Unit
- Incident: An unplanned interruption to an IT service or reduction in its quality. Incidents require immediate attention to restore normal service operation and minimize business impact. Examples include server outages, network failures, and application errors.
- Event: Any detectable occurrence that has significance for the management of IT infrastructure. Events can be informational (e.g., system log entry), warning (e.g., disk usage at 80%), or exception (e.g., failed login attempt). Not all events become incidents.
- Problem: The underlying cause of one or more incidents. While an incident is a symptom, a problem is the root cause. Problem management aims to prevent recurring incidents by addressing the fundamental issue.
- Service Request: A formal request from a user for something to be provided, such as access to an application or a password reset. Service requests are not incidents; they follow a separate fulfillment process.
- Incident vs. Problem: An incident is a single event or a set of related events that disrupt service. A problem is the cause of that disruption. For example, a server crash is an incident; a faulty memory module is the problem.
- Priority: Determined by a combination of urgency (how quickly the incident needs resolution) and impact (the extent of damage to business operations). High-priority incidents demand immediate response.
- SLA (Service Level Agreement): A contract between service provider and customer defining expected service levels, including incident response and resolution times. Meeting SLAs is a key metric in incident management.
- Escalation: The process of increasing the level of authority or expertise involved in resolving an incident. Functional escalation involves technical experts; hierarchical escalation involves management.
Code Example
Python
class Incident:
def __init__(self, incident_id, severity, description):
self.id = incident_id
self.severity = severity
self.description = description
self.status = 'open'
def escalate(self):
self.status = 'escalated'
print(f'Incident {self.id} escalated.')
# Usage
inc = Incident('INC-001', 'High', 'Database connection lost')
inc.escalate()
print(inc.status)This simple Python class models an incident with attributes and an escalation method. In a real system, escalation might trigger notifications and assign teams.
Quick Revision
- An incident is an unplanned interruption or quality reduction in an IT service.
- Events are observable occurrences; not all events are incidents.
- A problem is the root cause of one or more incidents.
- Priority is based on urgency and impact.
- SLAs define expected response and resolution times.
- Escalation increases authority or expertise for resolution.