Incident Management – What Does It Involve?

Incident management helps reduce the negative impact of an incident and enables business processes to return to normal operation as quickly as possible. The purpose of incident management processes is to limit the scope of the incident and minimize its impact on the organization’s operations. What exactly is security incident management, and what processes does it include? Which tools support effective incident management? Let’s find out.

What Is Incident Management?

Before discussing incident management, it is necessary to answer two basic questions:

• What is an incident?
• Is an incident the same as a problem? If not, what is the difference?

According to ITIL, an incident is any unplanned event that is not part of standard service operation and causes—or may cause—an interruption in the delivery of an IT service. A problem, on the other hand, is an event that is the cause—or potential cause—of at least one incident.

Incident management includes processes aimed at restoring normal service operation and limiting the impact of the incident on business processes. In this context, normal operation is typically defined based on the SLA and technical documentation. Incidents differ in severity—some are barely noticeable, while others may cause major infrastructure failures and paralyze the organization.

Security incidents may relate not only to technical issues but also to the flow of information—for example when someone attempts unauthorized access or when employees try to grant access to unauthorized individuals. Proper management of cybersecurity incidents is essential in every organization whose operations depend on information security. Using appropriate security systems helps prevent data leaks and limits the consequences of incidents.

What Does the Incident Management Process Involve?

The incident management process in IT consists of registering and identifying events, resolving incidents and collecting information that enables analysis to reduce the likelihood of similar incidents reoccurring. The resulting action plan minimizes downtime in business processes.

Types of Incident Management Processes

The structure of incident management processes depends on internal organizational procedures. However, most companies follow traditional methods described in ITIL.

Identification, Registration and Categorization of the Incident

Registration and identification form the foundation of the incident management process. The register typically includes information about the person reporting the incident, the date and time of the report and the incident’s description. Each incident receives a unique number that allows tracking progress. Equally important is the ability to identify security incidents—categorization enables the assessment of severity and prioritization.

Incident Prioritization

Each security incident should receive a priority in addition to its category. The greater the impact on the organization and the more serious the potential consequences, the faster the incident must be resolved.

Incident Resolution by First-Level Support

For simple issues, the first-line support team can resolve the incident on its own. Incidents that cannot be resolved at this stage are escalated to second-level support.

Incident Resolution by Second-Level Support

Second-level support handles incidents unresolved earlier. These incidents may require additional diagnosis and testing to determine the appropriate solution. Sometimes external resources must be involved.

Incident Closure

Once the incident is resolved, the ticket can be closed. Designated staff assess the event and determine whether the solution is satisfactory for the reporter. This assessment provides valuable information for improving the incident management process.

Reporting

Collecting and reporting data significantly improves security incident management and helps prevent similar events in the future. Why is analysis so important? A post-mortem review greatly enhances corrective actions and improves the incident response process. Lessons learned allow teams to prepare better for future incidents.

Incident Management Tools

Effective incident management requires specialized tools. A Service Desk system is an excellent solution, enabling incident handling at every stage of the process. What is a Service Desk system? It is a reliable incident-handling tool supporting the response team in managing events that may negatively affect business operations. It is worth emphasizing that proper incident management tools are crucial in the context of the NIS2 Directive, which requires organizations to detect, report and respond to cybersecurity incidents quickly. These tools enable taking appropriate steps during an incident and implementing procedures to prevent recurrence.

Using proven tools for incident management allows organizations to respond effectively and resolve incidents quickly, improve communication between stakeholders and IT team members, and monitor and analyze events to enhance the overall incident-handling process.