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Service level agreements (SLAs) are a common feature in the IT industry, and you'll likely encounter these documents when working with any professional service provider. Managed IT providers know that clients have certain expectations, and they also know that a crucial part of any business relationship is effective communication and understanding.
An SLA helps to facilitate communication and understanding by clearly defining the relationship between the provider and client (that's you!). However, SLAs can often be intimidating, especially if you're a small business owner that rarely deals in formalized business-to-business relationships. This guide will help demystify these crucial documents by providing the key facts you need to know.
Why Do IT Service Provides Use SLAs?
Service level agreements aren't necessarily the same as a typical contract between contractors and clients. While contracts typically define the scope of a project, payment rates, expected deliverables, and so on, a service level agreement is more like a business-to-business employment contract. The SLA defines the IT provider's role and the critical ways your company will interact with them.
Since no two managed service providers are identical, no two SLAs will be the same. However, a typical SLA will usually include some essential elements. You can expect an SLA to detail the service provider's availability, what level of access your employees will have to their resources (such as cloud systems), and whether you'll need to provide credentials or other resources from your organization.
These details are essential for managed IT providers since they often deal in services and software that must interact with client systems. For example, you may need to connect your organization's databases to a provider's cloud applications. An SLA helps to define what's necessary and expected of both parties, ensuring these interactions are secure and safe.
What Should You Look for in an SLA?
SLAs are more than just boilerplate contracts. These documents define what you can expect from your IT service provider, so you'll want to read them carefully to look for some essential details. For example, what's the process for filing a ticket with your IT provider? How can you escalate unresolved issues, and what metrics (such as uptime) are available to measure your provider's performance?
Remember that there isn't a right or wrong way to write an SLA. Instead, look for an agreement that aligns with the needs of your business, whether those needs are service uptime, support responsiveness, or some other essential factor. SLAs are tools for managing expectations, and selecting a provider with an SLA that aligns with your business needs will help ensure a smooth relationship.
Contact an IT services provider to learn more.
Share7 March 2023
