Why Most Incident Response Plans Fail — And What to Do Instead

Why Most Incident Response Plans Fail — And What to Do Instead

From Bite Size Security by Mike Fitzpatrick

December 31, 2025 · 6 min · Episode 21

About this episode

Mike Fitzpatrick discusses why most incident response plans fail and how to create effective strategies for business protection.

Episode Summary: Most companies have an incident response plan, but very few have one that actually works at 2 in the morning when everything goes sideways. In this episode, Mike Fitzpatrick breaks down the real reasons IR plans fail, why untested playbooks become liabilities, and how CEOs can turn a paper plan into a real business protection strategy. Drawing on recent industry research and 24 years in cybersecurity, Mike explains why people and communication—not technology—determine the outcome of an incident. He also shares how unclear roles, bad assumptions, and untested processes turn small problems into multimillion-dollar disasters. If you are a CEO, business owner, or executive who believes your company “has a plan,” this episode will challenge you—in a good way. What You’ll Learn: • Why untested IR plans create false confidence • The number one reason incidents drag on: lack of clear authority • How communication breakdowns cause more damage than the breach itself • What recent vendor outages taught every business about fragility • Why incident response is a financial issue, not a technical one • What leaders must put in place long before an incident occurs Who This…

People in this episode

Host: Mike Fitzpatrick

Topics covered

  • incident response
  • cybersecurity
  • business strategy
  • communication
  • leadership

Keywords

  • incident response plans
  • communication breakdowns
  • business protection
  • leadership
  • financial issues

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