What is the primary purpose of an Incident Response Plan (IRP)?

The primary purpose of an Incident Response Plan (IRP) is to provide a structured approach to addressing and managing the aftermath of a cyberattack or security breach. It outlines a series of procedures that organizations should follow to effectively respond to incidents, minimizing damage and reducing recovery time and costs. An effective IRP enables organizations to quickly contain the impact of security incidents, allowing them to restore normal operations while also maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of data.

When an incident occurs, having a predetermined plan helps ensure that forensically sound investigations can take place, potential vulnerabilities are addressed, and affected stakeholders are informed in a timely manner. This proactive approach ultimately serves to limit the overall consequences of an attack and helps organizations learn from incidents to better prepare for future threats.

The other options do not align with the fundamental goal of an IRP. Tracking employee productivity is unrelated to incident management, as are software development processes and marketing strategies focused on awareness. Each of these areas serves distinct purposes that do not address the immediate and critical needs during and after a security incident.