EDITOR ’ S QUESTION

AS REGIONAL ENTERPRISES INCREASINGLY ADOPT PUBLIC CLOUD , MULTI-CLOUD AND HYBRID-CLOUD PLATFORMS THEY ARE CHALLENGED BY DATA ORCHESTRATION , DATA MANAGEMENT AND DATA SECURITY . HOW CAN THESE CHALLENGES BE ADDRESSED BY MODERN SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENTS WITH CLOUD PROVIDERS ? EXECUTIVES FROM DELINEA , BINALYZE , CLOUDERA , HPE RESPOND .

CIO should ensure that the SLA explicitly outlines the data protection measures and security practices that meet industry standards such as SOC2 , ISO , GDPR , and align with the organisation ’ s compliance needs . This includes encryption protocols , access controls , data residency requirements , and security audits to maintain a secure cloud environment that keeps the organisation ’ s data safe and supports its security posture .

Downtime costs businesses money and performance metrics and uptime guarantees are critical for ensuring that the cloud services meet the organisation ’ s operational needs . The SLA should define clear uptime guarantees and performance indicators such as response times , latency , throughput , and availability . Crucially , the agreement should explicitly detail consequences or compensation in case the provider fails to meet the agreed-upon service levels . and communication channels should be established to ensure that support issues are addressed promptly . To ensure the organisation ’ s needs are adequately prioritised , the SLA should also define consequences for failing to meet support commitments .

Unforeseen circumstances may necessitate a change in cloud providers and well-defined termination clauses provide a framework for ending the contract , protecting both parties and ensuring a smooth transition if the need arises . Both organisation and provider should consider including a termination for convenience clause which gives the flexibility to both parties to end the contract at any time with an agreed notice period .

A timely and effective technical support is essential for resolving issues quickly and minimising downtime . The SLA should include support commitment levels , specifying response times for different types of incidents or requests . Clear escalation procedures

DAVID KOENIG , CHIEF INFORMATION

OFFICER , DELINEA

32 INTELLIGENTCIO MIDDLE EAST www . intelligentcio . com