Servicenivåer

Servicenivåer (service levels) are explicit commitments about the quality of a service agreed between a provider and a customer. They specify measurable targets for how the service should perform, including aspects such as availability, performance, support, and security. Servicenivåer are commonly formalized in documents such as service level agreements (SLA), but may also be accompanied by internal agreements (OLA) or service level objectives (SLOs) that guide day-to-day delivery.

Key components typically found in servicenivåer include the targets or thresholds (for example, 99.9% uptime, maximum 2 hours to acknowledge a ticket, or 4 hours to resolve a critical incident), the measurement method and reporting cadence, roles and responsibilities, and any exclusions or maintenance windows. They may also include consequences or service credits if targets are not met.

Common metrics used in servicenivåer cover availability, latency, throughput, error rates, and reliability, as well as support-related measures such as first response time, mean time to repair (MTTR), and customer satisfaction. Services can be structured into levels or tiers (for example, L1–L3 support, or Bronze/Silver/Gold service tiers) to reflect different performance and support commitments.

Management of servicenivåer typically follows an ITIL-inspired process known as service level management. This includes designing appropriate agreements, monitoring performance against targets, reporting to stakeholders, and periodic reviews and renegotiation to reflect changing business needs or technology conditions. Key challenges include setting realistic targets, avoiding vague terms, accounting for exclusions, and maintaining accurate measurement data.