An SLA (service level agreement) sets out how well and how fast a provider must deliver and react, and what happens if the agreement is broken.
SLA stands for service level agreement. It is an agreement between you and a provider about how well and how fast the provider must deliver. It turns vague promises into clear numbers. And it says what happens if the provider does not keep them.
What does an SLA contain?
- Response time: How quickly the provider reacts when you report a fault. Often split by how serious the fault is.
- Solution time: How quickly the fault must be fixed, or a workaround found.
- Opening hours: Whether support covers office hours only or around the clock.
- Uptime: How large a share of the time the service must be available.
- Reporting: How you see whether the numbers have been met.
- Consequences: What happens if the provider misses the targets, for example a credit on the bill.
How to read an SLA
Look at the details. A response time of one hour is not much worth if it only applies on weekdays from nine to four. And high uptime means little if planned maintenance is not counted. Ask how faults are rated, and who decides it. Ask also how you reach a person at night.
SLA for Domino and Notes
When you buy Domino hosting or Notes support, the SLA decides what you can expect. Good questions are:
- Is there server monitoring around the clock, and who reacts?
- How fast is a new fix pack installed when there is a security hole?
- How fast can a database be restored from backup?
Read more in our guide on what to demand of Domino hosting.
Why does it matter?
Notes often runs systems the business cannot do without. When they stop, every hour costs money. An SLA makes it clear what you pay for, and it gives you a basis for a talk when things do not work as agreed.