When negotiating with a new vendor, what should be included to address response times to major incidents?

Including a Service Level Agreement (SLA) in negotiations with a new vendor is essential when addressing response times to major incidents. An SLA is a formal contract that outlines the expected level of service between a service provider and a customer. It specifically defines metrics such as response times, availability, and responsibilities regarding service delivery.

In the context of incidents, the SLA will typically specify how quickly the vendor must respond to different severity levels of incidents, which ensures that both parties have a clear understanding of the expectations. This can be critical for maintaining business continuity and ensuring that any disruptions are minimized.

In contrast, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is generally a non-binding agreement that outlines the intentions of the parties involved but does not provide the detailed service metrics that an SLA does. Mean Time to Recovery (MTTR) is a specific metric that measures how quickly a system can be restored after a failure but does not constitute an agreement itself. A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) is focused on confidentiality and protecting sensitive information rather than service performance metrics. Therefore, while all these documents have their importance in vendor relationships, the SLA is the appropriate choice for addressing response times in the context of major incidents.