Service Level Agreements

What is SLA, what should it cover and what are the main goals?

Service Level Agreements is an agreement between two parties, the customer and the service provider. The agreement describes the level of service the customer can expect from the service provider. The agreement must be well-founded, structured and very precise about what is expected.

SLA should cover the following issues:
• Services to be delivered
• Performance, Tracking and Reporting
• Problem Management
• Legal Compliance and Resolution of Disputes
• Customer Duties and Responsibilities
• Security
• IPR and Confidential Information
• Termination

The main goal is to decrease the gap between the customer and the service provider especially in the domain of the service’s quality which is the central issue.

What are the consequences of SLA immaturity?

SLA are relatively new in comparison with other SIS and this causes some problems.

Identify and describe the problems and unsolved questions regarding the specification and the quantification of SLA.

• Unclear service specifications
• Incomplete service specifications
• Insufficient cost management

Identify and describe the three well-founded service management principles.

• Continuity
• Context and content
• Service process and service object quality 

http://hecshost.unil.ch/zagbs/2007/10/25/service-level-agreements/