Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience - IS Operations

Correct Answer: To define measurable IT service targets and responsibilities between service provider and customer

The primary purpose of a Service Level Agreement (SLA) in IT Service Management is to define measurable IT service targets and responsibilities between the service provider and customer. This is correct because SLAs establish clear expectations for service quality, availability, performance metrics, and outline the responsibilities of each party involved. The other options are incorrect: Establishing detailed technical specifications for IT infrastructure is more related to technical documentation or configuration management, not the primary purpose of SLAs. Documenting comprehensive operational procedures for IT staff is more aligned with standard operating procedures (SOPs) or work instructions, not SLAs. Creating a legally binding contract guaranteeing zero downtime with full compensation is unrealistic and misrepresents the nature of SLAs. While SLAs may have legal aspects and compensation terms, they typically acknowledge that some downtime is inevitable and set reasonable expectations rather than promising perfection.

Correct Answer: To track and manage IT resources throughout their lifecycle

The core function of an IT asset management (ITAM) system is to maintain a complete, accurate inventory of IT assets—hardware, software, licenses, contracts, and related data—and manage them from procurement through deployment, maintenance, and disposal. This enables cost control, compliance, risk reduction, and better decision-making. Calculating ROI over a set depreciation period is a financial management task, not the primary role of ITAM. Restricting user access is identity and access management (IAM), and ensuring environmental compliance is a specialized compliance function; both can be supported by ITAM data but are not its primary purpose.

Correct Answer: Alignment of depreciation schedules with technology refresh cycles

When implementing an IT asset depreciation model, the most critical consideration is aligning depreciation schedules with technology refresh cycles. This is important because technology assets have varying useful lifespans depending on their type and purpose. Aligning depreciation with actual refresh cycles ensures the accounting treatment accurately reflects the true economic value and obsolescence patterns of the assets. This alignment helps organizations plan for replacements, budget appropriately, and maintain an accurate financial picture. The other options are less appropriate: Creating separate depreciation categories for each hardware vendor introduces unnecessary complexity and doesn't address the fundamental issue of matching depreciation to actual asset lifespans. Applying standardized five-year depreciation periods for all technology assets is too rigid and fails to account for the significant differences in lifespan between different types of IT assets (e.g., servers vs. networking equipment vs. end-user devices). Developing complex mathematical models with daily tracking and market-based recalculations is excessively complicated, administratively burdensome, and likely doesn't provide sufficient added value to justify the effort.