Page 205 - CISSO_Prep_ Guide

INCIDENT MANAGEMENT

The way an organization prepares for and handles incidents is one
of the critical factors in the success of the organization. Incidents
will happen despite the best precautions and preparation. If not
addressed in an appropriate manner, the incident can lead to the
collapse of the organization either financially or through damage
to the reputation and confidence that customers, suppliers, and
investors have in the sustainability and long term potential of the
organization.

Events versus Incidents

An event is any measurable occurrence - a person logs in, a
person logs out, a job completes. Most events are harmless and a
part of normal business operations. However, some events have
the potential to disrupt business operations. Such events are
incidents. An incident should be recorded, managed, and
resolved as quickly and effectively as possible to minimize the
potential or real damage. This requires an incident management
program that is focused on the steps needed to detect, escalate,
respond to, and recover from an incident through trained staff,
clear procedures, reporting, and accountability.

In the past, the term 'crisis' was often used instead of 'incident.'
Because of the negative connotation of the term crisis, many
organizations tend to use the expression incident now as in
incident management instead of crisis management.