Metrics should reflect only factors under the appropriate control of the service provider. Measurements must also be easy to collect. In addition, both parties should refuse to choose excessive amounts of metrics or measurements that produce large amounts of data. However, the inclusion of too few metrics can also be problematic, as the absence of a metric could draw the view as if the treaty had been violated. The measures are intended to motivate good behaviour. In defining metrics, both parties should keep in mind that the purpose of metrics is to motivate appropriate behavior on behalf of the service provider and customer. A service level agreement allows a supplier and a buyer to agree on a minimum of customer satisfaction. It defines the essential requirements and options available to the buyer if the SLA is not met. If certain vendor standards and practices are important to the success of your business, you should consider a service level agreement as a way to minimize your business risk.

For example, Internet service providers and telecommunications companies will typically include service level agreements in the terms of their contracts with customers to define the service level(s) sold in plain language. Wikipedia As applications are moved from dedicated hardware to the cloud, they must achieve the same or even more demanding service levels as traditional installations. SLAs for cloud services focus on data center characteristics and more recently include network features (see carrier cloud) to support end-to-end SLAs. [11] Service level agreements do not guarantee compliance. If an agreement is negotiated with management and then buried somewhere in a file, the person actually doing the work may not be aware of the expectations under which they are working. Thus, compliance with the basic standards and metrics that apply to the task will help ensure compliance. SLAs set customer expectations for the performance and quality of the service provider in different ways. Some metrics that can be indicated in SLAs include: overall, an SLA typically contains a statement of objectives, a list of services covered by the agreement, and a definition of the responsibilities of the service provider and the customer under the SLA. The [service provider`s] coverage of the service, as described in this agreement, follows the schedule indicated below: The proactive (or preventive) work would be the facility inspection we mentioned in our first example, where the provider knows they need to perform a regular check…