SLAs Criticality Levels (1 to 5)
Below are common definitions for levels of criticality:
Low Criticality (Level 1):
Description: Incidents that have minimal impact on business operations or end-users.
Examples: Minor software glitches, non-urgent feature requests, or low-priority documentation issues.
Response Time: Within 24 to 48 hours.
Medium Criticality (Level 2):
Description: Incidents that have a noticeable but not critical impact on business operations or end-users.
Examples: Moderate performance degradation, non-critical bugs affecting specific functions, or minor data discrepancies.
Response Time: Within 8 to 16 hours.
High Criticality (Level 3):
Description: Incidents that have a significant impact on business operations or end-users but do not constitute an emergency.
Examples: Critical bugs affecting core functionality, service interruptions for non-essential features, or data integrity issues.
Response Time: Within 4 to 8 hours.
Critical (Level 4):
Description: Incidents that severely disrupt business operations or directly impact end-users.
Examples: System-wide outages, data breaches, or critical security vulnerabilities.
Response Time: Immediate or within 2 hours.
Emergency (Level 5):
Description: Incidents that pose an existential threat to the organization, its data, or its reputation.
Examples: Catastrophic data loss, major security breaches, or widespread service unavailability.
Response Time: Immediate response and continuous attention until resolved.
It's important to note that these definitions can vary from one organization to another, and they should be clearly defined and documented in the SLA to ensure everyone understands the expectations for each criticality level. Additionally, response times and severity classifications should be aligned with the organization's capacity to address incidents effectively and meet its business objectives. Regular reviews and updates of these definitions are crucial to adapt to changing business needs and technological landscapes.