Security Ops · Ongoing
Incident response retainer for Microsoft 365 and Azure
When something goes wrong in your Microsoft cloud - a business email compromise, a suspicious sign-in pattern, a ransomware scare - you want someone experienced to answer the phone. An incident response retainer gives you a first responder who knows Entra ID, Microsoft 365 Defender, and Azure logs, with a process agreed in advance so no time is lost negotiating scope mid-incident.
What's included
- A retainer agreement and response runbook agreed before any incident
- On-call triage and first response within a defined window
- Entra ID sign-in and audit log investigation; Microsoft 365 and Defender XDR analysis
- On-premises Active Directory compromise triage - Kerberos abuse, DCSync, and persistence indicators
- Azure activity and resource log review
- Containment guidance: account lockout, token revocation, Conditional Access changes, isolation
- Stakeholder and cyber-insurer communication templates
- A written post-incident report with root cause and hardening recommendations
How we work
Scope
A fixed statement of work: what we will do, what you receive, and the timeline. Agreed before any work starts.
Execute
We do the work in your tenant with least-privilege access, with updates at defined checkpoints - not radio silence.
Hand off
Documentation, runbooks, and a walkthrough so your team can operate what we built.
Incident Response Retainer: common questions
Is there a minimum term?
Retainers run on a short initial term so the runbook and access are in place before they are needed, then continue month to month.
What happens in a month with no incident?
Low-touch: we keep the runbook and contacts current and stay available. The value is that the process and the access already exist when you need them.
Do you replace our cyber insurer's IR provider?
We can be your named provider, or work alongside one - handling the Microsoft cloud side while they coordinate legal and communications.
Related services
Talk to a senior architect about incident response retainer
A short call to understand your environment, then a fixed-scope proposal. Based in Denver, Colorado; we work with clients across the US remotely.