ApproveThis manages your BreachRx Integration approvals.

Why Approval Workflows Matter in Incident Response

When a security breach occurs, every second counts. But rushing through critical decisions without proper oversight can lead to compliance gaps or operational mistakes. This is where combining BreachRx's incident management platform with ApproveThis' approval automation creates a powerful solution for regulated industries. Together, they enable organizations to respond swiftly and maintain rigorous oversight through automated workflows that keep stakeholders aligned.

How ApproveThis Enhances BreachRx's Capabilities

BreachRx excels at documenting security events and coordinating response plans, while ApproveThis adds structured decision-making to those processes. Through Zapier integration, these platforms work together to:

• Convert new security incidents into approval workflows requiring legal, executive, or compliance sign-off
• Automatically log approval decisions as audit-trail entries within BreachRx case files

Approvers interact directly via email without needing BreachRx logins - particularly valuable when working with external counsel or board members who shouldn't have full system access.

Real-World Example: Healthcare Data Breach Protocol

Consider a hospital network using BreachRx to manage PHI (Protected Health Information) exposure incidents. When their system detects unauthorized access, BreachRx creates an incident record. Through Zapier, this automatically generates an ApproveThis request that:

1. Routes first to the Privacy Officer (required by HIPAA)
2. Escalates to CFO if containment costs exceed $50k
3. Finalizes with General Counsel before public disclosure

Approval thresholds ensure smaller incidents get auto-approved based on predefined criteria, while major breaches follow mandatory executive review paths. All decisions sync back to BreachRx with timestamps and approver comments.

Key Integration Use Cases

1. Automated Incident Review Workflows

When BreachRx detects a new security event (malware outbreak, unauthorized data access, etc.), ApproveThis can:

• Trigger multi-level approval chains based on incident severity
• Apply conditional routing (e.g., route GDPR-related incidents to EU-based approvers)
• Enforce SLAs with approval deadline alerts

Financial institutions use this to meet FFIEC requirements for documenting breach response decisions, while tech startups benefit from preventing engineering teams from bypassing compliance reviews.

2. Audit-Ready Decision Logging

Every approval action in ApproveThis - including rejections, comments, and revisions - can be logged as timestamped entries in BreachRx's incident timeline. This creates a unified audit trail that satisfies regulators who demand proof of proper oversight.

Implementation Guide

Step 1: Map Your Approval Process

Define which BreachRx incident types require approvals (all breaches vs. only high-risk events) and identify required approvers. Use ApproveThis' calculated fields to auto-classify incidents based on data from BreachRx like affected records count or data types involved.

Step 2: Configure Zapier Workflows

Create a Zap connecting BreachRx to ApproveThis via Zapier:

1. Trigger: New Incident in BreachRx
2. Action: Create Approval Request in ApproveThis
3. Map critical fields: Incident ID, severity level, affected systems

Step 3: Set Escalation Safeguards

Configure ApproveThis to auto-escalate if approvers don't respond within set timeframes (e.g., 4 hours for critical incidents). Use vacation delegation to ensure coverage during off-hours.

Team-Specific Benefits

Legal & Compliance Teams

Auto-route incidents involving regulated data (PCI, HIPAA, GDPR) to subject matter experts. Use approval groups to require consensus between privacy officer and regional counsel before closing cases.

IT Security Teams

Embed approval checkpoints into containment workflows - e.g., require CISO approval before isolating compromised servers that impact customer-facing systems.

Executive Leadership

Receive high-level summaries of pending approvals with direct email action links. Use dashboard views to monitor response times across business units.

Critical Features That Make It Work

Approval Thresholds

Auto-approve low-risk incidents (single device infections) while flagging enterprise-wide breaches for manual review. Thresholds can factor in BreachRx data like number of affected endpoints or classification of exposed data.

Cross-Platform Sync

When an approver requests additional context, ApproveThis allows attaching updated BreachRx reports or mitigation plans directly to the approval thread. All subsequent system actions (e.g., quarantining devices) trigger status updates visible in both platforms.

Common Implementation Mistakes

Over-Approval

Requiring too many approvers slows response times. Balance oversight needs with operational reality - most organizations cap incident approval chains at 3 steps.

Field Mapping Errors

Incorrectly mapped severity levels between BreachRx and ApproveThis cause critical incidents to bypass key stakeholders. Always test with dummy incidents before going live.

Getting Started

Start with a pilot program:

1. Choose one incident type (e.g., phishing campaigns)
2. Define approval rules in ApproveThis
3. Run parallel manual processes for a week to validate automation accuracy

Ready to transform your incident response workflow? Schedule a demo to see how ApproveThis and BreachRx work together, or start your free trial today.