September 15, 2025 4 Minute Read

• Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) services are a critical part of a proactive plan to combat inevitable security incidents, helping organizations minimize damage and recover quickly.
• From preparation and identification to containment and recovery, a solid incident response plan is crucial for managing the impact of a cyberattack.
• A DFIR retainer ensures immediate access to a team of experts, providing faster response times and cost predictability when a cyberattack strikes.

No organization likes to contemplate being successfully hit with a cyberattack, but turning a blind eye to the possibility is the exact wrong thing to do. Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) planning and retainers, like car, home, and health insurance, are a necessity in case the unthinkable happens.

In the 2025 Gartner^® Market Guide for Digital Forensics and Incident Response Retainer Services, in which Trustwave, A LevelBlue Company, was named a Representative Vendor, the analyst firm details every aspect of DFIR to help organizations understand the service and plan accordingly.

The DFIR Value Proposition

Gartner noted that the DFIR market is experiencing significant growth, driven by a surge in cybercrimes, data breaches, and the expansion of digital infrastructure, which is expanding organizations' threat surface.

The report noted that the DFIR market is projected to grow to more than $12 billion by 2031 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 10%. This growth is not surprising, as organizations now understand that they must operate under the assumption that a security breach is inevitable.

Understanding DFIR is very important as it’s a specialized field that, as its name implies, combines two distinct disciplines:

• Digital Forensics (DF): The practice of identifying, collecting, and analyzing digital evidence to understand how a breach occurred, what data was compromised, and to preserve evidence for potential legal proceedings.
• Incident Response (IR): A structured approach to detecting, containing, and recovering from cyber threats. The goal is to manage the incident effectively to minimize damage, reduce recovery time and cost, and protect the organization's reputation.

The Incident Response Process

Even though the IR in DFIR comes at the end of the acronym, it is the first action that is taken when disaster strikes.

A well-defined incident response process is crucial for a successful outcome in this phase of recovery. While specific frameworks may vary, such as the six-phase SANS framework, the core steps remain consistent.

• Preparation: This phase essentially never stops. It involves creating a robust plan, training employees, and acquiring the necessary tools to prevent and respond to incidents.
• Identification: The process of detecting and confirming a security incident, which includes analyzing alerts and determining the scope and entry point of the attack.
• Containment: Once an incident is identified, the response team must take immediate action to isolate affected systems and prevent the threat from spreading further.
• Eradication: This step focuses on finding and eliminating the root cause of the breach, such as removing malware, patching vulnerabilities, and hardening systems.
• Recovery: The phase where affected systems are restored and returned to normal operation, with a focus on ensuring they are secure and tested before being brought back online.
• Lessons Learned: After the incident is resolved, a post-mortem review is conducted to analyze what happened, how the response performed, and what changes are needed to improve future readiness.

The Importance of DFIR Retainers

A DFIR retainer is the auto insurance of the cybersecurity world. In the same manner, your insurance policy sits unused until needed, a DFIR retainer is a service agreement with a cybersecurity vendor that provides an organization with guaranteed access to a team of experts if and when an incident occurs.

A DFIR retainer offers several key benefits:

• Faster Response Times: A retainer agreement ensures that a pre-approved team can engage immediately, bypassing lengthy procurement processes.
• Access to Expertise: Organizations gain access to seasoned experts with extensive experience in handling complex cyberattacks.

• Cost Predictability: Retainers can help manage the financial impact of an incident by locking in pricing and minimizing the need for expensive, last-minute interventions.
• Proactive Capabilities: Many retainers include services for proactive security measures, such as tabletop exercises, vulnerability assessments, and threat intelligence.

There are typically two main types of retainers. These are Prepaid Retainers in which an organization pays an upfront fee for a set number of hours or services to be used over a defined period. The other is No-Cost (or Zero-Dollar) Retainers, where the buyer establishes a predetermined hourly rate and service scope without prepurchasing hours. This provides access to the team with no upfront financial commitment for incident services.

Key Considerations for Vendor Selection

• Align with Stakeholders: It's crucial to coordinate with legal counsel, public relations, investor relations, and other relevant parties to identify the full range of incident response services needed. This list may include not only DFIR services but also external counsel, public relations, expert witnesses, and evidence retention.
• Evaluate Cyber Insurance Policies: Organizations should review existing or planned cyber insurance policies for DFIR retainer requirements or to find opportunities to lower premiums. Some carriers have a preferred list of providers, which can lead to built-in service bundling and discounting.
• Analyze Service Delivery Models: You should consider different scopes, service-level agreements (SLAs), and delivery models, involving all relevant stakeholders in the process. Be aware of the differences between prepaid retainers (most common) and zero-dollar/zero-hour retainers. Zero-hour retainers may lack prework, such as agent deployment, which could result in an insufficient number of artifacts and reduced response efficacy.
• Technical Fit: The document highlights that providers fall into three categories based on their technical requirements: those that don't deploy an agent, those that deploy their own agent, and those that require a commercial off-the-shelf EDR capability. Buyers should consider the specific threats their organization faces to determine which type of provider is best. For instance, if ransomware is a concern, ensure the provider can obtain the necessary artifacts like registry entries and memory dumps.
• Leverage Proactive and Reactive Services: The core driver for a retainer is reactive services to respond to an incident, but many services now include proactive components. Consider a provider that offers pre-incident services, like tabletop exercises, training, and security posture assessments.
• AI Integration: While AI is impacting the DFIR market by reducing investigation times, Gartner warns that it does not completely eliminate the need for human expertise and knowledge. You must ensure that providers apply AI wisely and understand your specific context.
• Hidden Costs: Be vigilant about hidden costs associated with required technology, travel, and other expenses, especially if on-premises staff deployment is needed.

What Trustwave DFIR Delivers

Trustwave positions our Digital Forensics and Incident Response as a multi-faceted offering providing reactive and proactive services. Trustwave SpiderLabs experts are on hand to provide immediate response to an advanced threat breach and swiftly pinpoint the cause and scope of a breach, empowering organizations to prepare for the inevitable.

Trustwave is also well-prepared to help an organization proactively prepare by improving its IR readiness posture.

Trustwave also offers a DFIR consulting retainer. The retainer offers a client immediate access to Trustwave SpiderLabs' elite team, acting as the first line of defense. With a global presence, expert responders are on call 24/7 to initiate forensic investigations instantly.

A Trustwave DFIR retainer offers:

• Rapid Response: On-call DFIR experts with a 2-hour remote triage guarantee and on-site deployment within 24 hours.
• Priority Service: Retainer clients receive top priority, ensuring swift incident handling.
• Cost Efficiency: Pre-negotiated rates provide significant savings compared to standard consulting fees.
• Flexibility: Unused retainer hours can be allocated to other IR readiness services.

Investing in DFIR services and retainers is essential for organizations to effectively manage cyber threats. By understanding the importance of preparedness, response, and expert collaboration, businesses can minimize damage, ensure faster recovery, and safeguard their reputation in an increasingly complex digital landscape. Prioritizing DFIR is no longer optional.