Episode 88 — Prepare for Incidents: Draft and Update IR Documentation That OT Can Use

This episode teaches how to prepare for incidents by drafting and maintaining IR documentation that OT teams can actually use during real events, where time pressure and safety constraints punish vague plans. You’ll learn what documentation must exist before an incident, including role assignments, contact trees, escalation criteria, safe containment principles, evidence handling procedures, communications templates, and site-specific constraints like maintenance windows and vendor-only change authority. We discuss why OT IR documentation should be practical and localized, with clear language, explicit decision pathways, and references to validated diagrams and inventories, so responders are not forced to invent structure mid-incident. Updating is framed as a continuous improvement loop, using lessons learned from exercises, near misses, vendor changes, and architecture updates to keep documentation aligned with reality instead of letting it drift into irrelevance. The episode also reinforces exam-ready thinking by showing how “prepare” often means building checklists, approvals, and evidence packages that enable safe action, fast coordination, and defensible decisions when the next incident arrives. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with.