Incident management, or incident management, is an area of IT service management process. It is covered comprehensively in the relevant international certifications such as ITIL and ISO 20000. It is typically managed with a first level of help desk and a database of known issues, but second-level intervention is often necessary.
ISO 20000-1:2011 associates the concept of an accident with three distinct possibilities: the reduction in the quality of a service, the unplanned interruption of a service, or an event that has not yet impacted customer service.
“’Accident” means an unexpected problem that can occur on a network or system.
The first goal of Business Incident Management is always to restore normal service operations as quickly as possible, minimizing the impact on business operations according to the service level agreement (SLA) agreed with the provider. ziendali secondo il service level agreement (SLA) pattuito con il fornitore.
What are the objectives of Incident management
Incident Management sets specific objectives to ensure business continuity and minimize negative repercussions on users and the organization. These are the main ones:
- Rapid operational recovery: maximum priority is given to the timely restoration of operational functionality, minimizing the impact on business activities and adhering to the stipulated SLAs;
- Effective incident resolution: prompt identification and resolution of any anomalies affecting networks or systems, safeguarding operational integrity and efficiency;
- Limitation of negative impacts: minimize adverse consequences for users and the organization, ensuring efficient incident management and continuity of IT services;
- Evolution and prevention: in-depth analysis of accidents to determine their causes and implement preventive measures, systematically increasing the quality of the service provided.
Business Incident Examples
There are several scenarios that can be classified as business accidents, each with a unique impact on business continuity and with specific Business Incident Management intervention needs. Here are some examples:
- Server Outages: Hardware or software failures that cause critical servers to down, disrupting essential services;
- Data security breaches: Cyber attacks that compromise sensitive data, causing economic losses and reputational damage;
- Network errors: Connectivity issues that prevent access to vital business resources;
- Software issues: Malfunctions or bugs in key applications that hinder business processes;
- IT infrastructure problems: Physical or technical failures in IT infrastructure that prevent regular operations.
Each of these issues requires a timely and targeted response to minimize their negative impacts
The case of network managed security
IT incident management is just one of the possibilities offered in managed network security. A simple structuring of the management of this phase includes, in addition to IM, monitoring, configuration and tuning.
Many of the parameters employed at these stages are of course the same as in incident management proper.
Management and support in critical situations should be entrusted to a highly specialized and qualified Security & Network Operation Center (SNOC) for the formulation of a reliable diagnosis. In addition to managing the accident, it will be appropriate to agree on the documentation of the diagnosis mad
Continuous monitoring
It is the proactive control of the health of systems, made suitable for control through dedicated, real-time monitoring platforms.
Configuration management
An infrastructure has a fairly large set of configurations, which often requires specific management. The need becomes stringent if there is wide variability in changes to both global and local configurations for specific user groups.
Continuous tuning
The infrastructure is an ever-changing body. Continuous control oriented to its tuning allows optimizations and improvements that maximize the yield of the investment and make it more resilient to security problems
Three incident management practices
Whether it targets the network or other components, IT incident management requires practices to be adopted to achieve the best results. A correct approach must first ensure the management of the accident throughout the entire life cycle. It must then operate as automatically as possible, acting and communicating in real time.
We can then identify various ways of proceeding that can be classified as best practices. We propose three, only apparently so common sense that they are always applied: integrability, standards and priorities.
1.Integrability: Incident management software and procedures must integrate seamlessly with all other systems and processes involved. Consider in particular the demands of the GDPR or other regulatory bodies in some way active in other areas of the world (Japan, California, Brazil). Integrability allows continuous improvement to be easily achieved.
2.Standardization: Methods and procedures must ensure efficient and timely management of all accidents. This is why, although it is a convention, it is still necessary for specialized technical personnel to deal with accidents, but with the appropriate certifications.
3.Prioritization: A series of features describe the properties of each accident. Among these we find the system, the service, the geographical location, the effect inside or outside the system. By evaluating these characteristics, it is possible to implement a priority assignment system.
Benefits of Accident Management with Sorint
The adoption of Sorint’s incident management services translates into numerous benefits for companies, emphasizing effectiveness and operational resilience. Key benefits include:
- Recovery efficiency: Sorint ensures rapid recovery of operations, in line with company SLAs, minimizing disruption to activities;
- Integrated Incident Management: Sorint’s approach covers all aspects of Incident Management, from technical resolution to organizational management, reducing the overall impact on business;
- Compliance and experience: Sorint’s compliance with standards such as ITIL and ISO 20000 ensures incident management aligned with international best practices;
- Tailor-made solutions: Sorint offers flexible solutions, adapting to specific business needs and improving operational efficiency;
Focus on continuous improvement: In addition to incident management, Sorint promotes continuous process evolution, increasing the resilience and reliability of IT systems.