What is ITIL SLA and why you should know its meaning!

What does SLA mean?

The abbreviation SLA stands for Service Level Agreement. Simply put, it is an agreement describing a level of service. This contract exists between an IT service provider and his client and documents what services the provider will render as well as the service standards he is obligated to meet. The client on the other side of the agreement can be both a corporate entity or a single consumer.

What does ITIL mean?

The abbreviation ITIL stands for Information Technology Infrastructure Library. It contains best practice processes for delivering IT services. ITIL has been developed by the British government’s Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency in the 1980s and has been developed further over time. These days, ITIL is the industry standard in the area of IT service management.

What is ITIL SLA?

Now, that’s easy right? ITIL SLA is a service level agreement (SLA) standardized by the ITIL.

What are different types of ITIL SLA?

Before you decide on how to design your ITIL SLA, you need to define which type of SLA you will use. ITIL proposed three different types of SLAs that differ based on the service or customer level. All three are explained shortly in the following part.

Service Level SLA

A service level SLA is an agreement for all customers that covers one service delivered by the IT service provider. Two departments could be in need of the same IT service. Thus, a service level SLA will be applied.

Customer Based SLA

A customer Based SLA is an agreement with a single customer that covers multiple services delivered by the IT service provider. One department could be in need of multiple IT services. A customer based SLA will be applied.

Multi-Level SLA

In a multi-level SLA, the SLA is split. It combines service level SLA and customer based SLA.

What does an ITIL SLA contain?

SLAs contain the parties involved in the agreement and their responsibilities, the type of service provided and details about it, exceptions to the service, the performance level desired by the customer and to be delivered by the service provider, KPIs and metrics, information about service, support and reporting, and other. Some metrics and details that can be included in an ITIL SLA can be the response time when there is a problem or request by the customer, the resolution time to resolve an issue or the availability of uptime.

Why should you use an ITIL SLA?

An ITIL SLA defines the framework for IT services. A service level agreement (SLA) just like any other legal agreement clarifies the service provided and, most importantly, what you can do if the other party does not fulfil its obligations. An ITIL SLA protects all parties involved in the service because it contains a indemnifying clause.

Other Benefits of ITIL SLA

As mentioned, a service level agreement offers safety for both parties iso that performance is assured on both sides. However, there are more benefits to an ITIL SLA. This agreement can improve the provided service as it gives information about incident resolution or request delivery times. Moreover, an SLA can simplify communication since it regulates service, and the service team can promptly identify what customers expect. Thus, this agreement causes service provider and customer to be on the same page at all times and can help to prevent conflicts about the service.

Overall, ITIL SLAs are an important part for a successful relationship between a service provider and its customers. The regulations about details and expectations about a service lead to transparency and trust for both parties. Each side can be clear about its duties and responsibilities, but also about what it can expect from the other side. With an ITIL SLA, a good working relationship can begin and it should thus be considered by every service provider.