Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE

1

Service Level Agreements: SLAs

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE

PRESENTATIONS IN NETWORK MANAGEMENTPRESENTATIONS IN NETWORK MANAGEMENT

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 2

Objectives / Contents

Understanding SLAs Basic Issues Development of SLAs

Service Level Agreements

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 3

Understanding SLAs

Definition A General View Internal / External Virtual Private Networks: VPNs Value Added Networks: VANs

Service Level Agreements

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 4

Definition of SLA An agreement involving “internal / external“

“parties” concerned with network “problems”

Parties: Users

Services Providers

Resources Suppliers

Problems: Demands

Services

Control

Management

Types: Internal: within the

organization

External: with external

parties

Service Level Agreements

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 5

A General View

SLAs

Services Providers

Resources Suppliers

Users

Contents: Information / SW

Equipment: HW / Networking / Communications

Service Level Agreements

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 6

Internal / External SLAs

Users: Associated with Different Internal Department

Internal SLAs

Internal IT Department: Computer Services / Intranet

External SLAs

Resources Suppliers Services Providers

Service Level Agreements

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 7

VPNs

VPN: Virtual Private Network

• A fully managed network for “private” use.

• It “shares resources” with “other networks”

• Need for SLA

Service Level Agreements

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 8

VANs

VAN: Value Added Network

Additional services provided on existing networks.

Need for SLA

Service Level Agreements

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 9

Basic Issues

Legal Issues Services Issues

Service Level Issues

Service Level Agreements

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 10

Legal Issues (1/2)

Identifying the

“elements” of the

agreement: “basic”,

“technical”, “procedural:

policy”

Basic:

• Parties Involved

• Users (distribution / requirements / demands)

• Providers (products / capabilities / services)

• Period of Agreement

• Language: English / Arabic

Service Level Agreements

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 11

Legal Issues (2/2)

Technical: • Structure / Services

• Operation

• Level of Service

• Help Desk

• Training

• Consultancy

Policy: • Purchase / Lease

• Disputes / Penalties

• Reporting

• Tariff / Billing / Payment

• Internal:

(centralized / distributed)

• External:

(package / per item)

Service Level Agreements

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 12

Services Issues

Supply Maintenance Repair

Call for Repair• Trial Systems

• Installation

• Testing

• Spare Parts

• Support

• Timetable

Response:• Maximum interval to attend.• Availability of skills

• Specifications:

sites

equipment

skills…

• Types

regular

upgrade

Service Level Agreements

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 13

Service Level Issues

Availability Congestion Response

Time to receive an answer

MTBF: Mean Time

Between Failures

MTTR: Mean Time To Repair

Availability:

(99 %)

MTTRMTBF

MTBF

NOS: Number of

Successful Attempts

NOF: Number of

Failures

Congestion:

(99 %)

NOFNOS

NOS

Interactive Use:5 seconds (?)

Non-Interactive

Service Level Agreements

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 14

Development of SLAs

Initiation Phase

Specifications Phase

Documentation Phase

Agreement

Service Level Agreements

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 15

Initiation Phase

User Current State Awareness Drive / Investment Objectives Opportunities /

Problems

Provider Internal / External Regulations Capabilities Experience: Local / International

Willingness

Service Level Agreements

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 16

Specifications Phase

User Expectations Requirements RFP

Legal Issues Services Issues Service Level

Provider Response to RFP Cost Saving

versus Difference Value Added

Services Strategic

Relationships

Service Level Agreements

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 17

Documentation Phase

Joint (User / Provider) Description of Issues with Emphasis on the Following

Services

Service Level / Performance

Fees / Penalties

Service Level Agreements

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 18

Final Agreement

“Provider” Proposes SLA

Joint Refinement

Signing

“User” Reviews SLA

RFP / Response / Documentations

Service Level Agreements

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 19

ConclusionsIssues Legal:

Basic Technical Policy

Services: Supply Maintenance Repair

Service Level: Availability Congestion Response

Service Level Agreements

IInternal / External Management:

Responsibilities

Documentation

Incentives / Penalties

Step

by

Step

Progress

Service Level Agreements

Saad Haj Bakry, PhD, CEng, FIEE 20

References

Telecommunications Management: Operation & Management of Networks, National Computing Centre (NCC) Training, UK.

David Etheridge and Errol Simon, Information Networks: Planning and Design, Prentice Hall, UK.

Service Level Agreements