Service Level Management
The practice of setting clear business-based targets for service levels, and ensuring that delivery of services is properly assessed, monitored, and managed against these targets.
Impact
This practice bridges the gap between "Business Language" (sales, productivity) and "Tech Language" (latency, uptime).
Weinto take
Service Level Management is about Negotiating Trade-offs. We use it to explain to the business: "If you want 99.999% availability, it will cost $X. If you are okay with 99.9%, it will cost $Y." It puts a price tag on reliability.