Solid Select vs Solid Unlimited: Which Managed IT Plan Is Right for You?
What every Managed IT plan includes, how Solid Select and Solid Unlimited differ, and how to choose.
Read the guide →What is an SLA in managed IT services?
An SLA is the agreement between an IT provider and its client that sets out the level of service the client can expect. In managed IT services it turns “we look after your IT” into promises you can measure: what is covered, how each issue is prioritised, how fast the provider responds, and what happens if it doesn’t.
The SLA (Service Level Agreement) is the cornerstone of our partnerships.
We nail down our official commitment to you in the Service Level Agreement (SLA). In it, we mutually agree on the level of service you can expect from us.
A managed IT SLA usually covers:
- Scope: the users, devices, systems and services the provider looks after
- Priorities: how each issue is rated, usually with an SLA matrix
- Response times: the maximum wait for a first response at each priority
- Support hours and channels: when and how you can log an issue
- Escalation and reporting: who steps in when an issue is urgent, and how performance is reported
- Remedies: what you get if the provider misses the SLA
The SLA matrix: how priority is set
An SLA matrix (also called a priority matrix) decides how urgent an issue is by crossing two questions: how many people are affected, and how badly the business is affected. The answer is a priority from 1 (emergency) to 5 (low), and each priority has its own response time.
An important element of the SLA is the response time we agree to guarantee. Our response times depend on the category of the issue. The category is based on two things: the severity (number of users affected) and the business impact (effect on the business).
Show the matrix as a table
| Severity: number of users | High impact: major business processes are stopped | Medium impact: business is degraded but there is a reasonable workaround | Low impact: more of an irritation than a stoppage |
|---|---|---|---|
| High severity: the whole company is affected | 1 – Emergency | 2 – Critical | 3 – High |
| Medium severity: departments, a large group or VIP users are affected | 2 – Critical | 3 – High | 4 – Medium |
| Low severity: one user or a small group is affected | 3 – High | 4 – Medium | 5 – Low |
The lower the value, the higher the priority: priority 1 receives the highest priority, and priority 5 the lowest.
What each priority looks like in practice
| Priority | Example |
|---|---|
| 1 – Emergency | Email, the internet connection or a core business system is down for the whole company |
| 2 – Critical | The finance team can’t reach the accounting system, or the whole company is working on a slow connection |
| 3 – High | One person can’t work at all, for example a laptop that won’t start |
| 4 – Medium | A department’s printer is down, but another printer is available |
| 5 – Low | One person’s minor annoyance, such as a display setting or a small change to their mailbox |
SLA response times by priority and SLA level
Once an issue has a priority, the SLA level sets the longest you wait for a first response.
This table shows you the five categories which are assigned to an incident, problem or service request and their associated maximum first response waiting time.
| Priority | Diamond SLA | Platinum SLA | Gold SLA | Silver SLA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – Emergency | 15 min | 30 min | 1 hr | Best effort |
| 2 – Critical | 30 min | 1 hr | 2 hr | Best effort |
| 3 – High | 1 hr | 2 hr | 3 hr | Best effort |
| 4 – Medium | 2 hr | 3 hr | 6 hr | Best effort |
| 5 – Low | 4 hr | 4 hr | 8 hr | Best effort |
SLA levels explained: Diamond, Platinum, Gold and Silver
SLA levels (or tiers) set how fast the guaranteed response is at each priority. A higher level buys a faster response when it matters most.
DiamondOur fastest response: 15 minutes for an emergency, 4 hours for a low-priority issue.
Platinum30 minutes for an emergency, 4 hours for a low-priority issue. Included with Solid Unlimited and Solid Unlimited + Onsite.
Gold1 hour for an emergency, 8 hours for a low-priority issue. Included with Solid Select.
SilverBest effort: no guaranteed response time.
What does best effort mean?
Best effort means the provider responds as quickly as it reasonably can, but doesn’t guarantee a time and owes nothing if it is slow. It can suit systems that are not critical; anything your business can’t work without needs a guaranteed response time.
See which level comes with each plan on our managed IT services page, or compare the two plans in Solid Select vs Solid Unlimited.
Incidents, problems and service requests
The SLA applies to every kind of ticket, and each one gets its priority from the matrix.
IncidentSomething is broken or not working as it should, such as a failed laptop or an email outage.
ProblemThe underlying cause of one or more incidents, investigated so the same fault doesn’t keep coming back.
Service requestSomething new rather than broken: a new user, access to a system, new software or a new device.
Response time vs resolution time
Our SLA guarantees the maximum time to a first response. Resolution time, how long it takes to fix the issue, depends on the fault: a password reset takes minutes, a failed server can take longer. That is why SLAs usually guarantee the response and track resolution in reports.
When you compare SLAs, check what counts as a response. An automated “we received your ticket” email is not the same as an engineer starting work on your issue.
SLA vs SLO: what’s the difference?
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| SLA (service level agreement) | The agreement with the client: the service promised, and what happens if it is missed |
| SLO (service level objective) | A target the provider sets itself, often stricter than the SLA, so it stays within the agreement |
| SLI (service level indicator) | The measurement behind both, such as the actual time to first response |
What happens if an SLA is missed?
Most SLAs set a remedy if the provider misses a commitment, usually a credit on the next invoice.
In the rare event that we ever miss an SLA, please let our Customer Service Manager know and we will pass a credit onto your account.
How to compare managed IT SLAs
Two providers can both promise “fast support” and mean very different things. These six questions show the difference:
- What is in scope?Which users, devices, systems and cloud services the SLA covers, and what is billed separately.
- How is priority set?Ask for the SLA matrix. Without one, every issue can end up “medium”.
- How fast is the response at priorities 1 and 2?These are the issues that stop your business, so compare them first.
- What counts as a response?An engineer working on the issue, not an automated email.
- How is performance reported?Regular reports on response times and recurring issues show whether the SLA is being met.
- What happens if the SLA is missed?Look for a clear remedy, such as a credit on your account.
Every Solid Systems managed IT plan includes a guaranteed response SLA, and our IT support team works to it every day.
Frequently asked questions
What does SLA stand for?
SLA stands for service level agreement: the written agreement between a service provider and its client that sets out the service the client can expect, how it is measured and what happens if it is not met.
What is an SLA matrix?
An SLA matrix, or priority matrix, sets the priority of each support issue by crossing two questions: how many users are affected (severity) and how badly the business is affected (business impact). The result is a priority from 1 (emergency) to 5 (low), and each priority has its own maximum response time.
What are SLA levels?
SLA levels, or tiers, set how fast the guaranteed response is at each priority. Our levels are Diamond, Platinum, Gold and Silver: a priority 1 emergency gets a response within 15 minutes on Diamond, 30 minutes on Platinum and 1 hour on Gold, while Silver is best effort.
What is a P1 incident?
A P1, or priority 1, incident is an emergency: the whole company is affected and major business processes have stopped, for example email or a core system being down for everyone. It gets the fastest response in the SLA.
What is a best-effort SLA?
A best-effort SLA means the provider will respond as quickly as it reasonably can, but does not guarantee a response time. It suits non-critical systems; business-critical systems need a guaranteed response time.
Does an SLA cover cyber security incidents?
Usually, yes. A security incident is logged and prioritised like any other incident, so an attack affecting the whole company is a priority 1 emergency. Specialist security services, such as 24/7 threat detection, may also carry their own service levels.