Mean time to detect and Mean time to dispatch

[AndreeaI]

Hello, 

Is there anyone who can help me with the condition that I should use to set the SLA for Mean time to detect and Mean to dispatch for Security Incident Response and Security Incident Task?

Thanks you! 
Or at least maybe to explain the difference between them. 

[BhavaniYamsani]

Hi @AndreeaI ,

ServiceNow Security Incident Response (SIR) leverages Performance Analytics to measure efficiency, compliance, and effectiveness of incident handling. For security operations, several mean time KPIs are critical in 
assessing response performance.

1. Mean Time to Detect (MTTD)

Definition: Average time taken from the occurrence of a security event to its initial detection.

• Purpose: Measures the efficiency of threat monitoring and detection tools.
• Calculation:

MTTD=∑(Detection Time−Event Occurrence Time)Number of Security IncidentsMTTD=Number of Security Incidents∑(Detection Time−Event Occurrence Time)​

• Significance: Lower MTTD indicates faster threat recognition, reducing potential damage.

2. Mean Time to Respond (MTTR – Response)

Definition: Average time from detection of a security incident to the initiation of mitigation actions.

• Purpose: Reflects effectiveness of the incident triage and initial response.
• Calculation:

MTTRresponse=∑(Response Start Time−Incident Detection Time)Number of Security IncidentsMTTRresponse​=Number of Security Incidents∑(Response Start Time−Incident Detection Time)​

• Significance: Shorter response times indicate strong coordination and rapid containment capability.

3. Mean Time to Contain (MTTC)

Definition: Average time required to limit the impact or scope of a security incident.

• Purpose: Measures how quickly incidents are confined to prevent spread or escalation.
• Calculation:

MTTC=∑(Containment Time−Response Start Time)Number of Security IncidentsMTTC=Number of Security Incidents∑(Containment Time−Response Start Time)​

• Significance: Critical for ransomware or lateral movement scenarios; faster containment protects assets.

4. Mean Time to Mitigate (MTTM)

Definition: Average time from incident identification to mitigation or complete remediation of the threat.

• Purpose: Reflects overall efficiency in neutralizing security threats end-to-end.
• Calculation:

MTTM=∑(Mitigation Completion Time−Incident Detection Time)Number of Security IncidentsMTTM=Number of Security Incidents∑(Mitigation Completion Time−Incident Detection Time)​

• Significance: Integrates detection, response, and containment performance for a holistic view.

5. Mean Time to Resolve (MTTR – Resolution)

Definition: Average time taken to fully resolve a security incident, restore affected systems, and close the incident record in ServiceNow.

• Purpose: Measures the effectiveness of incident remediation workflows.
• Calculation (ServiceNow Conventional MTTR):

1. Record the incident start time (reported/detected).
2. Record the incident end time (resolved/closed).
3. Sum durations for all incidents and divide by total number of incidents:

MTTRresolution=∑(Resolution Time−Start Time)Total IncidentsMTTRresolution​=Total Incidents∑(Resolution Time−Start Time)​

• Significance: Lower MTTR indicates faster recovery, reduced downtime, improved incident management.

6. Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)

Definition: Average time between recurring security incidents for the same asset or service.

• Purpose: Quantifies reliability and indicates recurring vulnerabilities.
• Calculation:

MTBF=Total Operating TimeNumber of Recurring IncidentsMTBF=Number of Recurring IncidentsTotal Operating Time​

• Significance: Higher MTBF suggests effective preventive measures and system robustness.

Implementation Notes in ServiceNow

• Breakdowns: KPIs can be sliced by priority, attack type, assignment group, or SLA to reveal bottlenecks.
• Automation: ServiceNow allows automated collection of timestamps, ensuring accurate calculation of all mean time KPIs.
• Visualization: Analytics dashboards provide interactive trend charts, highlighting real-time deviations, SLA breaches, and high-risk incidents.

Summary Table

KPIDefinitionFormulaKey Focus

MTTD	Time to detect incident	∑(Detection Time−Event Occurrence)NN∑(Detection Time−Event Occurrence)​	Detection efficiency
MTTR (Response)	Time to respond to incident	∑(Response Start−Detection)NN∑(Response Start−Detection)​	Triage & mitigation start
MTTC	Time to contain incident	∑(Containment−Response Start)NN∑(Containment−Response Start)​	Limiting impact
MTTM	Time to mitigate	∑(Mitigation−Detection)NN∑(Mitigation−Detection)​	Full threat neutralization
MTTR (Resolution)	Time to close incident	∑(Resolved−Start)NN∑(Resolved−Start)​	Recovery & incident closure
MTBF	Time between recurring incidents	Total Operating TimeRecurring IncidentsRecurring IncidentsTotal Operating Time​	Preventive effectiveness

Conclusion:
In ServiceNow Security Incident Response, monitoring all these mean time KPIs provides comprehensive insight into detection, response, containment, mitigation, and resolution efficiency, enabling teams to optimize security operations, minimize risk, and enhance overall resilience.

Please mark any helpful or correct solutions as such. That helps others find their solutions.

Thanks
Yamsani Bhavani