Distinctive between SLA and OLA.

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I'm keen in searching the distinctive features / difference between SLA & OLA.

Often users (inter company & external) having issues & misunderstanding of the definition of SLA (Service Level Agreement) and OLA (Operations Level Agreement).

-- SS Sia (sssia@tm.net.my), June 04, 2003

Answers

Service level agreements are between IS/IT and the business, and operational level agreements are between and among the various IS/IT technical domains. SLAs without associated OLAs are nearly impossible to manage because of the inter- and intra-dependencies of IS/IT domains. For example, the server folks can assure a level of availability of xx.xxx%, but if the network folks are not in the loop the server itself may be available from the server folks' view, but not from the business stakeholders' view. A critical reason for OLAs is to synchronize maintenance windows so only one is presented to the business.

I could go on and on, but I think you can see the disctinction from the above ...

Mike Tarrani http://www.tarrani.net

-- Mike Tarrani (mtarrani@pacbell.net), June 07, 2003.


Agree with Mr Tarrani. In adition we should say that there is a strong relationship between SLAs and business throug different components as Service Level Objectives (SLO) that support the different Vital Business Function (VBF) of different customers/users internal or external. Most of the times people do not check that in the SLAs all the SLO support the VBFs that are the business view of the IT services. So, the OLA could be seen as a internal SLO. Different, of course, of the SLO that we write in the SLA. From this point of view an SLA could be done by more than one SLA. And the SLA aver is in tech. terms. The real life is a little more complicate; because one OLA support or affect different SLOs from different SLAs. That's life. The key to be sure that all the pieces match is the Service Level Requirement (SLR) document that is used in the Service Level Agreement process. This SLR cover the customer needs and must be checked with the IT Organization; that is, check that all the OLAs could support this requirements. As you could think the big secret is the Service Cataloge, is not only a service description, if you develop it in a correct way in too a map between Services and OLAS.

(Now just think in the Underpining Contract, relationships between the IT organization and the external suppliers; for the supplier are as SLAs of course...the life is nor easy :)).

Mariano A. Hernandez ---www.sun.es---

-- Mariano A. Hernandez (Mariano@Sun.com), April 15, 2004.


Hi, A SLA is a Service Level Agreement focusing on service delivery with regard to the performance and uptime of services specified in the agreement. OLA is an Operations Level Agreement with the focus on operational issues with respect to the maintenance of the service and providing new services as specified in the agreement.

An OLA is normally with the Technology/Operations Division of the company to maintain, improve and/or providing new services.

-- Alex (nalexander@webmail.co.za), April 26, 2004.


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