IPA IP 2022 Question 51
A question IPA Japan published in 令和4年度 ITパスポート試験 公開問題 問51, translated into English. ITPEC is based on the same exams.
In the following description concerning SLA in IT service management, which of the following is the appropriate combination of words to be inserted into blanks A and B?
An SLA is a written agreement exchanged between A and B. The target values of the service that A expects are quantified, agreed upon, and then specified in the SLA, and B measures and evaluates them and then improves the quality of the service.
Explanation
A: the customer, B: the supplier of the service — an SLA (service level agreement) is the agreement on service levels between the one who receives an IT service and the one who provides it.
In IT service management the two parties are the customer, who uses and pays for the service, and the service provider (supplier). The customer states the levels it expects (availability, response time, time to restore and so on); the two sides turn them into measurable target values and write them into the SLA. The provider then measures and evaluates its actual performance against those targets, reports it, and improves the service: this continuing cycle is service level management (SLM).
Answer (b)
Why not others:
- •(a) — a system auditor checks controls independently; it neither provides the service nor improves its quality under an agreement with management
- •(c) — an ordering party and a contractor of system development agree on a development contract (deliverables, deadlines, price), not on the levels of an IT service in operation
- •(d) — an agreement between a data analyst and a data provider is about supplying and using data, not about the quality of an IT service
Key rule: An SLA is concluded between the customer and the service provider: the customer's expectations become measurable targets, and the provider measures, reports and improves against them.
Service Management · AI-written, may contain errors
This question comes from the past questions IPA Japan publishes, translated into English by ITPEC Practice. ITPEC Practice is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with IPA or ITPEC. See the original paper (PDF) or Report an issue.