Hybrid Cloud For Dummies

Creating a Hybrid SLA

Given the current state of the world, what should a business do about managing service levels across cloud models? We recommend starting at “home” and thinking about what’s most important to the business. Thus, the SLA process begins by setting up a set of principles and requirements that are important to your organization’s success in the market. Each company will have different requirements and priorities, but the following questions and comments can help get you started on your hybrid SLA journey:

What is the overall level of service that your business units require for applications, infrastructure, and processes? When you understand your limitations, you will be in a better position to decide which cloud services to select based not just on price but also on the SLA the company offers. For example, perhaps a public cloud service proposes a comprehensive uptime SLA based on offering redundancy of all their services. Or a service provider might provide a virtual private network that gives you extra security you need. Another company might indemnify your company against any legal action based on their failure to live up to an SLA. When you understand the needs of each business unit, you can decide where you can afford a quick-and-dirty public service and where you need the high-priced option. You will also know when, in fact, you need to keep a service behind ...