Service-Level-Agreement
The term Service Level Agreement (SLA ) Service Level Agreement (SLA ) or Service Agreement ( DLV) An agreement or the interface between the customer and service provider for recurring services. The aim is to make the control options for the customer transparent by guaranteed performance characteristics such as scope, reaction time and speed of processing are described in detail. Important part of this is the quality of service (service level ), which describes the agreed service quality.
Characteristic of a SLA is that the service provider offers each relevant service parameters without being asked in different quality grades ( levels), from which the client can choose from an economic point of view. In a conventional service agreement, the service this contract design options not offered.
History and context
Historically, SLAs were created first for IT services; SLA now be used for all kinds of services. In Germany and Switzerland, the term SLA especially by the IT Infrastructure Library ( ITIL) has become known.
SLAs are an essential part of Service Level Management (SLM ). As part of the service level management process SLAs are constantly revised and adapted to changing business requirements, current market conditions and new customer requirements.
Distinction between
From the Service Level Agreement ( SLA ) is the Operational Level Agreement ( OLA ) to distinguish. An OLA often used to support or to hedge a SLA. Since these agreements are concluded between departments of the same company, this usually internally only for the service provider A Underpinning Contract apply (UC ) in turn is a protection contract an agreed performance between the service provider and a service provider acting on his behalf. Dependencies exist insofar as warranted Services by supportive treaties with foreign resources are guaranteed and are reactive with each other over escalation mechanisms in relationship.
The formal agreement with an exact definition of the technical parameters of an SLA is performed with the help of Service Level Specification ( SLS ) or Service Level Objective (SLO ).
Agreement content
Key contents of an SLA:
- Purpose
- Contracting party
- Reviews
- History of changes
- Terms of Reference
- Responsibility providers
- Responsibility recipient
- Availability of Services
- Standards
- Job planning / maintenance
- Service level indicators ( KPI)
- Measurement period
- Other Definitions
- External contracts
- Escalation Management
- Pricing
- Legal consequences of non-compliance (especially penalties )
- Contract period
- Signatures
The definition of SLAs should follow the SMART principle. The client receives a fixed in the SLAs performance ( eg reaction times of support, recovery of data, etc.) at an agreed price and the Contractor warrants that it adheres to this agreement.
SLAs are intended both to provide a quality / price transparency for customers and partners, on the other hand they provide a support for the mediation or alternative dispute resolution, by using the - the critical points to be clarified preparation or during the presentation of SLA - possibly common.
Some examples of SLA applications
Application of SLAs can be found wherever there is a regulated service relationship between a (service ) supplier and a recipient (customer). Exemplary SLAs are used in outsourcing contracts and shared service centers. Some examples are used in the areas where SLA today:
- Facility Management
- E -mail applications
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
- E-Shop (E -commerce)
- Billing System
- E- Payroll ( Electronic Payroll )
- Financial Information Services
- Telecommunications ( phone or mobile)
- Call Center
- Personnel services
- Hosting / Housing of servers
- Cloud Computing
- IT Service Management ( for applications)