Incident management is crucial in IT operations as it focuses on restoring normal service operations as quickly as possible following a disruption. Effective incident management minimizes downtime and ensures that services comply with SLA requirements. It involves identifying, logging, categorizing, and resolving incidents while keeping stakeholders informed throughout the process. By employing a systematic approach, organizations can also analyze incident data for trends, which can lead to proactive measures to prevent future incidents. Overall, robust incident management is vital for maintaining operational continuity and enhancing customer satisfaction.