Incident Response Retainer
Guaranteed response times. Pre-agreed rates. Experienced practitioners who already know your environment — ready before you need them.
Written by Simon Lynge, Director DFIR — ChCSP, CREST IR | Last updated: March 2026
Learn more: What is an IR retainer? →
IR Retainer vs Ad Hoc Response — What's the difference? →
See how retainer clients fared in real incidents →
The Problem With Calling Us After the Breach
When ransomware hits at 2am on a Friday, the last thing you need is to search for incident responders, negotiate contracts under duress, and brief a team that has never seen your environment. That delay — measured in critical hours — is where the real damage happens.
An IR retainer removes that friction. We are already engaged, already briefed on your environment, and contractually committed to respond within guaranteed SLAs. When the call comes, we move.
What a Binary Response Retainer Gives You
- Guaranteed SLA response times — a senior practitioner acknowledges within 1 hour; mobilisation within 4 hours (tier dependent)
- Pre-agreed commercial terms — no rate shock mid-incident; your rates are locked at onboarding
- Named practitioners — you work with the same senior consultants throughout, not a triage queue
- Environment pre-briefing — we ingest your network diagrams, asset registers, and key contacts before we are ever needed
- Proactive dark web monitoring — included in all tiers; we alert you the moment your organisation appears on a leak site
- Quarterly threat briefings — sector-specific intelligence so your leadership stays ahead of emerging threats
- Annual tabletop exercise — stress-test your plan with your named IR team before a real crisis hits
- Insurance alignment — major UK cyber insurers accept our retainer documentation as evidence of preparedness, which may reduce your premiums
Retainer Tiers
Watchful
For organisations that want a safety net without dedicated hours. Dark web monitoring included as standard.
- 24/7 dark web monitoring
- 4-hour mobilisation SLA
- Pre-negotiated day rates
- Annual tabletop exercise
- Quarterly threat brief
Vigilant
Pre-purchased hours, faster SLAs, and a named lead consultant who already knows your environment.
- Everything in Watchful
- 2-hour mobilisation SLA
- Named lead consultant
- Pre-purchased IR hours (banked)
- Environment pre-briefing session
- Semi-annual tabletop exercise
Guardian
Full embedded partnership. A dedicated two-person team on standby who know your environment inside out, with priority access to every capability.
- Everything in Vigilant
- 1-hour mobilisation SLA
- Dedicated two-person team
- Unlimited IR hours (annual cap)
- Monthly threat intelligence report
- Quarterly board briefing option
- Negotiation advisory included
Affordable, Customised Pricing
Every organisation is different. We structure retainers around your size, risk profile, and budget — without compromising response capability. Contact us to discuss what fits.
Get a Quote →How Onboarding Works
Onboarding is deliberately lightweight. Most clients are fully onboarded within two weeks:
- Scoping call (Day 1–2) — We learn your environment, risk profile, and critical assets. You agree SLA tier and commercial terms.
- Technical intake (Day 3–7) — We ingest your network topology, asset register, key contacts, and existing IR plan. We flag gaps to address before an incident occurs.
- Environment walkthrough (Day 7–14) — Remote session with your IT/security team. We map your Active Directory, EDR deployment, backup topology, and cloud footprint.
- Go-live — Monitoring active. Retainer card issued. You have a direct line to your named consultant.
Who This Is For
Our retainer clients typically fall into one of three categories:
- Mid-market organisations (200–5,000 employees) without in-house DFIR capability who need enterprise-grade response without hiring a full-time team
- Organisations post-incident who have been through a breach and refuse to scramble for responders under pressure again
- Cyber insurers and brokers placing clients who need a verified, standards-led IR firm on panel to satisfy policy requirements
Retainer vs Emergency Response: The Real Cost Difference
| IR Retainer | Ad-Hoc Emergency | |
|---|---|---|
| Response time | < 1 hour guaranteed | Best effort (4–8 hours typical) |
| Day rate | Reduced retainer rate | Emergency rate (+40% premium) |
| Priority queue | ✔ Always first | Subject to availability |
| Monthly readiness check | ✔ Included | Not available |
| Annual tabletop exercise | ✔ Included | Additional cost |
| Team familiarity | ✔ We know your environment | Cold start — learning your environment under pressure |
The bottom line: Organisations with IR retainers typically spend 40–60% less on total incident costs — not just in fees, but because faster containment cuts business downtime.
“When an attack happens at 2am on a Sunday, you want a team that already knows your network, your people, and your recovery priorities.”
What Our Retainer Clients Say
“Ransomware hit us on a Saturday evening. Binary Response had a senior practitioner on a call within 40 minutes. Their speed and clarity under pressure prevented what could have been a catastrophic patient data exposure. We went from crisis to controlled recovery in under 72 hours.”
— Head of IT, UK Healthcare Provider
“When our production environment was encrypted, the board expected weeks of downtime. Binary Response had our manufacturing lines back within 48 hours. The forensic report they delivered gave our insurer everything they needed to process the claim without delay.”
— Operations Director, UK Manufacturing Firm
“The regulatory dimension was what worried us most — FCA reporting, ICO notification, insurer liaison. Binary Response handled all of it cleanly and on time. Their executive reporting gave our board confidence throughout, and the insurer signed off without issue.”
— CISO, UK Financial Services Company
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to unused banked hours?
Unused hours roll over for 12 months. At contract renewal, any remaining hours credit against next year's retainer fee — they are never forfeited.
Does the retainer cover ransomware negotiations?
Guardian tier includes negotiation advisory as standard. Watchful and Vigilant tiers can add negotiation capability at a pre-agreed rate. We never charge success fees — our incentive is always to minimise your loss, not maximise the settlement.
Will my cyber insurer accept a Binary Response retainer?
We hold panel arrangements with several major UK cyber insurers and provide documentation confirming your retainer status for policy submissions. If your insurer needs specific qualification evidence, contact us — we work directly with them.
How is the response SLA measured?
The SLA clock starts from first contact via your dedicated retainer line. Acknowledgement means a qualified response from a named consultant — not an automated ticket. Mobilisation means a senior practitioner is actively working your incident, whether remotely or en route to site.
Can we switch tiers during the contract period?
Yes — you can upgrade at any time (effective immediately). Downgrade requests are honoured at the next annual renewal point.