Service Level Agreements and what you’re covered for!
Rest easy know that when you have a Service Level Agreement also known as SLA you’re going to get an agreed service at an agreed level in an agreement that defines exactly what is covered and what isnt.
With the large number of businesses we meet it is surprising how many of them do not ask for a commitment from there software and hardware providers. Additionally we often find that the software and hardware service providers do not offer a guarantee or have an SLA document that we can review for our clients.
We have also come to believe that many businesses don’t ask for an agreement nor do they make it a requirement when making a purchasing decision. If you haven’t thought about this then it will cost you. I have thought I would never use the service of DUI Attorney Cherokee County, but there is always a first time. The same is with business agreement, you never know when you need it.
What insurances do you have? Without an SLA from all hardware and software vendors certain business insurances won’t cover you! In the last six months two insurance companies have audited two of our partners managed under our Proactive Service and Support solution. Both clients found themselves having to negotiate SLA’s with there software vendors as they historically didn’t get a commitment from them even though we ask for there SLA’s. Because they were already paying for Maintenace it was clear there SLA deals were not as good as they could have been.
SLA’s will save you money! Often we find businesses paying for double the coverage as both vendors provide the same service however they haven’t defined it in writing so in the event of a failure neither knows what is what so instead of worrying about who is responsible they simply charge for the service anyway.
SLA’s will make you money! In the event a service level is not met an agreement with a provider will define what is calculated as compensation. The most common example of this can be seen with Internet Service Providers. Often when a client goes down for more than 30 minutes we make it a task to get compensation in the form of credit on the next internet bill. Often the amount can be the total month bill!