SLM- Is the network a service ?- ¿Es la red un servicio?

[antoniogh]

Hi,



I got a problem with my e-mail service definition; i don't know how I can measure the service in every location. I mean, in the central site the availability level is 99.98% but I got so many locations in the company with so many kind of local network and communication infrastructure. ie. In Mexico City the LAN availability is 99% and Guadalajara it is 98%.

I was thinking to separate the network from the e-mail service, to take two independent SLA, I said to my client, this is the same situation to electrical service but i don’t know if this is correct.



Thanks a lot







Hola,



Tengo problemas con la definición de mi servicio de correo electrónico, no se como medir el servicio en cada localidad para comprometerlo. Por ejemplo, en el sitio central tengo una disponibilidad de 99.98% pero en la empresa tenemos muchas localidades con diferentes tipos de infraestructura que soportan sus LAN y comunicaciones, esto es en Ciudad de México tenemos una disponibilidad de la LAN de 99% y en Guadalajara de 98%



Estaba pensando en separar el servicio del correo de la red para tener dos SLA independientes, le explicaba a mi cliente que es el mismo caso de la energía eléctrica, que si no funciona se interrumpe el servicio, pero no se si hacerlo de esta forma sea lo correcto.



Muchas gracias.

[JoePearson]

Hi Antonio,

A common simplistic view is that "the network" is a service - because we report on it. But that doesn't really mean anything.

Conventional ITIL wisdom is that the network is not a service at all. Can your customers buy "the network" from you, and nothing else, and get business value? Can they buy "email" from you, and choose not to buy "network" at all? No (in most cases, anyway). The network is a prerequisite piece of infrastructure - but so are many other areas - the business utility of getting electronic communications done demands various components, including email clients, email servers, your network, a directory service, and (probably) internet links. If any of these is not up to scratch the business value is reduced.

It's true, however, that performance and availability (and cost) of "email" are different for remote sites, and investment in the network affects this. So it does make sense to provide different reporting and set different targets for users in different locations. (As long as you keep it simple - it's tempting to over-complicate things.)

Where the network is outside your control, and your customers know and accept this, you can split out the factors to help them understand (it's good business information for them to know how you are performing vs how third parties are performing). But you should also report on the total availability and performance of "email".

You should most definitely have one "service" and one SLA (documented agreement). The service is not provided at a central computer room, it is provided at each user's desk.

[jpgilles]

From a user's perspective, neither the Email system nor the the network are services...as none of them, alone, brings value to their business.

The service they use is comething like "electronic messaging/communication" with encompases not only the email system and the network but also all the other pieces of infrastructure that allow them to send and receive information electronicalli with internal and external partners.

Therefore:
if the email server is down, the service is not avalaible
if the wan link is down, the service is not avalaible
if the LAN is down, the service is not avalaible
if the internet gateway is down, the service is not avalaible
if performances are too bad, the service is not avalaible


Your SLA and availability measurements should reflect that and measuring the availability of components independently does not mean anything.
Tryning calculations mixing the availability ratios of x components does help either as some unavailability periods can overlap.....

What companies usually do is to use special equipement that are located in user's locations and emulate human behaviour and do avalaibility calculations and reporting. Some companies are specialized in providing this type of hardware or software ...
_________________
JP Gilles

[antoniogh]

Thanks for the answers. The both of them are eye opener for me.

But, some "consultant expert" in my organization said: " You don't car about the network (as Service Level Manager) there is a problem for the Infrastructure Manager (ITIL infrastructure mgmt), in the service (e-mail) you don’t need to worry about the network, you can think it is always available and the Network Service Management in the Infrastructure Management responsibility must send you the service level of the network"...

It is correct?? We don't have a Infrastructure Manager, but, in the ITIL perspective, Is the network service a problem solved in the Infrastructure Management book ??

Thanks again.


Gracias por las respuestas, ambas han traido nueva luz a la solución del problema.

Pero, un “consultor experto” en mi organización ha dicho: “Tu no te preocupes por la red (al ser un Service Level Manager), ese es un problema para el Infrastructure Manager (ITIL Infrastructure Management), en el servicio (correo) no necesitas preocuparte por la red, puedes considerarla como que siempre está disponible y el administrador del servicio de red dentro del administrador de infraestructura en la responsabilidad de ITIL deberá enviarte el nivel de la red.

¿Es esto correcto? Nosotros no tenemos un administrador de infraestructura, pero, desde la perspectiva de ITIL.¿Es el servicio de red un problema resuelto en el libro de Infrastructure Management?

Gracias nuevamente.