MSP contract guide
Managed IT SLA red flags to catch before signing
A useful managed IT SLA defines the covered service, operating hours, severity criteria, response and restoration targets, customer dependencies, exclusions, escalation, measurement clock, maintenance, reporting, chronic-failure process, and remedies. A fast response promise is not the same as a resolution guarantee.
Acknowledgement and ownership
Return critical service where possible
Complete the underlying fix
Separate the clocks
Response measures when the provider acknowledges and begins handling a valid request. Restoration measures return of useful service, possibly through a workaround. Resolution measures completion of the underlying issue.
The contract should state when each clock starts, pauses, stops, and excludes waiting on the customer, a vendor, parts, access, maintenance, travel, or an unsupported system.
Define severity objectively
Use business impact, users affected, service criticality, security exposure, workaround, and operational deadline. Do not let either party label every inconvenience critical or downgrade a real outage without evidence.
Document who can declare a major incident and how priority disputes are escalated.
Measure the service
Require reports showing eligible events, severity, response, restore and resolution times, exclusions, reopenings, trends, chronic issues, projects, and improvement actions.
Look for unlimited exclusions, vague business hours, unsupported dependencies, absent escalation, no data ownership, and no transition commitment.
Primary sources
This page separates sourced facts from North Star's operational guidance. Check the current source before relying on a changing price, rule, list, or technical standard.
Questions businesses ask
Is response time the same as resolution time?
No. Response is acknowledgement and ownership; restoration and resolution measure different outcomes.
Should every ticket have the same SLA?
No. Targets should reflect documented severity, business impact, coverage, and service dependencies.
What is the biggest SLA red flag?
A promise that sounds precise but lacks definitions, measurement rules, exclusions, reporting, and an escalation path.
Turn the research into an operating plan
North Star can help assess the environment, define scope, document ownership, implement controls, and verify the result.
Compare managed IT scope and pricing