What’s in an

SLA?QUESTIONS TOASK YOUR CLOUD SERVICE PROVIDER

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NINEQUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CLOUD SERVICE PROVIDER

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What is an

SLA?When discussing service level agreements (SLAs) for cloud based business

software, people usually want to know about the level of uptime that the

cloud service provider (CSP) guarantees for the system. But there is more

to SLAs than system availability.

An SLA is an important legal document that addresses a variety of issues

around people, security, compliance, data ownership and other service

related commitments.

Moving enterprise software to the cloud through a CSP has its many

advantages, but not all providers are created equal and neither are their

SLAs. When choosing a hosting provider for your enterprise system, a

comprehensive SLA is a guarantee that you will get the most value possible

out of your subscription and it will ultimately play a critical role when

determining return on investment for the hosting service.

To help you get the most comprehensive SLA possible, this eBook includes

9 critical questions to ask about SLAs.

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Do I get a money back guarantee?

Nothing works perfectly 100-percent of the time, especially when it comes to IT systems. In the event that your provider is unable to meet their uptime guarantee, you need to know that it is backed by financial reimbursement to your organization. You also should know how reimbursement is handled.

A comprehensive SLA is a guarantee that you will get the most value possible out of your subscription and it will ultimately play a critical role when determining return on investment for the hosting service.

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In the age of big data and cloud computing, information is a highly valued commodity. For companies that have to comply with regulations like SOX and HIPAA rules, data confidentiality is a critical part of any cloud or hosting agreement. Be sure your company’s needs are met by clearly stated confidentiality policies in the SLA.

How will you keep my data confidential?

“Governance is about protecting the organization without disrupting business. Beyond offering much higher levels of security than most in-house systems, a great hosting provider will work to build a cloud solution that helps align information security processes with business requirements.”Linda RoseCEO and FounderRoseASP

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One of the great values of a hosted ERP solution is that your provider maintains the system for you. But sometimes maintenance requires system down-time. You need to know that downtime will not conflict with your business and that your CSP includes notification pol-icies that allow you to prepare for any scheduled downtime.

Will I be affected by scheduled downtime?Rural/Metro, an emergency

services provider, uses hosted ERP and achieves 99.9% uptime while maintaining HIPAA and SOX compliance requirements.

Read the full Story >>

99.9%

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“It’s been my experience that the system is much more secure with someone who makes security a core part of their business.”Richard JensrudCFO, BRIX HoldingsHosted ERP Customer

How is mydata encrypted and how is it monitored?As your data moves through cyber-space it is protected by encryption. This includes financial data, client data or even patient data. Protect your business from breaches and non-com-pliance by choosing a provider whose encryption standards meet your com-pany’s compliance and security re-quirements.

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Whether you are struggling to perform a task in the system or your auditors need documentation, a fast resolution can save money, time and headaches. Make sure the SLA includes support severity level responsibilities and re-sponse time guarantees that meet your company’s requirements.

What are support severity levels and guaranteed response times?

60% of cloud-using businesses adopt cloud to free up in-house IT resources to focus on more strategic initiatives.

60%

Grow Your Business on Your Terms >>

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Is my data protected by backup and restore routines?The ability to backup data is one of the top reasons businesses choose to host their systems in the cloud. To gain the full benefit of moving to the cloud, you need to know and under-stand your provider’s policies around backups, recovery point objectives and recovery time objectives.

“If you’re a public company or heavily regulated in any way, your cloud provider needs to have controls both at the data center and internally among their own IT staff to ensure that you remain compliant.”Glen MedwidChief Compliance OfficerRoseASP

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How is my data protected against disaster events?

Even the most temperate climates are not guaranteed against catastrophic events like floods, tornados or even fires. Be sure you and your hosting provider have a clear understanding about who is responsible for data should such an event occur, and what measures are in place to protect your data.

“As so-called ‘100-year floods’ and cyberattacks grow more frequent, and as governments, healthcare providers, and businesses become completely dependent on complex technology, business continuity preparedness becomes a cornerstone of a resilient organization.”

Forrester >>

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Today a hosted cloud solution might meet your needs, but what if you want to change or expand your system in the future? To avoid surprises, con-flicts and unnecessary costs, your pro-vider’s data ownership policies should be clearly stated in the SLA, including who retains data ownership should you decide to cancel the subscription.

Will I still own my data?

“Some people don’t realize how IT impacts the entire company. If your systems are inadequate, it can affect every aspect of business.”Pete HaganIT Director at PurFoodsHosted ERP Customer >>

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Predictable costs are a critical part of cloud ROI, so it is important to pro-tect yourself against unexpected costs and fees. Your SLA should provide a clearly defined cost structure and pol-icies around increases, frequency of increases, increase limitations and ad-vanced notification of increases.

Will I be hit with hidden costs or price increases?45% of IT budgets

are now dedicated to the cloud.

45%

Turning Business Data Into Insight >>

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TakeawaysA comprehensive service level agreement guarantees more than technology performance and uptime.

A solid SLA will protect your business by assuring that the services are aligned with your security, continuity and risk management requirements.

It can be difficult to find personal service in the digital world. An SLA should assure you that your company will receive a level of personalized service from your hosting provider that will help drive the growth and success of your business.

What’s next?

Compliance Officer, Glen Medwid addresses the importance of SOX compliance for Cloud.

A growing company uses the cloud to support compliance for SOX and HIPAA.

Read Cloud Compliance Story >> Watch Compliance Discussion >>

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How much does it cost for a complete ERP Cloud SLA?

Click for Quote

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About RoseASPMicrosoft Dynamics Cloud Hosting

RoseASP works closely with clients to draw up a comprehensive service level agreement that meets the needs of your business and provides assurance that compliance, performance and system availability requirements will be met.

The RoseASP team delivers compliance validated hosting environments and services for Microsoft Dynamics AX, GP, NAV, SL and CRM. RoseASP delivers 24/7/365 support for any connectivity, backup, restore, password reset or other application readiness issues and works closely with customers and Dynamics Partners. As a former Microsoft Dynamics VAR, RoseASP is committed to strong relationships with Microsoft Dynamics Partners to ensure that Dynamics ERP customers get the application support they need with internal controls and backstops to support requirements for SOX, HIPAA and FDA rules.