Simple definition
A commitment defining a level of service expected between a supplier and a customer.
Technical definition
Service Level Agreement specifies indicators such as availability, time to support, recovery time or maintenance windows.
What is it used for ?
Establish measurable objectives and clarify responsibilities.
Practical example
A contract may provide for 99.9% monthly availability and critical incident management within 30 minutes.
Common issues
- Indicators not measurable
- SLA confused with internal objective
- misdefined or poorly defined timetables
Related terms
RTO
Key takeaway: This entry explains the general operation of the term. Exact settings may vary depending on software, vendors and environments.