Demystifying Cloud Service Levels

Service levels can sometimes be the "orphan children" of a cloud transaction — often neglected and not given the attention they deserve.

Some technology lawyers are reluctant to review and comment on service levels, preferring to leave their negotiation to the client's business or technical experts.  However, lawyers can play a crucial role in vetting service-level agreements as part of creating an effective cloud arrangement.  

While many cloud providers will be reluctant to negotiate customized service levels for specific customers in the absence of a large-volume public cloud deal or the acquisition of a private cloud solution, there are still ways to improve even the most vanilla of service-level agreements. The following tips are intended to help demystify service levels/service-level credits and include some suggestions for creating better service-level agreements.