Incident Detection to Resolution: The Full Process Flow

The complete process flow

This is a full lifecycle which we see as to be defined by best practices such as ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) we have a structured approach that is put in place to reduce the negative effects of incidents and get back to normal service operations as fast as we can. It is a complex play of technology, process, and human work which we aim at quick recovery and continuous improvement.

Phase 1: Incident Detection – The First Whisper

The journey starts at Incident Detection which is also the most critical and in which speed is of the essence. Early notice of an issue greatly reduces its impact and cost. This phase includes what we may term as:.

• Automated Monitoring and Alerting (Proactive): In today’s world we see as the gold standard what large scale organizations are doing. They are using complex monitoring solutions which look at all elements of the IT infrastructure  servers, networks, databases, applications, cloud services, and also the end user experience. We see that Application Performance Monitoring (APM) tools are used to identify issues in response times, error rates, and resource use. Also we have log aggregation and analysis which is used to bring to light unusual patterns or very serious errors. We see that infrastructure monitoring tools which track things like CPU, memory, disk use and network traffic are also very much in play. When we hit certain pre determined thresholds or see those tell tale signs of trouble the system goes ahead to put out alerts which in turn go to our NOCs or on call teams.
• User Reports (Reactive): In spite of extensive monitoring users still primarily depend on reports from other users which in turn may be of a subtle or local nature. We see that slow application performance reports, issues with service access, out of the blue error messages, at time a total system collapse are brought to light. Such reports usually come in via service desks, helpdesk web portals, e mail, or phone.
• System Alerts/Logs: Direct reports from OS’s, applications, or security systems (eg, SIEM tools which report on suspicious activity) also play a role in incident detection which may not be fully incorporated into a central monitoring solution.

The issue at hand is to not only identify but to do so quickly the symptoms of a possible incident, also to tell them apart from normal system variation, and to reduce false positives which in turn will prevent alert fatigue.

Phase 2: Reporting on Incidents and Logging  Issue documentation Incident Reporting and Log of which  Issue report.

Once an issue is brought to light the key step is to report and document it which we see play out in the use of a central system which may be an IT Service Management (ITSM) platform like ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, Zendesk, or BMC Helix.

For in each incident that which is captured is very detailed:.

• Incident ID: A tracking ID.
• Timestamp: Upon the report of.
• Source: How it was identified (e.g. through an automated alert, by a user report, in system logs).
• Symptoms: A report of what issues we are seeing (for example “Website not responsive”, “Database connectivity issues”, “Login problems”.
• Affected Items: Which particular systems, applications, services or users affected.
• Initial Impact Assessment: A broad perspective of the issue.

Accurate and complete logging is key. It creates a record of actions taken, deters info loss, and also supplies basic elements for which to do further analysis and future reference.

Phase 3: Initial Diagnosis and Prioritization  Grasping the Weight.

In the wake of the incident’s report the next very important step is Initial Assessment and Prioritization. This is usually the responsibility of Level 1 (L1) support or a dedicated incident management team which we term as the triage team. We put out to quickly determine the full scale and priority of the issue at hand which in turn determines which team will handle it and what that team’s priority should be.

Prior to that which is put forth is in regards to a matrix of two key factors:.

Impact: Which of our customers are impacted? What business processes have broken down? Does we have critical data which is at risk? What is the possible financial or reputational damage?

Urgency: How fast is the issue going down? Is there a work around? What is the speed at which we must resolve the incident to meet SLAs?

Common priority levels we use are P1 which is Critical, P2 High, P3 Medium, P4 Low. For P1 incidents we are looking at an immediate all hands on deck response which may include senior technical personnel jumping in within minutes, while P4 may have a resolution which takes a few business days. Also in this stage we determine the best escalation route so the incident gets to the right people as fast as possible.

Phase 4: Investigation and Diagnosis  Outlining the Cause.

Once we identify and assign resources the incident goes into the Investigation and Diagnosis phase which technical teams (L2, L3 support, specialized groups of network engineers, database admins, application developers) dive into in order to get to the bottom of the issue.

This phase involves: This stage includes:.

• Data Collection: Gathering in depth logs, performance metrics, configuration files, and error messages.
• Hypothesis Generation: Presenting with symptoms we develop ideas of what may be causing them.
• Testing and Validation: Through the use of diagnostic tools, command line checks, code reviews, and network packet analysis we see to it that which hypotheses we have is either confirmed or ruled out.
• Collaboration: In many cases incidents straddle different technologies which in turn require various technical teams to communicate and work together to see the full picture.

The primary aim is not to determine the single root cause which may be very complex and send it off into a separate problem management process, but to find out the primary cause at which point we may also present a temporary solution to get service back online.

Phase 5: Incident Resolution and Recovery – Restoring Normalcy

Upon diagnosis which we have received attention shifts to Incident Resolution and Recovery. This is the doer phase where we implement the identified fix or workaround.

Resolution can take several forms: Resolution is of many types:.

• Workaround: A short term solution to get services up and running while we develop a more permanent fix. For example we may restart the service, route traffic elsewhere, or revert to a previous version which worked fine. Workarounds are very important in reducing down time which in turn reduces impact to high priority issues.
• Permanent Fix: Address going to the root of the problem which may include rolling out a software patch, changing out configurations, modifying database structures, putting in new hardware, or making network changes.

Key steps in this phase include: In this phase we see:.

• Implementation: Applying the solution in a measured way.
• Testing: Careful to check that the resolution did in fact restore service and also that it did not introduce new issues. We also may have to work with affected users or run through synthetic transactions.
• Monitoring: Watching system performance post-resolution for stability.
• Communication: Notifying affected users and stakeholders of service progress and restoration.

The main goal is to restore affected services to the level of performance which is set out in the SLA.

Phase 6: Incident Closure – Finalizing the Loop

Once systems return to normal and we confirm the repair, we go into Incidence Closure which is the official end of the incident for our operations team.

This phase involves: At this stage we have that which also includes:.

• Confirmation: Verifying with the user or through monitoring systems that the issue has in fact been resolved and they are happy.
• Documentation: Updating the issue report with full details of the resolution process, the root cause which was present, any temporary solutions that we used, and how long it took.
• Categorization: Ensuring that the incident is properly classified for future reporting and analysis (i.e. network issue, application bug, hardware failure).
• Knowledge Base Update: If a we find a new solution or we come up with a workaround that works it should be put into the knowledge base for which to use in the resolution of the like issues in the future.
• Formal Closure: Updating the status of the incident ticket in the ITSM to Closed.

Accurate completion reports are of great value in terms of history, training, and the present phase.

Phase 7: Post-Incident Review (PIR) / Post-Mortem Analysis – Learning from Experience

The incident lifecycle is in fact not over at the point of closure. For critical incidents which are frequent reoccurrers or have large scale impact a Post Incident Review (PIR) or Post Mortem Analysis is a must. This is a non punitive look back session which is for the purpose of organization wide learning and continuous improvement.

Key aspects of a PIR include: Key elements of a PIR include:.

• Timeline Reconstruction: A blow by blow report of the incident from start to finish.
• Impact Assessment: In depth look at the business and customer impact.
• What Went Well: Identifying best practices.
• What Went Wrong: Identifying which elements in detection, diagnosis, communication, resolution or tools require work.
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA): Root cause analysis of issues that present themselves in incidents. We use tools like the “5 Whys” and “Fishbone Diagrams” for this. We are trying to get at the base issue as opposed to the symptoms.
• Actionable Items: Creating out of which we will develop specific and tangible action items to prevent recurrence of issues or to improve on our incident response. We will assign owners to each action and set deadlines. This may include system upgrades, process reworks, new alarm systems, or training programs.

PIR’s which are the result of an incident are put into Problem Management which in turn transforms each issue into a system wide improvement which in turn prevents recurrence and improves over all service resilience.

Continuous Improvement: Beyond the Incident

The whole incident management process is a continuous loop. From incident logs we get data, out of that which come trends of the repeated issues and which we get from PIRs we obtain insights. This includes:.

• Proactive Problem Management: Identifying root causes of repeated issues and resolving them fully.
• Enhancing Monitoring: Roll out of new alerts, improve on the existing ones, and expand monitoring coverage.
• Automating Responses: Developing playbooks and automated scripts for known issues.
• Knowledge Management: Ongoing expansion of the knowledge base with solutions and best practices.
• Training and Development: Improving teams in incident response, diagnostic skills, and communication.
• Process Refinement: Continuously improving and fine tuning our incident management process flow.

Incident Detection to Resolution: The Whole Process Flow.

Efficient response to incidents is the key to any organization’s IT health. We see incidents which may be a security breach, system outages, or data leak which can bring in great disruption. Rapid detection, clear actions to contain the issue, and quick resolution can reduce the damage and also save money. Today’s complex IT settings make this a harder task. A great flow from detection through to resolution can turn what may have been a minor issue into a major disaster. In this article we look at each step of the process which we present how a structured approach improve security, reduce down time and keep your business running smoothly.

Understanding Incident Detection: The Front Line of Defense.

The issue of Continuous and Advanced Tools.

Early identification is a result of constant attention to your systems which we have to maintain at all times. We have tools like SIEM, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS/IPS) and AIOps which we use to collect data from many sources. These solutions identify issues as they come up in real time. As data flows fast we get alerts immediately. This constant watch list issues before they turn into large scale problems. Relying on auto systems for this instead of manual processes also means we put out issues faster.

Types of Incidents to Detect

Different issues require different detection methods. For example:.

• Security breaches like hacking or phishing
• System outages that shut down services
• Slowdowns in system performance
• Data leaks or unauthorized data access

Identifying each type requires tailored approaches  for example which is to monitor network traffic for breaches and which is to track server health for outages. What you are looking for is key.

Best Practices in Detection

Getting it right in terms of detection is not magic  we put in smart rules and filters. Carefully set alert thresholds so as to not be flooded by false reports. Use machine learning as much as you can to automate detection. Also at regular intervals review your data logs to fine tune alerts. Put resources into automation and AI which in turn will speed up the identification of abnormal activity for your team which in turn saves very time.

Conclusion

The Foundation of Effective IT service management is the Full Process Flow. It is a dynamic and ever present process which requires robust tools, clear procedures, skilled staff, and a culture of continuous learning. Incidents will happen but a well thought out and religiously followed incident management process transforms what could be negative into positive growth, at the same time guarantees business continuity, improves service quality and in the end we see better trust and support from our users and stakeholders. We are not about to eliminate all incidents but about to manage them with great efficiency and to come out stronger from each issue we face.