Single Tool For Monitoring Your Entire System

You use a lot of different web apps, so your system would need different monitoring tool to do justice to each of the apps. Right? Wrong. A single tool can do a good job of monitoring your system just as well, if it is designed effectively.

How do you define a single and yet effective monitoring tool for all the apps within your system?

Monitoring tools should be able to provide you with information in a form that is easy to understand; they should provide information about the performance of your systems and raise flags, if needed.

Monitoring simplified: Your system monitoring tool should not be too complex to deploy. It should combine ease of use and simplicity along with the ability to monitor key areas within the system. Ease of use together with ease of visibility when reading reports can be a vital factor in the efficacy of your monitoring tool. Reports can be in the form of graphs denoting statistics; for elements like transactions within a given time frame, percentages and graphs can provide data quickly and in a form that is easy to read. Remember, system monitoring can include both, overall performance reports and deeper, detailed reports.

Ease of access: System monitoring tools that come with customized dashboards or access can help you set performance metrics and customize the tool to meet your needs. Ideally, you should also be able to see various components within your application and how they interact with each other.

This is better managed without the use of complicated codes or interfaces. Choose a monitoring tool that allows you a simple interface as well as set monitoring parameters for your system.

Follow key actions, business transactions, SLA compliance: Your monitoring tool must track and report on the key transactions and adherence to SLA, apart from monitoring the entire system. This can raise alerts at the right time, without allowing the user experience to be disrupted.

Ensuring an Effective Service Level Agreement

Drafting a Service Level Agreement (SLA)? Make sure it is an effective one. An SLA will set the standards for the service quality and the route taken to achieve it. Service Level Agreements can be complicated to establish and if not well-defined, prone to non-compliance as well.

Outlining or Defining expectations

As a first step, defining the basic expectations from the project is important. After the project expectations are listed out clearly, the vendor can also decide whether or not they can be met. Both, the client and the vendor need to spell out the expectations in the beginning of the Service Level Agreement and the ability to meet them.

Defining the process

The client can also define the process they would like to be followed. This must be spelled out in the beginning of the Service Level Agreement; if pursued later, it can be dismissed as a communication lapse. Defining the process is important if the client wants the project to be executed a certain way. It can also help clear out confusions regarding client expectations and pave the way for clearer outlining of goals.

The meeting point

The Service Level Agreement should also serve as a meeting point, ideally. SLAs are primarily the bridge between the technical team creating the solutions and the business team representing customer needs. Only when both reach a meeting point, can the solution be termed as an effective one. The SLA needs to be drafted keeping in mind goals that are achievable in terms of IT services management. At this point, the agreement also needs to be reviewed and any omissions or changes addressed.

Service Level Agreement And Its Significance

A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is an important document that records specifics of a deliverable or project from inception to end.

Service Level Agreements are significant sources of data and information, including keeping track of goals met and conditions not fulfilled. An SLA is a necessary component in cases where critical projects and final-stage deliverables are handed over to an external vendor.

While drafting an SLA might be more of a norm than exception, when you draft a Service Level Agreement, you set down rules that determine how work will be measured and performance be monitored nd measured. Further, SLA will also eventually determine the quality of services provided by the vendor.

Why do I need one?

It's a good idea to create a Service Level Agreement because it does not leave anything to chance or expectations. An SLA brings together parties involved in an agreement, outlining details involving work, resources and deadlines. Typically, an SLA will outline in writing the expectations and the responsibilities of both parties. Thus, while the party that needs the work done has a clear idea of what it will be receiving, while the vendor or party that will execute the project provides the customer with a true estimate of its capabilities.

In this manner, the expectations of services and work to be received are legally bound and no longer open to individual interpretation. Thus, one party cannot tell the other that it is not doing work properly, or that work is not going as per schedule. In terms of high-value contracts, where significant amounts of money change hands, an SLA can prevent miscommunication and misunderstanding. Thus, a Service Level Agreement protects the interests of involved parties in the agreement.

Elements of a Service Level Agreement

Typically, an SLA will contain two kinds of elements: the service element and the management element. Service elements include:

- Availability and provision of customer requirements. In the case of a particular service being unavailable, the vendor may propose an alternate, which can then be assessed for feasibility

- Costs for different services and requests

- Deadline and timeframe for processing the request is also part of the SLA

- Outlining troubleshooting or steps to be taken in case of requirements not being met

Management elements include:

- Clearly defined procedures and processes, including mutually agreed-upon methods

- A dispute-resolution process in the case of conflict

- A clause that provides protection from third-party litigation that may arise out of failure to adhere to agreement

About the Author:

Tevron develops and delivers powerful and comprehensive Application Monitoring Solutions, Service Level Agreement, End to End Performance, and Automated Testing Solutions available globally. One of it's solutions, APM solution, addresses Service Level Agreement enforcement for all applications in an organization. APM solution also helps to regularize SLA reporting. Tevron's solutions are scalable, flexible, and easy to maintain; they are also designed to support diverse environments, business processes and applications with a service oriented management.

Service Level Agreements: Some features and advantages

A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is an important step for establishing a business engagement. When a Service Level Agreement is signed between a vendor and a client, it contains the parameters which will guide the business relationship. A SLA defines the deliverables, priorities, responsibilities and guarantees/warranties associated with the services provided. Service Level Agreements are particularly important for IT service vendors, as buyers specifically look for vendors who define the terms and conditions and roadmap for achieving the deadline of the project from the start. Having established standards and procedures to follow will also allow effective IT service management and performance testing for all business applications. Vendors who wish to get outsourcing projects from IT companies need to have a strong Service Level Agreement to convince them to outsource to them. Forming, tracking and managing SLAs is also an important aspect of the business engagement.

The IT service industry gives particular importance to a Service Level Agreement in all its contracts. Critical business functions depend on softwares and a single malfunction in IT operations can severely damage the bottom line and business functionality. It is hence very important to have a defined process and strict rules to ensure that the promised IT services will be delivered. A Service Level Agreement helps define these processes and regulated the business engagement. It not only helps in IT service management, but is also a good tool for performance testing.

Features of a good Service Level Agreement

A Service Level Agreement is generally customized according to a client’s requirement and hence differs from client to client. However, an effective SLA has some common key aspects. 5 of the most important aspects an SLA should include are:

• Definition what services are being provided


• What the measurement criteria for services will be


• Method of delivery of services


• Action to be taken if the provider fails to deliver as promised


• What the quality standards of the services will be

Advantages of having a SLA

The vendor and the client both benefit from having a Service Level Agreement in place before the start of the project. Some of the important advantages a SLA are:

• Documented evidence of business engagement


• Defines what the quality expectation will be


• Defines the implementation of the agreement


• Becomes a referring point in case of disagreement between both parties


• Gives a standard against which the quality of the services can be measured


• The goals and methodology are clarified from the start

Developing a Service Level Agreement? Some Steps to Ensure it is an Effective One

Service level agreements are an important part of business engagements between a client and a service provider. They establish the levels of services that the client expects and the service provider delivers. A service level agreement is especially important for businesses which use applications for business-critical activities. A single malfunction affecting the application performance can have a direct impact on the bottom line of the business. A SLA basically sets the expectation for quality of service which is deliverable and creates a roadmap on how to achieve it. In the later part of the service contract, a SLA can help in IT Service Management as well.

That said, establishing a service level agreement is a complicated process, which needs to be handled properly. Some steps for developing an effective SLA are as follows:

Get the Basic Info Right

The first step to developing an effective service level agreement is gathering the basic info. This needs to be done by both the client and the service provider. Both parties need to ensure that the client’s expectations and the service provider’s deliverables match. If this basic information is not collected properly, the service level agreement is meaningless.

Define the Process for Working Together

This is the most important step of developing a service level agreement. There are bound to be differences in the communication style, expectations and working methods between the client and the service provider, which need to be solved at this stage. Only when there is a defined process of overcoming differences, can an effective service level agreement be chalked out. On the basis of the agreed terms, the client can then go ahead with Business Service Management for his/her business.

Consensus

In many cases, the clients and service providers may have a varied viewpoint on what the service level agreement can achieve. Don’t let the negotiations break down due to your strong viewpoint; keep the possibilities of discussion open so you can develop an effective SLA and meet IT Service Management goals. At this stage, iron out all differences of opinion and develop the SLA further.

Develop the SLA

Next comes developing the structure and content of the service level agreement. This will take up some time, as it consists of discussions and negotiations regarding the terms and conditions to be included in the SLA. After the first draft is created, the people who are responsible from the client and service provider’s side need to review and offer suggestions for it. After all the required revisions are made, the service level agreement can be finalized.

Apply the SLA

Once the service level agreement has been applied, its management is also an important aspect. The client and the service provider should elect a member each, who can be the point of contact in case of any problems related to the SLA. In addition to this, reviews of the SLA and modifications and enhancement in services provided should also be taken care of.

Business Service Management and its Benefits

Business Service Management (BSM) helps businesses in understanding how IT services can be used, benefited from and improvised. Through Business Service Management, IT managers can monitor applications so that they can foresee and deal with application outages. In large organizations, in case of an outage, it is important to know exactly which department is going to be affected in order to prevent major impact. IT managers also need to ensure that Service Level Agreement conditions are met by ensuring that all business-critical applications are available and error-free. Business Service Management helps IT managers in doing this by tracking, monitoring and managing the investment and operational part of the information technology to make sure that they are in the interests of business. BSM hence intersects the IT processes with the business processes in order to ensure that the IT infrastructure gives maximum benefit to the business.

Business Service Management solutions are not only useful to IT managers, but also business managers. Business managers can quickly analyze the business impact of downtime and deal with clients accordingly. IT managers can then take action to solve that problem and avoid a breach in Service Level Agreements. Using Business Service Management solutions, IT managers can see on a real time basis, where the problem has occurred and which departments will be impacted by it. With this information, IT managers can then plan on how to resolve the problem and which area to target first. This helps them ensure that conditions of Service Level Agreements are not breached.

Business Service Management helps organizations in many ways:

• Business managers can allocate resources efficiently with the help of BSM
• With a Business Service Management solution, business managers can understand the business impact of system failure
• Service Level Agreement conditions can be met successfully
• The root cause of the problem in any application can be pinpointed and a solution can be found quickly
• A Business Service Management solution can help avoid considerable loss in costs
• Businessmen can alert clients in case there is a critical outage
• IT managers can allot work according to priorities to get the problem solved quickly
• Business Service Management solutions give visibility to IT infrastructure, which can help with better management of business resources

5 Steps To Developing A Service Level Agreement

An important characteristic of completing a business engagement is the service level agreement entered into by the customer and the service provider. SLAs set forth the service levels expected by the customers and deliverable by the service provider. They are especially of importance in businesses in which mission-critical services are supported by applications/softwares and a single malfunction in the IT operations can damage the bottom line of the business in a major way. A service level agreement determines the terms and conditions of the services and creates a roadmap for achieving the goals of the project. SLAs can provide the network administrator with complete details on application availability and is a great tool to application monitoring and performance testing.

However, the process of determining a service level agreement is lengthy and complicated. Industry experts recommend a step by step process for developing a SLA which is explained below.

1. Basic Information
   

Gathering of basic information on part of both the customer and the service provider is the first step in developing a service level agreement. Before any commitments are made in the SLA, the customer needs to spell out his requirements clearly and the service provider needs to verify whether meeting those service requirements is realistically possible. Without this basic understanding, a service level agreement cannot be successful.



2. Establish the Process of Working Together
   

This is a critical step in establishing a service level agreement. When there are two parties involved, there are bound to be differences in communication style, expectations, working method etc. When these differences are identified upfront, the process of working in tandem with each other is easier to chalk out. Once this process is worked out, the exact steps to be taken will be known and the service level agreement will have greater chances of success.



3. Consensus
   

Many times, customers and service providers have two very different viewpoints regarding what a service level agreement can achieve. Negotiations for SLAs are known to have broken down due to differences in viewpoints. It would help this purpose if both the concerned parties hold an open discussion to ensure that their viewpoints match. Any differences in expectations can then be ironed out at this stage and the service level agreement can be developed further.



4. Develop and Approve the Final Draft
   

This step involves developing the structure and content of the service level agreement. This is a time-consuming process, with customer as well as the service provider discussing, negotiating, and after a time arriving to the conclusion regarding the terms and conditions to be included in the service level agreement. Even after the draft is created, members of both the parties who are responsible for the success of the SLA should be allowed to review it and offer suggestions. After such discussions and revisions, the service level agreement can be finalized.



5. Applying and Managing the Service Level Agreement
   

Even after application of the service level agreement, its management remains an important aspect. There should be a member from both parties who has to be a point of contact in case of problems related to the SLA. In addition to this, constant reviews with regards to services provided, modifications in the existing service level agreement, enhancements to the services provided etc. need to be taken care of through the management of SLAs. Finally the teams at both ends need to be taken into confidence so that they help achieve the goals of the service level agreement.

Developing and entering into a service level agreement is a complex process and requires a lot of attention. Through the above-mentioned steps, a successful service level agreement can be developed and entered into.