How does an incident differ from a problem in ITIL?

In ITIL, an incident is defined as an unplanned interruption to a service or a reduction in the quality of a service. Essentially, incidents are events that disrupt normal service operation, and they require immediate resolution to restore the service to its normal state. A problem, on the other hand, is often considered a deeper issue that causes one or more incidents. Problems are identified through the analysis of incident patterns or trends and aim to identify the root cause to prevent future incidents from occurring.

Therefore, stating that an incident disrupts service while a problem is the cause of incidents accurately encapsulates the relationship between these two concepts. Incidents are immediate issues that need to be addressed quickly, whereas problems require investigation and often a more strategic approach to resolve underlying causes to prevent recurrence. This differentiation helps organizations manage their IT services more effectively by focusing on both immediate service restoration and long-term improvements.