The importance of Service Level Agreements for IT support

<h1>The importance of Service Level Agreements for IT support</h1>Author: <a title="Phil Adams-Wright" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/phil-adams-wright/152144.htm">Phil Adams-Wright</a> When it comes to IT support for business there are understandably higher demands than a home PC user in terms of how quickly a problem gets solved.  A home PC owner may have an issue or a fault which they need fixing but there’s normally no greater urgency.  With business though companies can lose money for mere minutes where their computer or internet service is down. It is understandable that many businesses will take careful consideration over which company they choose for their IT support as they will need to be responsive to any problem they may have.  A company who suffers any downtime may have one of many problems such as customers unable to reach their website, staff unable to send email and access other documents all of which are critical to the smooth running and profitability of the business. Service Level Agreements should be put in place when signing a deal with an IT support company; they will normally give you a document with their service level agreement on it.  These agreements will determine timeframes which they guarantee a fault will be fixed by such as computers losing connectivity to the internet may need to be resolved within one or two hours. This document will be the agreement between your company and the IT support company to ensure that you are getting the best service out of them and that you have proof of their commitment to your company should any problems or misunderstandings happen. There may be different categories of agreements made such as faults or incidents needing a quicker response time and then other less important issues such as replacement hardware or adding a new workstation to your network which whilst important to the smooth running of your business, there may still be measures in place that the user can be getting on with in the meanwhile. When selecting an IT support team you may want to see previous clients SLAs to get an idea of the service you should expect from them.  By getting similar documents from multiple companies you should be able to find out that is right for the job.  The location of your IT support can affect this response time so it’s always best to make sure that your IT support team are nearby or have technicians operating in your area so they can be called out and working on any problems you may have in a short space of time.About the Author: Phil Adams-Wright has worked in the IT industry for many years and now writes on subjects such as <a href="http://www.hexel.net/">IT Support</a> and network <a href="http://www.hexel.net/cabling.html">cabling</a>
Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/">ArticlesBase.com</a> - <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/networks-articles/the-importance-of-service-level-agreements-for-it-support-1281466.html" title="The importance of Service Level Agreements for IT support">The importance of Service Level Agreements for IT support</a>

When it comes to IT support for business there are understandably higher demands than a home PC user in terms of how quickly a problem gets solved. A home PC owner may have an issue or a fault which they need fixing but there’s normally no greater urgency. With business though companies can lose money for mere minutes where their computer or internet service is down.

It is understandable that many businesses will take careful consideration over which company they choose for their IT support as they will need to be responsive to any problem they may have. A company who suffers any downtime may have one of many problems such as customers unable to reach their website, staff unable to send email and access other documents all of which are critical to the smooth running and profitability of the business.

Service Level Agreements should be put in place when signing a deal with an IT support company; they will normally give you a document with their service level agreement on it. These agreements will determine timeframes which they guarantee a fault will be fixed by such as computers losing connectivity to the internet may need to be resolved within one or two hours.

This document will be the agreement between your company and the IT support company to ensure that you are getting the best service out of them and that you have proof of their commitment to your company should any problems or misunderstandings happen.

There may be different categories of agreements made such as faults or incidents needing a quicker response time and then other less important issues such as replacement hardware or adding a new workstation to your network which whilst important to the smooth running of your business, there may still be measures in place that the user can be getting on with in the meanwhile.

When selecting an IT support team you may want to see previous clients SLAs to get an idea of the service you should expect from them. By getting similar documents from multiple companies you should be able to find out that is right for the job. The location of your IT support can affect this response time so it’s always best to make sure that your IT support team are nearby or have technicians operating in your area so they can be called out and working on any problems you may have in a short space of time.

Phil Adams-Wright has worked in the IT industry for many years and now writes on subjects such as IT Support and network cabling

Rate this Article:

0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s)

Re-Publish

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/networks-articles/the-importance-of-service-level-agreements-for-it-support-1281466.html

Article Tags: it support, computers, cabling

Related Videos
Related Articles
Ask / Related Q&A

Play

How to Increase Your Computer Start Up Speed

Play

How to Make Your Computer Run Faster

Play

How to Make Your Computer Run Like New

Play

How to Sell Software Consultancy Support Contracts

Play

AT&T Working on Usage Caps

Latest Networks Articles
More from Phil Adams-Wright

What Business Network Services Can Do For You!

By: Arsham Mirshah | 09/12/2009
In a small business, there are many different people that help protect the interest of the business. There are attorneys to help manage the legal aspects and accountants to look after the financial interests. But there is also the person (or consultant) that is there, behind the scenes, looking after your company's computer and network services. Want to automate your business processes, or want to share files and information more easily? Need easy computer backups?

Octavia IT Services announce new Office Phone Systems for SME’s

By: Thebigblogger | 09/12/2009
We are proud to announce the launch of our new office phone system in conjunction with 3CX. Our focus on providing the best IT support is benefiting with our partnership with 3CX. 3CX are leading software developers in the IT services sector, their specialist technology will enhance our excellent IT support systems blending our new VoIP system seamlessly with our client’s current network structure. - Save up to 70% on purchase & installation (compared to the PBX system) - Sa

920-129 study guide

By: andy | 09/12/2009
Certinside offers free demo for Nortel Certification 920-129 exam. You can check out the interface, question quality and usability of our practice exams before you decide to buy it. We are the only one site can offer demo for almost all products.

The OSPF Hello

By: Joe Spoto | 08/12/2009
Inside the OSPF Hello Packet OSPF routers create neighbor relationships with directly connected routers by exchanging hello messages. OSPF Router exchange hellos addressed to the ALLSPFROUTERS multicast destination address of 224.0.0.5.

OSPF DR & BDR Elections

By: Joe Spoto | 08/12/2009
OSPF routing algorithm is CPU intensive. Each and everytime the OSPF process runs the shortest path first algorithm it will have an impact on the router. In a point to point network OSPF events are limited to the periodic Hello packet (Default 10secs on a PPP, HDLC, 30sec Frame Relay NBMA), 30 mins for each route entry in the Link state database and triggered events.

Network Redundancy Techniques

By: youssef edward | 08/12/2009
When building a network, one must consider that the network is available all the time even if a failure occurred. Here is an illustration of network redundancy techniques and its drawbacks.

Networks and Routing

By: Max Tridad | 08/12/2009
A network is a physical group of computers wired together so that they can communicate directly with each other using the same data link protocol and without being connected by routers.

Anonymous email messaging lets you send messages confidently

By: amber williams | 08/12/2009
Anonymous email messaging can be put to many uses, both serious and entertaining. People tend to send emails through an anonymous Emailer because they fear consequences.

Five Green cars from across the vehicle classes

By: Phil Adams-Wright | 09/12/2009 | Cars
A lot of news has been generated over how cars are contributing to the global warming and climate change issues that are happening around the world. Cars cough up a lot of Carbon Dioxide as well as other harmful fumes which many manufacturers are now trying to cut down on.

Avoiding driving fines and points by driving safely

By: Phil Adams-Wright | 09/12/2009 | Cars
There are many drivers in the UK that have some form of driving conviction against their licence, this could be from a speeding ticket or running a red light but in more serious cases there could be drivers with convictions for drink driving and texting whilst driving.

Cars matching Personalities

By: Phil Adams-Wright | 09/12/2009 | Cars
A driver’s first car is normally not the prettiest; you have just passed your test and now start looking for a car on the market. If you have passed when you first turn 17 you are unlikely to have a big budget to help you purchase your first car (unless your parents are feeling generous!). This means looking for second hand cars that fit within your budget. Don’t forget to leave some money spare though because your insurance is going to be quite high as well as running costs such as petrol and t

How to make sure you get a good deal on used cars

By: Phil Adams-Wright | 09/12/2009 | Cars
Buying new cars can be expensive and so a lot of people opt for second hand or used cars, this doesn’t mean we’re getting anything less as a lot of people own cars for only a few years and considering they are built to last much longer than this brief period of time you could make significant savings by purchasing a used car instead.

Outdoor adventure clothes that fit your lifestyle

By: Phil Adams-Wright | 08/12/2009 | Clothing
A lot of people in the UK as well as abroad enjoy the active lifestyle, these people tend to be always on the go whether it be mountain biking or rock climbing. The thrill of these sports and activities tends to have great rewards whether that is achieving fitness or reaching the top for a stunning view over the landscape at the end.

How can you do your part by wearing fairtrade clothing?

By: Phil Adams-Wright | 08/12/2009 | Clothing
Fairtrade initiatives have been quite popular in recent years with many food, drink and clothing items now attributed to the fairtrade movement. Fairtrade goods are structured in a way that brands and companies are able to ensure that the supply network and workers are adequately paid for their hard work and not exploited as they have done in the past.

The British Coastline: The new family holiday favourite

By: Phil Adams-Wright | 03/12/2009 | Travel
A lot of UK families are quick to rule out the UK as a possible holiday destination, mainly due to the typical British weather we have grown accustomed to over the years, but in recent years this has changed and we are beginning to get periods of summer months where the weather is amazing and many people flock to the beaches up and down the UK.

Active Holidays in the UK for all the family

By: Phil Adams-Wright | 03/12/2009 | Destinations
We hear it quite a lot these days, the country is turning into a nation of couch potatoes; endless nights sat in front of the television and leading fairly inactive lifestyles are all not that good for our health. Although during the winter months we’re embarking on you wouldn’t blame people for spending the majority of their time indoors.