# From Unplanned Risk to Lasting Resilience: The Role of Immediate Risk Reduction

DevFeed: [From Unplanned Risk to Lasting Resilience: The Role of Immediate Risk Reduction](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/from-unplanned-risk-to-lasting-resilience-the-role-of-immediate-risk-reduction-23979.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://medium.com/mcdonalds-technical-blog/from-unplanned-risk-to-lasting-resilience-the-role-of-immediate-risk-reduction-16b1c0d9c2b8?source=rss----3bac42476d27---4>)

Author: Global Technology

Published: 2026-06-30T14:14:45Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [McDonald's Technical Blog - Medium](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/mcdonald-s-technical-blog-medium.md>)

Topics: [Resilience](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/resilience.md>), [Cybersecurity](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/cybersecurity.md>), [Security](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/security.md>), [audit](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/audit.md>)

Tags: [audit](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/audit.md>), [cybersecurity](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/cybersecurity.md>), [governance](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/governance.md>), [resilience](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/resilience.md>), [risk-management](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/risk-management.md>), [security](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/security.md>), [technology](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/technology.md>)

## AI overview

This article explains how McDonald's Immediate Risk Reduction (IRR) team addresses urgent, unplanned security risks through coordinated, cross-functional action. It argues that a repeatable response process can reduce exposure and business impact while strengthening long-term cybersecurity resilience.

## Source excerpt

How Immediate Risk Reduction (IRR) brings teams together to tackle urgent risks quickly while strengthening the foundations for long-term resilience. by: Ebony Love, Director, Immediate Risk Reduction Quick Bytes IRR focuses on resolving meaningful, unplanned security issues quickly, without slowing down the business It's a deliberately cross functional effort, bridging across McDonald's to break down silos and drive coordinated action By standardizing the way urgent risks are handled, IRR helps embed resilience directly into McDonald's cybersecurity DNA In a global, fast-moving organization like McDonald's, unplanned risks aren't an exception; they're an expectation. As our technologies evolve, infrastructure modernizes, and platforms innovate, risks are continuously identified, ranging from foundational hygiene issues to more complex security challenges. These rarely arrive neatly scoped or conveniently timed. When they do show up, even manageable ones can stall, escalate, or compete with day-to-day priorities if there isn't a clear way to bring the right people together and address them. The Immediate Risk Reduction (IRR) team exists to close that gap. These risks can take many forms; it could be a market escalation, an internal audit finding, simple hygiene tasks, or a software update that introduces an unexpected risk. Regardless, by providing a clear, repeatable way to respond to urgent risks, we make sure they're addressed before they impact the business. To put it simply: IRR has changed how McDonald's handles unplanned risks, reducing exposure faster, limiting business impact, and making us better at cybersecurity over time. The result is a quicker resolution today, and stronger resilience for whatever comes next. Building a bridge across McDonald's IRR exists for one simple reason: real cybersecurity risks don't fit neatly in a box, aligning only to one team or function. On paper, we're part of Global Cyber Security, but in practice our team bridges across