Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/833286
THE DATA CENTER JOURNAL | 17 www.datacenterjournal.com Customers will generally know if the provider is failing to deliver a service, but the situation may be fuzzy in some cases. e ability to track service delivery is important, therefore. "Most providers should offer some type of portal that allows customers to see their metrics and performance." He also emphasized the need for provider transparency. SlaS forever? Dissatisfaction with SLAs focuses on cases where a provider that meets minimal contractual obligations fails to meet the customer's larger business goals. is dissatisfaction has led to some proclamations that SLAs are dead. e question is then twofold: First, is there a reasonable way for customers to quantify their business goals in a manner that can be formalized in a clear binding agreement? Second, would such agreements really do away with SLAs or just modify them? Clearly, some of the technical metrics of SLAs (network uptime and so forth) will remain—it's tough to imagine a customer ignoring these basic elements. Different metrics, such as end-user experience, may be difficult to measure and report in a way that all parties can agree to, particularly if those measurements determine com- pliance with a contract. Even then, how- ever, the resulting contract is arguably still an SLA—perhaps just with some slight changes to form. Perhaps the only difference is that the "new" SLA deviates from traditional industry practice. A new name might not indicate anything fundamentally different, though. Deney highlighted the competitive nature of the service-provider indus- try. If in such an industry one pro- vider develops an innovative means of guaranteeing service—whether through technical, business or other metrics— that customers flock to, the others will adopt something similar. And if such an approach is plainly successful, one would expect other providers to put it into practice quickly. e problem is that business- and success-oriented metrics are difficult to specify in a way that will satisfy both parties in an agreement. Such an arrangement may be possible, but it requires approval from more than just customers who don't like providers meeting the minimum standards of an SLA at minimum cost—i.e., doing what they agreed to do. In the meantime, the "standard" SLA will remain as a way for providers and customers to deal with each other in a manner that, although imperfect, allows each side to know what to expect. n PRT_half-page_Final_OL.indd 1 5/15/17 8:23 AM