Incident management is a central component of IT service management (ITSM) and refers to the process of quickly identifying, analyzing and resolving incidents or interruptions in IT systems or business processes. As an important part of the ITIL® framework, the main objective is to restore normal operations as quickly as possible, minimize negative effects on your business processes and avoid future incidents.
Frameworks for ITSM
ITIL—the best-known framework from PeopleCert. The de facto standard in the field of ITSM.
Service integration and management (SIAM) coordinates multiple IT service providers for seamless and efficient service delivery.
COBIT (“Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies”) is an IT management and IT governance framework that supports the management, control and optimization of IT processes.
Difference between incidents and service requests
| Criterion | Incident | Service request |
| Meaning | An unplanned disruption of or interruption to an IT service that needs to be rectified. | A planned, standardized request from a user for a specific IT service. |
| Objective | To restore normal operation as quickly as possible | Fulfillment of a user request, usually without urgency. |
| Examples |
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| Priority | Usually high, as it can lead to interruptions in business processes. | Since it is not a disruption, mostly low or medium. |
| Handling | Incident management process with prioritization, escalation and diagnosis | Handling via a service request management process |
| Processing | Usually requires a quick solution or a more in-depth investigation | Standardized and often automated processing by the service desk |
| Practice | Incidents are handled via incident management with the aim of restoring the service quickly. | Service requests are processed via request fulfillment (service request management), which is based on defined workflows and approval processes. |
The clear separation of incidents and service requests increases efficiency, as critical incidents are prioritized while standardized requests are processed smoothly. Faster processing is made possible by automation and self-service portals. This leads to higher customer satisfaction, as users know exactly whether their request is an urgent incident or a planned enquiry.
Incidents require rapid processing or resolution, while service requests are handled via defined processes. This differentiation improves IT service quality and optimizes workflows.
Incident management—goals and process flow
- Reporting and recording incidents
- Incidents are reported via a monitoring system or a self-service portal.
- Goal: quick identification and minimization of downtimes
- Categorization & prioritization
- The incident is categorized according to its severity. It is possible to create different categories/prioritizations here: critical, high, medium, low.
- The affected service is then determined, as are the cause and possible effects.
- Transparent communication with users and stakeholders about the incident
- Diagnosis & escalation
- First-level support carries out the initial investigation and leads this.
- If necessary, escalation to higher support levels (second or third level support) for more efficient processing.
- Solution & recovery
- The solution is implemented by means of an appropriate fix or workaround.
- A check is then carried out to ensure that the service is working properly again.
- The goal is to restore the service as quickly as possible and avoid further disruptions.
- Completion & documentation
- After completion, the user receives a notification that the incident has been resolved.
- The incident is documented so that future incidents can be better analyzed and avoided.
Difference between incident and problem
Incident
A one-off failure to function or an unexpected event that must be rectified immediately.
Example: One-off server crash. Requires a restart.
Problem
Recurring or deeper causes of incidents that require a permanent solution.
Example: The server crashes regularly. Need for a permanent solution to the problem.
Conclusion
Incident management ensures a fast and structured response to IT disruptions and helps to minimize business interruptions. Systematic processes and clear responsibilities enable companies to organize their IT services in a more stable and efficient way.
OMNINET offers an integrated ITSM solution to ensure that the business processes of IT systems run smoothly. Additional modules for automation such as BPMN or AI can be “booked in” as an option.
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