What is Service Level Agreement?
Quick answer
A service level agreement (SLA) defines the performance standards a vendor must meet — uptime, response times, support hours — along with the remedies (usually service credits) if they fail.
A service level agreement (SLA) defines the performance standards a vendor must meet — uptime, response times, support hours — along with the remedies (usually service credits) if they fail.
Examples
- 99.9% monthly uptime with a 10% credit for the month if missed.
- 4-hour response time for critical support tickets.
- Bandwidth and latency guarantees in a hosting contract.
Why this matters
BeforeSigning flags SLAs whose remedies are so small they don't actually incentivize the vendor to meet them.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Service Level Agreement?
A service level agreement (SLA) defines the performance standards a vendor must meet — uptime, response times, support hours — along with the remedies (usually service credits) if they fail.
When does Service Level Agreement matter?
BeforeSigning flags SLAs whose remedies are so small they don't actually incentivize the vendor to meet them.
What's an example of Service Level Agreement?
99.9% monthly uptime with a 10% credit for the month if missed. 4-hour response time for critical support tickets. Bandwidth and latency guarantees in a hosting contract.
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