ITIL4F ITIL Management Practices Practice Question
Which THREE of the following are considered events in the Monitoring and Event Management practice?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
A scheduled backup completing successfully
In ITIL 4, the Monitoring and Event Management practice classifies events into informational, warning, and exception categories. All three types are considered events within the practice. Informational events (e.g., a scheduled backup completing successfully) are routine and may not require immediate action, but they are still events that are monitored and recorded. Warning events (e.g., printer low on toner) indicate a potential issue, and exception events (e.g., server reaching 100% CPU usage) require immediate attention. Therefore, options A, B, and C are all events.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
A scheduled backup completing successfully
Why this is correct
This represents an informational event, automatically generated by the backup system to confirm the successful completion of a routine operation. While it doesn't signal a problem or require immediate intervention, these events are vital for maintaining an audit trail, ensuring compliance, and confirming the ongoing health and reliability of critical IT services. Monitoring such positive events helps validate system functionality and operational integrity.
- ✓
A printer that is low on toner
Why this is correct
This scenario represents a warning event, automatically detected by monitoring tools. It signifies a change in the configuration item's state that, while not yet a failure, indicates a potential future service degradation if not addressed proactively. Such events allow IT teams to intervene before an actual incident occurs, ensuring continuous service availability by prompting actions like ordering new toner.
- ✓
A server reaching 100% CPU usage
Why this is correct
This situation is classified as an exception event, automatically triggered when a server's performance deviates significantly from its normal operational baseline. It indicates an immediate and critical issue, likely causing severe service degradation or an outright outage for users. Prompt detection and response to such exception events are crucial for restoring service quality and preventing widespread impact on business operations.
- ✗
A user reporting a slow computer
Why it's wrong here
This is categorized as an incident, which is an unplanned interruption to a service or a reduction in the quality of a service, as perceived and reported by a user. Unlike an event, which is an automated notification of a state change or occurrence, an incident often requires investigation to determine its root cause, which might be an underlying event that was not automatically detected or properly handled by monitoring systems.
- ✗
A new employee requesting access to a system
Why it's wrong here
This scenario constitutes a service request, which is a formal request from a user for something standard, such as information, advice, or access to an IT service. Events, by contrast, are notifications from IT services or configuration items about their operational status or a change in state, not user-initiated demands. Service requests follow a defined fulfillment process, distinct from the automated detection and response to events.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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