Service Level Agreement and Cloud Computing Services

Service Level Agreement is an important part of Cloud Computing Services like SaaS, PaaS and IaaS. As a customer of any Cloud Computing Services, you must understand this Service Level Agreement. Previously we have published articles on Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) etc. However, this article has more to do with Service Level Agreement than Cloud Computing Services itself.

What is Service Level Agreement

Service Level Agreement, also known by the acronym SLA. Service Level Agreement?is a contract in written form between a service provider and customer in order to set the agreed level for the quality of the service. The ANS is a tool that helps both parties reach a consensus in terms of level of service quality in areas such as response time, availability, available documents, personnel assigned to the service and so on. ANS basically establishes the relationship between both parties: supplier and customer. An ANS identifies and defines the client’s needs while controlling their service expectations regarding the ability of the supplier, provides a framework for understanding, simplifying complex issues, reduce areas of conflict.

Service Level Agreement?also provides a benchmark for continuous improvement , as the power properly measure service levels is the first step to improve and thus increase the quality indices.

Description of?Service Level Agreement

Service Level Agreement?is a negotiated agreement between two parties where one of them is the client and the other a service provider. These agreements can be legally bound, or be an informal contract (inter-departmental relationships). Contracts between providers and third party are usually and incorrectly, also called ANS, although the level of service has been defined by the initial client and therefore the agreement between third parties is not more than a contract .

Yahoo! Messenger's Agreement Window Icon

The ANS define a common understanding about services, priorities, responsibilities and guarantees. Each service area must have a defined Service Level Agreement, which includes levels of availability, service performance or other attributes of the service, such as billing. The level of service can also be specified as a target and minimum so that users can know what to expect (minimum), while providing an objective that shows the level of performance. Some contracts may include penalties for breach of the ANS. It is important to note that the agreements relate to services received by the user, but not as the provider offers that service.

Cloud Computing and?Service Level Agreement

As we can clearly see that the different Services provided by the Cloud Computing providers actually go through a?Service Level Agreement, often the customer in online case needs to tick “I Agree” box and then continue. It is very important to read the whole content of?Service Level Agreement, and if you are using the?Cloud Computing Service for a serious work, like a Government or Public Service on behalf of the parties as an employee or for your Company with a good Return, it is better to interpret the?Service Level Agreement by an Attorney before signing or clicking “I Agree”. We also recommend to read Cloud Computing Industry Reports, News Archive, Outsourcing published by BrotherSoft.