Understanding IT Service Level Agreements (SLAs) at Laurentian University

A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a documented commitment between Laurentian University IT Services and the university community. Simply put, an SLA defines the level of service you can expect from us when you request support, report an issue, or ask for a new service. It outlines standard expectations, including target response times and resolution times, based on the urgency and impact of your request.

Why Do We Use SLAs?

SLAs are essential for maintaining a reliable, fair, and transparent IT environment across our campus. They allow our IT teams to:

• Set Clear Expectations: So you know exactly when your ticket will be acknowledged and when the issue is expected to be resolved.

• Prioritize Effectively: Ensuring that critical, campus-wide outages or urgent classroom disruptions are triaged and addressed before routine administrative requests.

Measure and Improve: Allowing us to track our performance, identify bottlenecks, and continuously improve our service delivery to the Laurentian community.

How the SLA "Clock" Works: It's Not Just Straight Time

A common misconception is that an SLA is a strict countdown timer from the exact minute a ticket is submitted. In reality, SLAs measure active IT working time. To ensure fairness and accuracy, the SLA clock will automatically pause and resume depending on the status of the ticket.

Here is how the SLA clock is managed based on the situation:

• Standard Business Hours: For most standard requests, the SLA clock only runs during our official operating hours (9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday to Friday). If you submit a routine request at 4:00 PM on a Friday, the clock will run for 30 minutes, pause over the weekend, and resume at 9:00 AM on Monday morning.

• Awaiting User Response (Pending Customer): If an IT technician contacts you for more information—such as asking for your device's asset tag, error screenshots, or a good time to stop by your office—the SLA clock pauses. The "ball is in your court," and the clock will only resume once you reply to the ticket.

• Awaiting External Vendors (Pending Vendor): Sometimes, fixing a problem relies on third-party intervention. If we are waiting for a replacement part from a manufacturer (like Dell) or a software patch from a vendor (like Atlassian or Microsoft), the SLA clock is paused. We cannot hold our internal teams accountable for external logistics delays.

• Scheduled Work: If a resolution requires scheduling a maintenance window that works best for you (e.g., "Please come update my lab computers next Thursday when classes are finished"), the SLA is paused until that agreed-upon time arrives.

When does the clock stop? The SLA clock officially stops the moment the ticket is marked as Resolved. If the solution didn't quite stick, replying to the ticket will reopen it, and the team will continue to address it.

How SLAs Apply to Our Service Catalogue

Different services require different types of support. Our IT Service Catalogue encompasses several categories, and our SLA targets adapt to the nature of these specific services:

• Lab, Classroom, & Meeting Rooms: If audio/visual equipment or a computer fails in the middle of a scheduled lecture, this is treated as a high-impact, high-urgency issue. The SLA dictates a rapid, immediate response to minimize disruption to teaching and learning.

• Account & Identity Management: Requests like password resets or Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) support are critical for your individual ability to work or study. These generally feature swift turnaround SLAs to get you reconnected quickly.

• Communication & Collaboration / Web & Application Services: Outages affecting university-wide email, the campus network, or key web portals trigger our most critical SLA response protocols, instantly mobilizing our IT Operations and Cybersecurity teams.

• End User Devices & IT Support: Hardware issues or software requests for staff and faculty devices are prioritized based on functionality. A completely broken laptop receives a higher priority SLA than a routine software update request.

• Printing & Digital Media Services / IT Training: Requests for training, workshops, or routine printing setup fall under standard SLAs, giving our teams adequate time to schedule and deliver these non-emergency services effectively.

What This Means for You

To help us meet our SLAs and provide you with the best possible IT support, we ask that you keep the following in mind:

1. Use the IT Portal First: Submitting tickets directly through the Laurentian IT Service Desk portal ensures your request is automatically routed to the correct team and the SLA timer starts accurately.

2. Keep an Eye on Your Email: Because the SLA clock pauses when we are waiting on details from you, responding quickly to a technician's questions helps us get your issue resolved much faster.

3. Provide Accurate Details Upfront: The more information you provide in your initial ticket (error messages, exact room locations, device asset tags), the less likely we will need to pause the SLA to ask for clarification.

By understanding how SLAs work, we can partner together to keep Laurentian University’s technology environment efficient, secure, and responsive to your needs.