This Service Level Agreement (SLA) establishes the support responsibilities, service expectations, and coordination procedures between Enterprise Information Technology Services (EITS) and units under the Network Service Program (NSP).
All parties acknowledge that reliable network connectivity is mission-critical to the University of Georgia. The intent of this SLA is to foster a strong operational partnership, shared accountability, and proactive communication to ensure the delivery of high-quality network services.
Conditions of this SLA
This SLA governs support, response, and operational responsibilities only and does not modify financial terms, ownership, lifecycle, or funding provisions defined in the applicable Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Nothing in this SLA shall be construed as a guarantee of uninterrupted service or as modifying University policies, procedures, or authority.
EITS Services Included in the Annual Fee
This SLA applies to the production network, which includes both wired and wireless connectivity. The scope of the coverage provided by the EITS NSP, covered under the annual fee, shall include:
- Network connectivity to the external network protected by a firewall and other security measures
- Wired network connectivity support to the wall outlet
- Replacing/repairing the structured cabling system components if they become damaged unintentionally, fail, or are damaged during building maintenance
- Assistance in connecting IoT devices to the wireless network if related to the instructional, research, or outreach missions of the University
- Investigating wireless network issues and recommending solutions. Replacement of bad access points is included.
- Refresh of active network components on a regular basis (router, switches, wireless access points)
- EITS maintains a reasonable inventory of spare network equipment, subject to availability, to support service continuity.
EITS Services Not Included in the Annual Fee
- Repair or replacement of network equipment or structured cabling system components that have been deliberately damaged
- Relocation or new installation of structured cabling system components, such as cables, wall outlets, raceway, cable support, etc.
- Labor and materials required to bring and maintain network data closets in accordance with NSP standards
- Funding for repair of HVAC or electrical issues in the data closet. EITS will facilitate these repairs through FMD with a unit-supplied chart string.
- Addition of wired and wireless network connectivity to areas that have been remodeled or added.
- Supplementation of wireless network coverage/density in administrative areas. Student areas are covered under a separate program.
- Funding for network components in large renovations or construction.
- Departmental firewalls
- UGA Cable Television components and monthly service fees
- UGA Teams Phones sets. This is covered in a separate document.
- Departmental data centers or server farms
- Other network devices not listed, including cameras, gunshot sensors, parking gates, and POS devices themselves.
- Quality of cellular service signal strength
- Components of the outside communications (data and fiber) cables before entering the building
Unit Responsibilities
- Provides a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
- Report any network issues to EITS NSP personnel as soon as possible after ensuring that they are not end-user device misconfiguration
- Notify EITS NSP personnel as soon as possible in advance of a planned power or environmental system outage to their building, or when a power outage occurs.
- Escalating incidents as appropriate
- Provide access to buildings after hours for maintenance or repair issues as required
- Feedback on any issues encountered during resolution of a reported network incident
- Feedback on any issues with the EITS NSP program
- Proactively notify EITS NSP personnel of any areas with problematic, inadequate, or non-functional wired or wireless network coverage.
Support
Support Hours
On-site and remote support is available 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM Monday through Friday, excluding University Holidays and cancellations due to weather or other factors.
On-call support for non-working hours is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, solely for network outages affecting an entire floor or larger area, network issues impacting VIP guests of the University, and network issues impacting special classes, symposia, seminars, conferences, camps, and other high-visibility events outside of normal working hours.
Incident Priority Definitions
- Severe: Loss of service or severely degraded performance affecting an entire floor or larger area, core production services, core operations, VIP accommodations or events.
- Moderate: Loss of service or severely degraded performance affecting a portion of a floor, important unit service areas, or class sessions.
- Routine: Issues not significantly impacting production
Response Targets
- Severe: Immediate response upon receipt of report
- Moderate: Response within one (1) hour upon receipt of report
- Routine: Response within 48 hours after receipt of report
Response targets represent service objectives and do not constitute guaranteed resolution times.
Problem Reporting and Escalation
Network service issues shall be reported through the agreed-upon primary reporting channel(s) established between EITS NSP and the unit.
Maintenance and Change Management Guidelines
- Routine maintenance shall occur outside of normal working hours or at a time most reasonable for the unit
- Planned maintenance affecting service shall be communicated to the unit at least 72 hours in advance
- Maintenance shall be rescheduled when necessary to avoid unit operational needs
- All non-routine changes and maintenance will be reviewed by the established EITS Change Management Group on a weekly basis before proceeding
EITS retains final authority over change implementation necessary to protect network stability, security, or compliance.
Access to Equipment and Data Closets
EITS must have access to supported equipment during maintenance windows and after-hours incidents. Access must be easily attainable during working hours.
Data Closet Restrictions
For security, support, and network integrity reasons, access to the MDF must be strictly managed by EITS NSP personnel.
- Unit IT staff will not be allowed to log in to switches other than with read-only access and shall not configure or modify in any manner the switches or other network equipment managed by EITS NSP personnel.
- Unit IT staff will not be allowed to add, move, or remove patch cables in the data closets.
Security and Best Practices
All active network device configurations will be maintained in accordance with EITS best practices and UGA Information Security policies.
Firmware and software updates will be applied to network components as released by the vendor, as required to comply with security policies and best practices.