The growing importance of IT for the strategic differentiation of companies has multiplied, in recent years, the number of support service providers in this area. It has also multiplied the responsibility of managers and analysts during the choice of who will take care of the company’s IT infrastructure. After all, a minimal inconsistency in your systems can generate irreversible losses to the entire organization.
In this sense, the SLA in outsourced service contracts for the IT area becomes important. Learn more about this agreement and avoid headaches in the future.
Nature of support contracts in the IT area
Many computer service provision contracts are confusing and lack precise references of what should be done. The reason for this lack of objectivity lies in the fact that we are talking about services whose quality levels carry a certain intangibility, which results in difficulty in measurement and a lack of pragmatism and clarity, which usually generates wear and tear in the provider-client relationship and, ultimately, contract termination. This is where the benefits of an SLA come in.
What is an SLA?
Service Level Agreement – SLA, is the name given to the specifications, in measurable and objective terms, regarding what exact obligations the IT service provider will have to fulfill during the term of the support contract. This guarantee must include the level of service availability, deadline commitments, as well as performance goals.
Developing a good SLA
An efficient SLA must contain all the client’s expectations regarding what will be executed by the service provider. What should be done, how long the provision should be carried out, percentage rates of availability, hours when the service must be operational, exclusion situations (exceptions in the service performance level), support hours, etc. These are just some items that must obligatorily be present in the SLA. It is worth remembering that there is even the possibility of applying a fine in case of non-compliance with the Service Level Agreement.
It must be emphasized that the SLA must also contain the responsibilities of the contracting party (the agreement is bilateral).
Advantages of the SLA
- Greater security in the quality of the service executed by the provider;
- Reduction of conflicts between client and provider;
- Increase in the efficiency of the services provided;
- Reduction in unavailability levels;
- Greater security also for the service provider, who cannot be charged for what is not in the document.
SLA and the IT Manager
For IT analysts and managers, developing an SLA is essential to ensure the quality of services provided in the computing area. We know that, in the case of hiring freelance professionals, it is much harder to exercise any type of control, which can result in inefficient service provision and, depending on the professional’s lack of knowledge, even damage to the entire IT structure. Therefore, it is not worth handing over your IT project into just anyone’s hands, do you agree?
And you, do you have service provision contracts governed by SLA? Do you have any questions about the topic? Share with us!
