Incident Response Leadership for SMBs in DFW – with Steve Meek Ep. 132

🎧 Episode 132 of Talk To Th3 Doc is recorded from Right of Boom and features Steve “The Doctor” Meek, Founder/Host at The Fulcrum Group, Inc. (Keller, TX). If your incident response plan is “call IT and hope,” this episode is your wake-up call. When a real incident hits, the winners aren’t the teams with the fanciest tools — they’re the teams with clear leadership, practiced roles, and a calm playbook. 🔥 Top Takeaway: “Incident response is a leadership plan with a technical appendix.” Translation: executives set the tone, decision path, and communication — so your people don’t panic, stall, or freestyle. 🩺 What we cover (executive-friendly): • Why incident response is a leadership issue, not just an IT issue • How to measure cyber resilience (not just “security”) • Why identity is the real perimeter in Microsoft 365 and modern IT • How cyber insurance and “proof of controls” are raising the bar • How a simple framework (like Fulcrum’s STARpower Framework) creates alignment, reduces surprises, and frees budget for innovation 🧠 Who this is for: SMB owners, COOs/CFOs, IT decision-makers, nonprofit leaders, and DFW local government executives who want to scale without living in reactive mode. At The Fulcrum Group (Keller TX), we deliver DFW Managed IT Services through SPOT Managed IT Services and SPOT Managed Security Services — guided by the STARpower Framework so IT aligns to business goals, risk tolerance, and continuous improvement (no drama, no “IT jerks”). 📩 Start here: https://www.fulcrumgroup.net/talk-to-th3-doc-podcast/ 📧 Email Steve: [email protected] 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevemeekcissp/ 👍 If this helped, subscribe, drop a comment, and share it with a fellow leader who still thinks, “It won’t happen to me.” #IncidentResponse #CyberResilience #Cybersecurity #ITLeadership #ManagedITServices #ManagedSecurity #Microsoft365 #DFWBusiness #KellerTX #BusinessContinuity Chapters 00:00 Why “Lead, Don’t Panic” matters 02:10 Leadership roles in the first hour 05:05 Resilience vs. security (what leaders should measure) 08:20 Identity as the new perimeter 11:30 Microsoft 365 risk + governance 14:10 Cyber insurance pressure + proving controls 17:05 STARpower: alignment that funds innovation 20:00 Simple next steps: tabletop + clear communications Reason for the Appointment: Incident Response: Lead, Don’t Panic — Steve Meek Episode 132 Medical History: Recorded at Right of Boom, this episode teaches leaders how to stay calm, communicate clearly, and recover faster when an incident hits. Top 3 Takeaways: 1. Incident response starts with executive alignment and decision roles. 2. Identity is the most common path to major damage — treat it like business infrastructure. 3. A repeatable framework (like STARpower) reduces chaos and creates room for innovation and scaling. Treatment Plan: • Define incident roles (decision-maker, communicator, IT lead) • Run a tabletop exercise this month • Review identity controls + MFA + admin access in Microsoft 365 • Build a roadmap that prioritizes highest ROI + risk reduction first Guest: Andy Larin, Founder & CEO allCare IT, Kingston, Ontario, Canada https://www.linkedin.com/in/andylarin John Tippett, COO at Cytracom, Dallas, Texas https://www.linkedin.com/in/johntippett/ Alan McDonald, President at AllConnected Simi Valley, California https://www.linkedin.com/in/allconnected/ Tim Bixley, CISO at IT Partners Limited, Waikato, New Zealand https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbix/ Robert Foit, Director Security Services at IronEdge Group, Katy, Texas https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-foit-5035678/ Nathan Jaskot, CEO & Founder of Everconnect, Corona, California https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-jaskot-1922ba220/ Jason Samples, Chief Revenue Officer at MailProtector https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-samples-3075994/ Dave Sperry, President at MicroMenders, San Francisco Bay, California https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-sperry-56a33a1/