What are customer based service level agreements?

A customer-based SLA is an agreement with a specific customer or customer group covering all the IT services they use. For example, a local authority education department might have a single agreement embracing payroll, school administration, human resources, purchasing, financial management systems, and so on. In some ways, this simplifies the relationship between IT and the customer, putting the customer's perspective to the fore. On the other hand, customer-based SLAs are complex and often difficult to agree and manage. Additionally, customers may be disappointed that the same service levels available to them, for common services such as email, for example, cannot be tailored to their specific needs.