Which of the following should be the PRIMARY goal of implementing service level agreements (SLAs) with an outsourcing vendor?

The primary goal of a Service Level Agreement (SLA) is to define the expected level of service from a vendor and ensure it aligns with the organization's business and operational requirements. SLAs translate business needs into specific, measurable performance metrics (e.g., availability, response time, capacity). By monitoring performance against these metrics, an organization ensures that the outsourced service effectively supports its operational processes and contributes to achieving its objectives. The SLA is the fundamental tool for managing the vendor relationship to guarantee that the required service quality is delivered, thereby enabling business operations.

A. Gaining a competitive advantage is a high-level strategic goal that may be an indirect result of effective outsourcing, not the primary, direct purpose of an operational SLA.

B. Penalties are a component of an SLA used for enforcement and to incentivize performance. The primary goal is to receive the agreed-upon service, not to collect penalties.

D. While an SLA may include clauses to ensure regulatory compliance, its core purpose is broader, focusing on all aspects of operational service delivery, not just compliance.

1. ISACA

CGEIT Review Manual

8th Edition. Domain 4: IT Resource Optimization

Task 4.5 (Manage IT services). The manual emphasizes that service level management and SLAs are critical for ensuring that IT services

including those outsourced

are delivered in line with business expectations and support operational requirements.

2. ISACA

COBIT 2019 Framework: Governance and Management Objectives. APO09 Manage Service Agreements. The purpose statement for this process is to "Align IT-related services and service levels with enterprise needs and expectations...". This directly supports the idea that SLAs are primarily for achieving business and operational objectives.

3. ISACA

CGEIT Review Manual

8th Edition. Domain 4

Knowledge Statement K4.5.1 (Knowledge of service level management). This section details how SLAs are formal

negotiated agreements that define the level of service to be provided

which is fundamental to meeting the operational needs of the enterprise.