This excerpt from the upcoming book, SQL Server 2008 Administration in Action, introduces the role of service-level agreements (SLAs) as part of a DBA's overall strategy to maintaining reliable ...

Q: Our agency has been selected to handle business travel for a major corporation in our area. The corporate travel manager has told us that the corporation wants a written contract with a "service ...

Many IT administrators aren’t comfortable handing over control of the most critical security components of their infrastructure. But in recent years, security outsourcing has become a popular and ...

Before you sign on the dotted line and commit to an ASP, be sure you know exactly what kind of service you'll be guaranteed You've heard the application service provider (ASP) hype, and you're finally ...

Over a career in information technology spanning multiple decades, I have observed that many IT organizations have focused process improvement and measurement almost exclusively on software ...

In reviewing someone's data processing operation the first thing you ask for is the service level agreement [SLA] because that's the preeminent control used in that type of organization. Like all DP ...

Though service level agreements (SLAs) have proved their importance for business reputation and project success, many IT vendors still doubt that SLAs have any relevance for them. Meanwhile, IT ...

Service Level Agreements are used to define what’s an acceptable level of service delivered by IT to the business unit. In theory, and too often in practice, if the SLA numbers are good, by definition ...

When it comes to cost savings, discounts and credits for poor service most people operate on a “more is better” principle. Is this really the best approach for service-level agreement credits? Most ...

Enforcement of service level agreements (SLAs) could be supercharged through real-time alerts flagging violations and risky ...