By establishing service level management, the customer and the service provider agree to quality and service levels (such as type, scope, and availability) and thus their mutual rights and obligations, such as objectives, key numbers, measuring procedures, measures and sanctions for variances.

A Service Level Agreement between the service provider and service recipient is just the beginning. Customer delivery, management, monitoring and reporting of services follow.

The primary objective of service level management is to orient IT services to the real requirements of the customer’s business processes and ensuring long-term conformity between provided and agreed services.

Benefits of Service Level Management:

• improved quality and economic viability of the provided services
• greatest possible fulfillment of the customer’s actual service requirements
• clear picture of the mutual obligations for both the customer and the IT organisation
• transparent and understandable objectives through the service level agreement
• priority control based on customer’s needs
• service monitoring permits targeted performance improvement