Many definitions of ITIL Service Level Management can be found online through ITIL training. These definitions are important for service level managers and service owners to be able to implement effective ITIL service management procedures. These terms are essential to understand when setting up service-level agreements (SLA). ITIL online courses cover all aspects of ITIL service level management, including the roles and responsibilities within an IT organization. Services may not meet business expectations without effective ITIL service management. This could lead to revenue loss. Let’s now look at the key terms in ITIL Service Level Management.
Definitions of ITIL service-level management
1) IT service provider
IT service provider is the first term in the ITIL service level management definitions. IT service provider refers to a service provider who provides IT services for customers either internal or external. An example of an IT service provider is a bank that offers money withdrawal services to its customers. IT service providers must also practice ITIL service management. A service can be provided to a different organization or another division of the same company. IT service providers sign SLA agreements to ensure that the service they provide meets customer expectations. This is part of ITIL service management.
2) Supplier
The supplier is another term that must be defined in order to manage ITIL service level management. The supplier is a third party that supplies goods and services necessary to deliver IT Services. Suppliers include network, telecom providers, outsourcing organizations, commodity hardware and software vendors, and telecom and network suppliers. A telecom operator may offer call, data, and SMS services to its subscribers. These services are provided by telecom switches, network routers, and application servers. These items are provided by suppliers as part of ITIL service management.
3) Service level agreement (SLA)
A Service Level Agreement (SLA), in ITIL service level management is an agreement between an IT Service Provider and a customer. You might be a customer of a bank, and the bank provides services. The bank offers ATMs that allow you to withdraw money from your account, as well as support 24/7 in the event of a problem or internet banking. A signed SLA between you and the bank at the time you became a bank customer.
Business to business SLA contracts can also be signed. If a telecom operator uses a GPS service provided by another supplier to provide certain geographic services to its customers then an SLA can also be signed between the supplier and the operator.
The SLA describes the IT Service, outlines service levels, targets, and specifies the responsibilities for the IT Service Provider (and the customer). A bank might require that the money withdrawal process be completed within fifteen seconds. These are service level targets that the business and IT service provider must strive to achieve. These levels are set out in the SLA. ITIL service level management is essential to ensure that the SLA is followed.
A single SLA can cover multiple IT Services and multiple customers. Although a bank may offer several services, only one agreement is signed between the customer and bank. This agreement covers all services provided by the bank.
4) ITIL Service Level Management: Operational level Agreement
The operation level agreement (OLA) is another term that must be defined. This agreement is between an IT Service Provider (SLA) and another part of the same organisation. The main difference between the SLA or OLA is that they are different.