SLA
noun
SLA stands for service level agreement: an agreement between a customer and provider about the service, its agreed level and how that level is measured.
The SLA specifies that the provider responds to the highest-priority incidents within one hour.
An SLA describes what a service provider delivers and the associated quality or availability. For software and IT operations, this might cover support availability, incident response times, Glossary · In briefuptimeUptime is the time during which software, a server or another service is available and usable, usually expressed as a percentage of an agreed measurement period.Read more and maintenance windows. Both parties know what to expect from each other during service delivery.
What does an SLA contain?
An SLA first defines the service and its boundaries. It then sets measurable commitments, such as an availability percentage or time to respond to a report. It often defines incident categories, when the response-time clock starts and applicable exceptions. Planned maintenance might be excluded from Glossary · In briefdowntimeDowntime is the period when software, a system or an online service is unavailable or its essential functions cannot be used.Read more calculations.
The customer and provider also specify how performance is measured and reported. Glossary · In briefmonitoringMonitoring systematically tracks software, infrastructure or processes through measurements and checks. Deviations can trigger alerts so an administrator can investigate.Read more can provide availability and incident data. An SLA may describe who reports an incident, how escalation works and what happens if the agreed level is missed.
An SLA does not guarantee nothing will go wrong
An availability target of 99.9 percent does not mean a service never fails. It provides a measurable standard over an agreed period. The measurement method, exceptions and consequences of deviations determine what that standard means in practice.
An SLA usually covers service after software enters use. Warranties for delivery defects, new functionality and work under a Glossary · In briefretainerA retainer is an ongoing agreement in which a client regularly reserves a service provider's capacity for recurring work, such as software maintenance, support or development.Read more are separate agreements. They can sit alongside an SLA in the same contract or engagement.