A service level agreement is an integral part in any business partnership, as it defines the relationship between the vendor and the client. One small malfunction in IT operations can affect the bottom line of businesses. To prevent such malfunctions, clients as well as vendors prefer to sign service level agreements in order to define the rules and regulations and ensure the delivery of promised IT services.

1. Service Level Agreement – The Basis
For a Good Business Partnership
A service level agreement is an integral part in any business partnership, as it defines the relationship
between the vendor and the client. A SLA is a written contract which determines the parameters for
services including responsibilities, deliverables, priorities and guarantees/warranties. Clients looking for
IT services generally prefer IT vendors who make service level agreements with a clear roadmap of how
to achieve goals of the project along as well as clarity regarding the terms and conditions of the service.
Any IT company seeking the services of an outsourcing company would prefer to sign a SLA with the
vendor company.
Service level agreements make IT service management very easy, especially in the IT industry, wherein
clients are concerned about any downtime in mission-critical softwares supporting their business. One
small malfunction in IT operations can affect the bottom line of businesses. To prevent such
malfunctions, clients as well as vendors prefer to sign service level agreements in order to define the
rules and regulations and ensure the delivery of promised IT services.
A SLA gives the network administrator the complete details on application availability and is a great way
of measuring application performance. Administrators can also undertake IT service management by
utilizing the appropriate monitoring tools to ensure that the services meet SLA criteria.
Service level agreements are customized according to the client’s requirements and essentially differ
from case to case. However, it is worth examining here what an SLA generally consists of. Some of the
important aspects of a SLA are:
* Description of the services being promised
* Methods through which the services will be delivered
* Criteria through which delivered services will be measured
* Quality standards of the services promised
* Line of action in case of failure of delivery
Having a service level agreement is applicable and advantageous to both the client as well as the
vendor. IT administrators strive to ensure application availability and application performance so that it
meets the SLA criteria. It lays down the basic rules for both parties concerned and becomes a point of
reference in case of discrepancies. Some of the major advantages of a SLA are:
* It is an evidence of the agreement between the two parties
Tevron, LLC
402 Amherst Street, Suite 103 Nashua, NH 03063
Tel: 866.788.3650 Fax: 702.947.6553
www.tevron.com

2. * Enables IT service management
* Sets a criteria for quality of services provided
* Paves the way for methods to be followed for delivery of services
* Makes the terms and conditions clear in case of discrepancies between both parties
* Clarifies goals to be achieved
* Creates a standard in the level of service
* Becomes a point of comparison for service improvement
Tevron is a global leader in providing APM solutions which help in meeting service level agreements. By
supporting every application across the enterprise, Tevron’s solutions help IT administrators in
conducting effective IT service management.
TRADEMARKS
Tevron, the Tevron logo, and CitraTest are registered trademarks of Tevron, LLC. All other product
references herein are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Tevron, LLC
402 Amherst Street, Suite 103 Nashua, NH 03063
Tel: 866.788.3650 Fax: 702.947.6553
www.tevron.com