What Should A Credit Union Look For In An SLA?

by Bud Hobeck

Credit Union Provider SLA – Service Level Agreements

If you are looking for any managed services for your credit union a Service Level Agreement (SLA) is an integral item that you need to have in place to ensure you receive the level of service that you require from the provider.  This post will help you know what to look for in an SLA.

To begin with an SLA is part of the contract where services are formally documented.  It can refer to the delivery time of service or performance as well as define mean time between failures (MTBF), mean time to repair (MTTR) or recovery data rates, throughput, jitter or similar metrics.  An SLA also documents common understanding for services, priorities, responsibilities, guarantees and warranties.  It may also specify availability, serviceability, performance, operation or billing.

Primary SLA Content:

• Services to be delivered
• Performance, Tracking and Reporting
• Problem Management
• Fees, Expenses, Compensation, Credits
• Customer Responsibilities
• Termination

Delivered services are self explanatory but detail of the service should be documented.  Telecom service providers should document latency and packet loss guarantees.  Other providers can provide items as previously referred to such as MTBF and MTTR.

continue reading »