IT Service-Level Management

IT service-level management (SLM) is the process that ensures IT services are delivered according to the agreed-upon levels. It involves defining, negotiating, monitoring, and managing service levels for IT services to meet the business’s needs. SLM is ensured by way of a service-level agreement (SLA).

An SLA is a formal document that outlines the specific measurable commitments (or service levels) that the IT service provider agrees to meet. The following are some of the important aspects of SLM:

• An SLA defines the nature, expectations, escalations, and other relevant information for the services being offered.
• The SLA should be documented in non-technical terms and should serve as the basis for measuring and monitoring services.
• The following characteristics should be considered to define an SLA:
  • Accuracy
  • Completeness
  • Timeliness
  • Security
• It is very important to monitor service levels at regular intervals to ensure that the objective...