Service Level Agreements (SLA) for cloud computing is not something to overlook.  They act as both the blueprint and warranty for cloud computing.

There is an article written for Educause Quarterly by Thomas J. Trappler called “If It’s in the Cloud, Get it on Paper: Cloud Computing Contract Issues” where he points out great tips on SLAs and what they should include.

Technology will always have it’s unexpected or unanticipated challenges.  There must be some sort of ground rules to make sure you are getting what you paid for.  There are numerous challenges that come along with cloud computing, whether it’s network, security issues, or even regulatory changes. 

Companies must have some sort of plan when things go badly, so that a minimum level of service is maintained.  Businesses cannot function if there computing systems are down. 

In order to consistently develop an effective SLA, a list of important criteria needs to be established. Let’s start with an initial list:

• Availability (e.g. 99.99% during work days, 99.9% for nights/weekends)
• Performance (e.g. maximum response times)
• Security / privacy of the data (e.g. encrypting all stored and transmitted data)
• Disaster Recovery expectations (e.g. worse case recovery commitment)
• Location of the data (e.g. consistent with local legislation)
• Access to the data (e.g. data retrievable from provider in readable format)
• Portability of the data (e.g. ability to move data to a different provider)
• Process to identify problems and resolution expectations (e.g. call center)
• Change Management process (e.g. changes – updates or new services)
• Dispute mediation process (e.g. escalation process, consequences)
• Exit Strategy with expectations on the provider to ensure smooth transition

Microsoft has designed Office 365 to deliver reliability, availability, and performance with a guaranteed 99.9% uptime, financially backed SLA.

Here is exactly what they have to say about their SLAs:

[Direct Quote]

“Business class security and reliability:

Office 365 is built from the ground up for reliability, availability, and performance. Our proven service is powered by the same Microsoft email and collaboration products that businesses of all sizes have been using for decades.

Financially backed guarantee:

Office 365 is designed to deliver reliability, availability, and performance with a guaranteed 99.9% uptime, financially backed service level agreement (SLA).

Safeguard your data:

Office 365 helps safeguard your critical data with geo-redundant, enterprise-grade reliability and disaster recovery with multiple datacenters and automatic failovers and a strict privacy policy.

Protect your email:

The most current antivirus and anti-spam solutions help protect your email 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Sounds pretty good, huh?