1. Service Level Management SLM Concepts Explained Copyright 2002 Easytec Solutions

2. Why is SLM Important? ITIL have issued best practice information statements on SLM that have achieved recognition worldwide SLM forms the basis for all Service Level Agreements Implementing SLM best practice ensures quality services for your organisation

3. Definition of SLM SLM is the management and organisation of IT processes, controls and procedures to ensure satisfactory levels of IT services are delivered to all IT users at an acceptable cost. IT Service levels are normally defined in terms of responsiveness, performance, processing time, security and availability.

4. IT Service Level Attributes Must be attainable Must be cost effective Must meet business needs Must be supported by negotiated SLAs Must be measurable Must be monitored Must be agreed by all parties

5. Components of SLM Availability Measurement Performance Reporting Security Service support Service level agreements

6. SLM requires you to: Define the business need Define the services Commence discussions with users Negotiate the SLAs Manage the SLAs Upgrade service quality continuously

7. Availability The availability of the services must be precisely defined Allowance should be made for planned unavailability Availability targets should be set Disruptive incidents need to be predicted and managed Expectations must be realistic

8. Measurement & Performance All services must be capable of measurement Service levels are to be constantly monitored and analysed Actual performance is to be compared to target performance Availability, response times, problem resolution time, processing speed, development response time all requires to be measured Customer/user satisfaction must be measured

9. Reporting A comprehensive reporting process should be designed to enable the User and Provider to regularly review service level performance Reporting must be accurate, current and meaningful Reports should be provided on a daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly basis

10. Security Managing the security process is a critical part of SLM As all persons in the organisation are involved in the security process and in safeguarding the organisations information and IT systems – awareness is a big issue IT Security management includes risk analysis, network security, cyber-crime, email and internet usage, data backups, disaster recovery and business continuity measures.

11. Service Support Service support is an important part of problem and incident management The Service Desk is a key component in the service support process and the first point of contact for user and customer problems. The success of the Service Desk and service support activities is a major factor in the delivery of quality service levels.

12. Service Level Agreements Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are the means to enforce SLM processes SLAs provide an agreed framework for the delivery of services and the measurement of service quality SLAs are negotiated between the provider and the user to ensure that the expectations of service are realistic and within the provider’s capabilities SLAs provide detailed specifications of services to be delivered, the costs of delivering those services, the service availability, problem management criteria and performance measurement