step 04

Weeks 6–8

Triage runbooks and escalation

Severity definitions, triage procedures, escalation contacts and out-of-hours authority are documented and agreed, so the first real incident is not the first conversation about them.

Deliverables:

Triage runbooks
Escalation matrix
Severity definitions

Step 02

Weeks 2–5

Telemetry onboarding

Identity, endpoint, email, network and cloud sources are connected with parsing validated and ingestion tiered by value, because cost control is part of the design in SOC, SIEM & Managed Detection.

Deliverables:

Connected sources
Parsing validation
Ingestion cost model

Step 05

Weeks 8–11

Tuning window

A deliberate tuning period drives false positives down to a level a human can sustain, with every suppression documented and reviewed rather than quietly applied.

Deliverables:

Tuning log
False positive trend
Suppression register

Step 03

Weeks 4–7

Detection engineering

Analytics rules are mapped to MITRE ATT&CK techniques, written against your environment, and tested with simulated activity before they are trusted.

Deliverables:

Analytics rules
ATT&CK coverage map
Simulation results

Step 06

Ongoing

Operations and hunting

Monthly reporting on incidents, response times and coverage gaps is paired with quarterly threat hunting that feeds new detections back into Incident Response Retainer.

Deliverables:

Monthly reports
Hunt findings
New detections

HOW TO ENGAGE

Advice, delivery, or managed service

Engage DESSS at whatever depth the work needs — independent advice before budget is committed, full delivery against an agreed blueprint, or ongoing support from the team that built it.

Consulting & Advisory

Assessment, platform selection, business case, and roadmap — before you commit budget.

Implementation Services

Full delivery to an agreed blueprint, with weekly demos and named deliverables at every step.

Integration & Migration

Connecting and modernizing the systems the work depends on, with validated data and monitored interfaces.

Managed Support Services

Monitoring, incident handling, enhancements, and release management from the team that built it.

Also on SOC & MDR

Incident Response Retainer is most often delivered alongside these, in a phased roadmap that avoids rebuilding earlier work.

SOC Readiness Assessment

Log coverage, use-case, staffing, and process gap analysis with a costed roadmap.

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SIEM Implementation and Migration

Platform selection, data source onboarding, parsing, and ingestion cost control.

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24x7 Threat Monitoring

Continuous monitoring with defined triage SLAs, escalation paths, and monthly reporting.

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Threat Hunting

Hypothesis-driven hunts across identity, endpoint, and network telemetry.

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Threat Intelligence Integration

Feed curation, IOC enrichment, and intelligence mapped to your sector and exposure.

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Digital Forensics and Root Cause

Evidence preservation, timeline reconstruction, and reporting suitable for insurers and regulators.

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COMMON QUESTIONS

About Incident Response Retainer

A typical DESSS Incident Response Retainer delivery runs 6 steps, with the final step reached around ongoing. Complex integrations, multi-entity scope, or regulated environments extend that — the discovery session produces a dated plan for your case rather than an average.

Every step closes with named deliverables — ATT&CK coverage map, Analytics rules, Connected sources, Escalation matrix, False positive trend, Hunt findings, Ingestion cost model, Monthly reports — so progress is visible, auditable, and reviewable rather than a status colour on a slide.

Yes. Integration with the systems your incident readiness depends on is designed early and delivered with validation, monitoring, and error handling, so failures are visible and recoverable.

No. Incident Response Retainer is often delivered alongside the other SOC, SIEM & Managed Detection products listed below, in a phased roadmap that avoids rebuilding earlier phases. DESSS sequences them so each phase stands on its own.

The consultants who implemented it. Managed support covers monitoring, incidents, enhancements, and release management under severity-based service levels.

GET STARTED

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Talk to a DESSS consultant about Incident Response Retainer on SOC & MDR. We respond to discovery requests within 24 hours.

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