- Are You Comfortable with the ASP's Approach to Major Data Center Issues Such as Backup, Disaster-Proofing, and Data and Physical Security?
- Can the ASP Provide the Type of Secure Broadband Network that Best Suits Your Requirements?
- Is the ASP's IT Infrastructure Scalable Enough to Accommodate Your Company's Growth or Variations in Activity?
- Do You Prefer that an Outside Party Remotely Monitor All the ASP's Facilities (Such as Data Centers) and Security Equipment (Such as Firewalls)?
- Do You Require that the Application You Lease Be Extensively Customized?
- Do You Need Accelerated Deployment of the Hosted Application?
- Which, If Any, of these Hosted Enabling Technologies Do You Need, and Why?
- What Extent of Technical Support and Customer Service Do You Require?
- Which ASP Pricing Model Best Meets Your Company's Activity Patterns—Does the ASP Offer that Model?
- Does the ASP's Standard Service Level Agreement (SLA) Meet Your Needs? If Not, Will the ASP Change It, and How Much Does It Charge to Change It?
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10. Does the ASP's Standard Service Level Agreement (SLA) Meet Your Needs? If Not, Will the ASP Change It, and How Much Does It Charge to Change It?
There are three "component" SLAs that make up an ASP's "end-to-end" SLA. The "network" SLA covers the ASP-to-customer network and services provided by the ASP's network service provider. The "application" SLA covers the functionality of the hosted applications and services provided by the ASP itself. The "hosting" SLA covers special support services the ASP might lease from a provider such as an MSP or MSecP. Each SLA lists the range of performance and other conditions that each provider is responsible for, and the sum of all those conditions comprises the "end-to-end" SLA to which the customer holds the ASP accountable. Obviously, confirm that every condition of the pertinent SLAs is covered in the "end-to-end" SLA and then review the "end-to-end" SLA with the ASP. Once you're happy with the SLA conditions, work out the penalties for nonperformance with the ASP.