Develop a Data Center Infrastructure SLA
Consider the data center SLA a pre-nup with the business.
- Service Level Agreements (SLA) are the intersection between the provisioning of bulk data center services at lowest cost, and the measurable (and unmeasurable) business service expectations. Data centers are structured to provide lowest-cost, reliable infrastructure services, repeatedly.
- Data center managers are being asked to agree to SLAs with the business units, which have stated expectations beyond the structured delivery of delivered services.
- Most internal data center SLA efforts are focused on the failure of services. This creates an SLA process that is oriented towards penalties after the service failure rather than continuous improvement to prevent service failures.
- Tension between traditional SLA wording and business expectations results in most internal data center SLAs being ineffective at providing a framework to facilitate a dialog about service delivery.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- An SLA in its simplest terms provides a definition of performance for a service, so the provider and customer have clear expectations within the relationship. But in reality, the key to a sound SLA goes beyond strict performance measurement of quantitative metrics.
- While 60% of organizations do NOT have a formal data center infrastructure SLA implemented, they agree that the business has informal service level expectations. SLA or not, organizations that are successful in managing service levels have a formal process in place to measure, monitor, and report service levels.
- This solution set will provide guidance on the governance of business alignment through the use of an SLA. It provides actionable tools and insight to help the data center through phases of SLA management.
Impact and Result
- Ensure that an SLA is necessary before making the commitment. Consistent service levels can be accomplished without a handshake with the business.
- Identify and implement metrics that match service level and business alignment goals to maximize effectiveness. Create reasonable targets that are based on historical service level data, to avoid making promises that can’t be kept.
- Conduct a quarterly review meeting within IT to review and update performance targets or the SLA.
About Info-Tech
Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.
We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.
What Is a Blueprint?
A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.
Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.
Talk to an Analyst
Our analyst calls are focused on helping our members use the research we produce, and our experts will guide you to successful project completion.
Book an Analyst Call on This Topic
You can start as early as tomorrow morning. Our analysts will explain the process during your first call.
Get Advice From a Subject Matter Expert
Each call will focus on explaining the material and helping you to plan your project, interpret and analyze the results of each project step, and set the direction for your next project step.
Unlock Sample ResearchContributors
- Affiliated Computer Services
- AOC Resins
- Info Tech Research Group
- 227 Anonymous survey respondents
- DHS Systems LLC
Outsource Systems Management to Improve Capabilities and Reduce Costs
Implement Systems Management to Improve Availability and Visibility
Optimize the IT Operations Center