SaaS サービスレベルアグリーメント（SLA）とは？

A SaaS Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a formal contract between a SaaS provider and a client that establishes the expected level of service and the obligations of both parties. Atlassian’s cloud SLA, for example, commits to 99.95% monthly uptime on eligible Enterprise plans. A SaaS SLA usually forms part of the main subscription agreement, in its body or as a schedule.

An SLA helps the parties involved understand what level and quality of service should be delivered – with a specific focus on response time to requests, time to resolve issues raised, and the conditions of products/services offered – such that all parties are aware of the services offered, how they will be performed, and how the responsibilities will be followed.

Generally speaking, SLAs look at specific, highly important metrics like uptime, delivery time, response time, and resolution time. By incorporating these details, SLAs offer a definite structure ～によって which a customer or even the SaaS provider can evaluate service performance.

Moreover, within an SLA, the consequences that apply to the provider if the service level agreement is not respected are stipulated, thus keeping the customer’s interests at heart.

The main objectives of SLAs は:

• 関係するすべての当事者への明確な情報の提供：関係するすべての当事者は、提供されるべきサービス、品質レベル、およびSLAに従わない場合の結果を認識しています。
• サービスプロバイダーとクライアントの関係の管理： SLAを導入することで、発生する可能性のある誤解や問題を回避できます。
• サービスレベル契約（SLA）は、誤解や衝突の可能性を減らします：サービスの期待値を明確に理解し、潜在的な課題に関連する問題の解決を支援します。
• サービス契約の定義： これには、成果物、期間、指標、責任、目標、期待、そして制限が含まれます。

A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a 法的合意 クライアントと専門企業との間で、提供されるサービスを明確にするものです。これは、双方の利益を保護し、将来の誤解を防ぐのに役立ちます。

メリットとしては、以下のようなものがあります。

• ダウンタイムの減少
• クライアントと従業員の関係改善
• サービス提供に対する明確かつ具体的な期待値の設定

Custom SLAs can be requested and discussed, particularly with commercial and enterprise users. Certain circumstances allow a provider to offer custom SLAs negotiated with the provider’s sales staff, even without a public SLA.

Clients can negotiate a proposed SLA と ask for higher commitment levels, such as a より高い percentage of uptime. SLAs for enterprise customers may be included, and negotiation of these terms is sometimes possible even if they are not explicitly advertised. AWS names three common types of SLA: customer-level, service-level, and multi-level (AWS).

A good service level agreement (SLA) outlines the responsibilities and expectations of both parties. Certain components, including the metrics for response and resolution times, call for adherence to strict service level requirements. The customer’s input is crucial in creating a service-level agreement since it helps ensure that their quality standards are met. Maintaining equilibrium is crucial, with lucid and comprehensible language that can be discussed when needed.

A good SLA also states the remedy when its service guarantees are missed. Atlassian’s Enterprise SLA, which specifies 99.95% monthly uptime, outlines that service credits applied to future payments, capped at 100% of the affected product’s invoice, constitute the customer’s sole form of redress and Atlassian’s complete responsibility for SLA deviations (Atlassian, effective 30 April 2026).

Managing SLAs begins by ensuring that the agreements made are consistent with the expectations of the customer. SLA management requires consistent monitoring of service delivery against the agreed-upon benchmarks. Should the benchmarks fail to be met, measures should be taken as soon as possible to meet the requirements.

For example, if an SLA states that a web service must have a 99.9% uptime, the service provider can directly monitor the uptime and proportionate downtime to take action if the downtime, not counting scheduled maintenance, exceeds 0.1%. Bear in mind that successful SLA management requires a proactive approach, clear communication between stakeholders, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

The challenges of managing SLAs include covering the entire spectrum of SLA-covered operations, influencing stakeholder expectations, and coordinating business and IT. In order to handle SLAs effectively, it is critical to evaluate and agree on all terms in advance in order to determine all outcomes.