A service level agreement is a contract between the service provider and the end user that defines the level of service expected from the service provider. It focuses on WHAT is delivered not on how it is delivered.
SLAs measure the service provider’s performance and quality in a number of ways. Some metrics that SLAs may specify include:
- Availability and up-time -- the percentage of the time services will be available.
- The number of concurrent users that can be served.
- Specific performance benchmarks to which actual performance will be periodically compared.
- Application response time.
- The schedule for notification in advance of network changes that may affect users.
- Help desk response time for various classes of problems.
- Usage statistics that will be provided.
SLAs are a critical component of any vendor contract. Beyond listing expectations of service type and quality, an SLA provides remedies when requirements aren't met.
No comments:
Post a Comment