At twenty to nine on a Monday, the head of IT walks into the boardroom. Overnight, files across the business have been encrypted and a message on every screen demands payment. Thirty minutes later, a journalist calls asking for comment on stolen client data. By ten, a key supplier wants to know whether it is safe to stay connected. What does your team do first?
Practise the pressure
A desktop scenario recreates that kind of morning in a controlled setting. We design a realistic incident around your organisation, then release information in stages, just as it would arrive in real life: incomplete, contradictory and time-sensitive. Your team has to decide, communicate and adapt, with an experienced facilitator guiding the session.
Scenarios that fit your risks
Ransomware and data theft. A leak of sensitive information. Threats against a senior executive or family member. Detention of staff abroad. A protest or violent incident at a site. We draw on real-world patterns, without naming real cases, so the exercise feels uncomfortably plausible.
The debrief is the point
Afterwards we walk through what happened: where decisions were strong, where information got stuck, which roles were unclear and which contacts were missing. You receive a short written summary with practical recommendations.
Exercises work best alongside emergency planning and can be repeated after post-incident analysis to test changes. Book a scenario for your board or leadership team.
