How do you communicate and collaborate with your cloud providers and stakeholders on SLA issues and changes?

1 Define your SLA requirements

Before you sign any cloud contract, you need to define your SLA requirements clearly and realistically. What are your business goals, needs, and priorities? What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) and service level objectives (SLOs) that you want to measure and monitor? What are the penalties and remedies for service failures or breaches? How often and how will you review and update your SLAs? Having a clear and comprehensive SLA document will help you avoid misunderstandings, disputes, and dissatisfaction later on.

2 Communicate and collaborate with your cloud providers

Communication and collaboration are key to maintaining a healthy and productive relationship with your cloud providers. You should establish regular and transparent communication channels with your cloud providers, such as email, phone, chat, or video calls. You should also use online tools and platforms, such as dashboards, reports, or portals, to track and verify your cloud service performance and SLA compliance. If you encounter any issues or changes, you should communicate and collaborate with your cloud providers proactively and constructively, and seek to resolve them as soon as possible.

3 Communicate and collaborate with your stakeholders

Your stakeholders are the internal and external parties who are affected by or interested in your cloud services, such as your customers, employees, partners, or regulators. You should communicate and collaborate with your stakeholders regularly and effectively, to keep them informed, engaged, and satisfied with your cloud services and SLAs. You should also solicit and listen to their feedback, concerns, and suggestions, and incorporate them into your SLA reviews and updates. By communicating and collaborating with your stakeholders, you can build trust, loyalty, and advocacy for your cloud services.

4 Review and update your SLAs

Cloud services are dynamic and evolving, and so are your SLA requirements. You should review and update your SLAs periodically, to reflect the changes in your business environment, customer expectations, and cloud provider capabilities. You should also consider the market trends, best practices, and benchmarks for cloud services and SLAs, and compare them with your current SLAs. You should negotiate and agree on any SLA changes with your cloud providers and stakeholders, and document them in your SLA document.

5 Monitor and manage your SLA risks

Cloud services are not immune to risks, such as downtime, data loss, security breaches, or compliance violations. You should monitor and manage your SLA risks proactively and systematically, to prevent or mitigate any negative impacts on your business performance and reputation. You should have a risk management plan that identifies, assesses, prioritizes, and addresses your SLA risks. You should also have a contingency plan that specifies the roles, responsibilities, actions, and resources for dealing with any SLA incidents or emergencies.

6 Learn and improve from your SLA experiences

Cloud services are a learning opportunity for IT sales, as they provide valuable insights and lessons for improving your cloud service quality and customer satisfaction. You should learn and improve from your SLA experiences, by analyzing your SLA data, metrics, and feedback, and identifying your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. You should also share and exchange your SLA experiences with your cloud providers and stakeholders, and seek to collaborate on best practices, innovations, and solutions for enhancing your cloud services and SLAs.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?