ICT Service Level Agreements

NMSU Main Web Service

Description:
www.nmsu.edu is the primary web site for New Mexico State University.  It provides the internal and external user communities the primary access to most of NMSU's online services.

About This Service Level Agreement: 
This document is a Service Level Agreement (SLA) between Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and the users of this service.  The purpose of this document is to outline the expected service needs and the communication processes to be provided to the users of this service. By instituting this Service Level Agreement, the expectations and requirements of both parties shall be clarified and solidified.  

This document covers production services and support including installation, configuration, monitoring, and maintenance of Www.nmsu.edu servers and software applications. 

Services Provided:
Under the terms of this SLA, the ICT Unix System Administration group (ICT/USA), and ICT Web Services (ICT/WS) shall provide the following services to the www.nmsu.edu users:

·        Install, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot the www.nmsu.edu production and development servers, including all associated hardware and software (ICT/USA)

·        Review all maintenance plans, upgrade plans, etc., in conjunction with Www.nmsu.edu users to ensure a well-planned modification of existing services (ICT/USA & ICT/WS)

·        Servers and other equipment supported under this SLA shall be protected against configuration loss by the use of regularly scheduled backups. (ICT/USA)

·        Actively monitor www.nmsu.edu services at both the server and application levels (ICT/USA)

·        Maintain accurate and up-to-date technical documentation of the www.nmsu.edu (ICT/USA)

·        Provide an annual (or as needed) report detailing uptime statistics, problems encountered, problem fixes, and current status (ICT/USA)

·        Administrate individual site webmaster accounts on http://www.nmsu.edu/, and provide end user training and support to those site webmasters (ICT/WS)

·        Coordinate a Campus Webmasters Group and other subcommittees to provide information and training relative to the overall operation of the NMSU web presence. (ICT/WS)

·        Provide a annual (or as needed) report of usage statistics (ICT/WS)

·        Provide and maintain contacts and procedures for reporting and/or escalating problems (ICT)

·        Include www.nmsu.edu in overall disaster recovery planning (ICT) 

** ICT subunit abbreviations: USA=Unix Server Administration, WS=Web Services 

Under the terms of this SLA, the site webmasters using www.nmsu.edu users shall be responsible for the following:

·        Abiding by University policy and regulations when publishing to www.nmsu.edu

·        Keep the content on their site(s) up to date and accurate.

·        Provide technical support to individuals adding content under their individual sites.

·        Notify the campus webmaster (ICT/WS) concerning any problems related to the content or services provided through www.nmsu.edu.  

Disclaimer: Unless modified or amended, this SLA does not cover any services or troubleshooting not specifically identified in this document. Requested support outside the scope of this SLA must be negotiated in advance. The Www.nmsu.edu users may elect to purchase certain services via the standard rate-based arrangements provided by ICT to the university community. Prices and procedures for such services are governed by the ICT standard rate-based service policies, and are not included in this agreement. 

System Availability, Troubleshooting, and On-Call Support

System Availability
System availability is defined as the hours when the systems covered by this SLA are scheduled to be available for customer access. With the exception of regularly scheduled maintenance and backup time periods, the systems supported shall be available for access seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day.  Specifically, Www.nmsu.edu is normally expected to be available for use 24 hours per day, 7 hours per day, 365 (366) days per year, except for scheduled downtime (Ref: for calendar location see URL information in appendix).  Various software maintenance and upgrades will be scheduled ahead of time and will not be counted against uptime.  The uptime goal is 99% each semester.  That is to say that 99% of all available hours Www.nmsu.edu will be available except for scheduled downtime.  Another performance goal is that ZERO interruptions to user service events due to server downtime each semester.

Troubleshooting, Response Time & Escalation
As soon as ICT becomes aware of a problem with the www.nmsu.edu service - either through automated monitoring or by user contact - problem resolution will commence and continue until the service is restored or a suitable alternative has been provided. 

The www.nmsu.edu site webmasters wishing to report a problem can contact the ICT/WS www.nmsu.edu support group (Appendix A) when they encounter a server or application related problem. ICT departments shall be provided with a list of ICT/WS support group contacts and shall be expected to follow the procedures outlined for problem resolution. Someone from the ICT/WS support group will communicate a status back to the user that reported the problem within 30 minutes of contact. 

If the ICT/WS support contact determines that the problem is user error (e.g., not uploading need graphic file, bad link, etc.), he/she shall attempt to assist the client. Support for site webmasters designers is scheduled to be available during normal working hours. 

If the ICT/WS support contact (or other ICT representative) believes the issue to be server-related, he/she shall forward the issue to the Unix Server Administrator group (ICT/USA).  If the ICT/USA group is contacted via a pager, they will respond (communicate back to ICT/WS or the person reporting the problem) within 30 minutes at least to acknowledge that contact has been made, and when they will be able to start on the problem based on their location, situation, etc.  Work on the problem should commence within 2 hours of initial contact. 

System Upgrades, Maintenance, and Replacement
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) shall be responsible for assuring that the hardware and applications covered by this SLA have an appropriate level of service from the vendor.  When hardware or software replacements are required, it shall be the responsibility of ICT to purchase the necessary items. Equipment which ceases to function shall be repaired or replaced at the discretion of ICT. 

ICT shall provide one (1) week notice of any planned outages/changes to the systems or services covered by this SLA. In emergency conditions or in the event of an unplanned outage, ICT shall provide as much notice as possible. 

Service Assurance and Feedback
Users should bring to the attention of the Liaison any matter that may require resolution. 

In order to tailor the ICT charter to meet the growing and changing needs of its clients, feedback regarding the services provided under this SLA is valuable. The opinions of those whom we support are important, and shall help ICT provide better service and identify the future needs of our clients. Therefore, your ad-hoc input or participation in any customer satisfaction inquiries is greatly appreciated.