Best Practices for Slas

Department or Program Name

[IT Service Level Agreement]

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|Best Practice |

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Table of Contents

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF AN IT SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT? 2

Who prepares the SLA? 2

How do I write an SLA? 2

Service Level Agreement Contents 2

General Overview 3

Description of Services 3

Service Performance 3

Service Costs 4

Service Provider and Customer Responsibilities 4

Problem Management and Disaster Recovery Process 5

Periodic Review Process 7

Termination of Agreement Process 7

Signatures 7

Sample U Services IT Service Level Agreements 8

University Services Infrastructure Support 9

What is the purpose of an IT Service Level Agreement?

A SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT (SLA) DEFINES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AN IT SERVICE PROVIDER AND THE BUSINESS CUSTOMER AND/OR EXTERNAL CUSTOMER. AN SLA CLARIFIES THE RESPONSIBILITIES BETWEEN THE IT SERVICE PROVIDER AND THE CUSTOMER AND IT PROVIDES A FRAMEWORK AND A COMMON UNDERSTANDING FOR BOTH PARTIES. AN SLA IS MOST EFFECTIVE WHEN THE IT SERVICE PROVIDER AND THE BUSINESS CUSTOMER COLLABORATE ON WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED. ANY SLA NEEDS TO BE AGREED UPON BY BOTH PARTIES. THIS BECOMES A GUIDELINE FOR MANAGING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CUSTOMER AND THE IT SERVICE PROVIDER.

Because an IT SLA can be used to describe a variety of IT services; the particular elements that are included in an SLA will depend on the circumstances. A good SLA addresses:

□ What service(s) are being made available to what customers?

□ What level of service or quality of service should the customer expect?

□ What are the costs to provide this level of service?

□ How will the service be delivered?

□ How will the service...