Building Your DDoS Response Team Structure

Effective DDoS response requires clear organizational structure with defined roles and responsibilities. The Incident Commander leads overall response efforts, making critical decisions about mitigation strategies and business continuity. This role requires technical knowledge combined with business acumen to balance security needs with operational requirements. Designate primary and backup commanders to ensure availability.

Technical response teams handle the hands-on mitigation work. Network engineers implement routing changes, configure firewalls, and activate mitigation services. Security analysts identify attack patterns, tune filtering rules, and coordinate with protection providers. System administrators scale resources, implement emergency configurations, and maintain service availability. Each role needs clear documentation of responsibilities and required actions.

Communication coordinators manage internal and external messaging during attacks. They update executives on attack status and business impact, coordinate with customer service teams handling user complaints, and prepare public communications. Clear, timely communication prevents misinformation and maintains stakeholder confidence during incidents.

External coordination roles interface with service providers, law enforcement, and industry partners. ISP coordinators work with upstream providers on traffic filtering and mitigation activation. Legal liaisons document attacks for potential prosecution and insurance claims. Industry coordinators share threat intelligence with peer organizations facing similar attacks.