Service Level Agreement

AOIT Networks Ltd – Service Level Agreement

Effective Date: January 2026
Version: 1.1

1. Introduction

This Service Level Agreement (“SLA”) defines the service levels that AOIT Networks Ltd (“AOIT”) commits to provide to its partners for the Services covered by the Master Services Agreement. This SLA forms part of the Master Services Agreement between AOIT and the Partner.

1.1 Scope

This SLA applies to all managed IT and telecommunications services provided by AOIT, subject to the Support Tier purchased by the Partner as specified in the Order Form.

1.2 SLA Review

AOIT reviews this SLA annually and may update it to reflect changes in service capabilities, industry standards, or operational requirements. Material changes to the SLA will be communicated to Partners at least 60 days in advance and will take effect at the next contract renewal date.

2. Definitions

“Business Hours” means 08:00 to 17:00 GMT/BST, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays in England and Wales. These are AOIT’s operating hours and apply to all time calculations in this SLA regardless of the Partner’s own operating hours. All references to “business hours” throughout this SLA refer to AOIT’s business hours as defined here.

“Response Time” means the time between AOIT receiving a support request and AOIT’s initial meaningful response acknowledging the request and beginning investigation or triage. Response time does not include automated acknowledgment emails. A meaningful response includes assignment of a technician, initial assessment, or request for additional information.

“Resolution Time” means the time between AOIT receiving a support request and AOIT providing a suitable workaround or restoring service to acceptable operational levels. Resolution is considered achieved when:

• A suitable workaround has been provided that allows normal business operations to continue, OR
• Service has been restored to acceptable operational levels, OR
• The reported problem has been permanently fixed

Where a workaround is provided, the ticket status will be set to “Workaround Provided” which pauses the SLA timer. AOIT will continue working toward a permanent fix, and the ticket will be fully resolved once the permanent solution is implemented.

“Business Hours Time Calculation” – All response and resolution times stated in business hours are calculated based on AOIT’s business hours only. The clock starts when AOIT receives the support request during business hours (or at 08:00 on the next business day if received outside business hours) and stops at 17:00 each day, resuming at 08:00 the next business day. Weekends and public holidays are excluded from time calculations.

Example Business Hours Calculations:

• Ticket submitted Friday 16:00 with 2-hour response time → Response due Monday 09:00 (1 hour Friday + 1 hour Monday)
• Ticket submitted Monday 10:00 with 8-hour resolution time → Resolution due Monday 18:00 which rolls to Tuesday 09:00 (7 hours Monday + 1 hour Tuesday)
• Ticket submitted Wednesday 16:30 with 4-hour response time → Response due Thursday 12:30 (0.5 hours Wednesday + 3.5 hours Thursday)
• “16 business hours” = approximately 2 working days (Mon 08:00 → Wed 08:00)
• “40 business hours” = approximately 5 working days (Mon 08:00 → next Mon 08:00)

“24/7 Time Calculation” – For Premium and Elite Support commitments for Priority 1 and Priority 2 incidents, times are measured in actual elapsed time without exclusion of evenings, weekends, or public holidays. For Priority 3 and Priority 4 requests submitted after 17:00 on Premium or Elite support, the SLA clock starts at 08:00 the next business day and uses business hours calculation.

“SLA Timer Pauses” – The SLA clock is automatically paused in the following circumstances:

• When AOIT is waiting for a response or information from the Partner
• When AOIT is waiting for a third-party vendor to respond or take action
• When a workaround has been provided (ticket status set to “Workaround Provided”) and AOIT is working on a permanent fix
• When the Partner has been notified of a solution and AOIT is awaiting implementation approval
• During scheduled maintenance windows communicated in advance

The SLA timer resumes when AOIT receives the required information, vendor responds, or the Partner approves implementation.

“SLA Nullified” – In certain circumstances, SLA commitments are nullified (completely void, not merely paused) because the issue is entirely outside AOIT’s control and AOIT cannot provide a workaround. This occurs when third-party service failures prevent AOIT from restoring service through any alternative means. When SLA is nullified, AOIT has no obligation to meet response or resolution time targets, though AOIT will continue to work diligently toward resolution and maintain clear communication with the Partner. See Section 7.1 for detailed circumstances when SLA is nullified.

“Uptime” means the percentage of time that a service is available and functioning as intended during a given measurement period (typically one calendar month). Uptime is measured 24/7, not limited to business hours.

“Planned Maintenance” means scheduled maintenance activities communicated to the Partner at least 5 Business Days in advance (or 24 hours for emergency maintenance required to address critical security vulnerabilities or prevent imminent service failures).

“Service Availability” means the percentage of time a service is operational and accessible, calculated as: (Total Time in Month – Downtime Minutes) / Total Time in Month × 100.

“Downtime” means any period during which a service is unavailable or not functioning as intended, excluding Planned Maintenance and Excluded Downtime as defined in Section 7.

“Monthly Uptime Percentage” means the Service Availability calculated over a calendar month, measured 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

3. Support Tiers and Availability

3.1 Standard Support (Included with all services)

Support Hours: Business hours only

Support Channels:

• Telephone: 0191 825 0808
• Email: support@aoitnetworks.com
• Partner Portal: portal.aoitnetworks.com

Out-of-Hours Behavior: Support requests submitted outside of business hours will be queued and acknowledged at 08:00 on the next business day. The response time clock starts at 08:00 when the ticket enters the queue.

Monitoring and Alerting:

• 24/7 proactive monitoring of managed services
• Alerts are reviewed and responded to during business hours only
• Critical alerts (potential P1 incidents) are queued for immediate review at 08:00

What’s Included:

• Phone and email support during business hours
• Access to partner portal 24/7 (tickets queued outside business hours)
• Monthly service reports available on request
• 24/7 monitoring with business hours response

Best For: Small to medium businesses operating primarily during standard business hours with no requirement for out-of-hours support.

3.2 Advanced Support (Optional upgrade)

Support Hours: Business hours only

Support Channels:

• Telephone: 0191 825 0808 (priority handling during business hours)
• Email: support@aoitnetworks.com (priority handling during business hours)
• Partner Portal: portal.aoitnetworks.com (priority ticket routing)

Out-of-Hours Behavior: Support requests submitted outside of business hours will be queued and prioritized ahead of Standard Support tickets when reviewed at 08:00 the next business day.

Monitoring and Alerting:

• 24/7 proactive monitoring of managed services
• Alerts are reviewed and responded to during business hours with priority over Standard Support
• Critical alerts are queued for immediate review at 08:00 with priority handling

Priority Handling: During business hours, Advanced Support requests receive priority over Standard Support requests in the support queue.

What’s Included:

• Priority phone and email support during business hours
• Faster response times than Standard Support
• Access to partner portal 24/7 (priority queue from 08:00)
• Monthly service reports provided automatically
• 24/7 monitoring with priority business hours response
• Escalation to senior technical resources when needed

Best For: Growing businesses that need faster response during business hours but do not require out-of-hours support coverage.

3.3 Premium Support (Optional upgrade)

Support Hours: 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year for Priority 1 and Priority 2 incidents

Support Channels:

• Telephone: 0191 825 0808 (24/7 answered for P1/P2)
• Email: support@aoitnetworks.com (24/7 monitored for P1/P2)
• Partner Portal: portal.aoitnetworks.com (24/7 monitored for P1/P2)

Out-of-Hours Behavior for P3/P4: Priority 3 and Priority 4 tickets submitted at 17:00 or later will be queued until 08:00 the next business day. The SLA clock for P3 and P4 tickets starts at 08:00 and uses business hours calculation.

Out-of-Hours Behavior for P1/P2: Priority 1 and Priority 2 incidents submitted out-of-hours receive immediate 24/7 response with actual elapsed time SLA targets.

Monitoring and Alerting:

• 24/7 proactive monitoring and alerting for all services
• Critical alerts (P1/P2) trigger immediate 24/7 technician response
• Non-critical alerts (P3/P4) are reviewed during business hours

What’s Included:

• 24/7 phone and email support for Priority 1 and Priority 2 incidents
• Business hours support for Priority 3 and Priority 4 requests
• Priority over Standard and Advanced Support customers
• Monthly detailed service reports provided automatically
• Quarterly business review meetings
• Advanced reporting and analytics
• 24/7 monitoring with out-of-hours response for critical issues
• Escalation to senior technical resources when needed

Best For: Businesses operating outside standard business hours, businesses with mission-critical systems, or organizations that cannot afford extended downtime.

3.4 Elite Support (Optional upgrade)

Support Hours: 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year for Priority 1 and Priority 2 incidents

Support Channels:

• Telephone: 0191 825 0808 (24/7 priority queue for all requests)
• Email: support@aoitnetworks.com (24/7 priority handling)
• Partner Portal: portal.aoitnetworks.com (24/7 priority handling)
• Dedicated Account Manager with direct contact details

Priority Queue: All Elite Support requests receive priority handling ahead of Standard, Advanced, and Premium Support requests, regardless of time of day or priority level.

Out-of-Hours Behavior for P3/P4: Priority 3 and Priority 4 tickets submitted at 17:00 or later will be queued until 08:00 the next business day. The SLA clock for P3 and P4 tickets starts at 08:00 and uses business hours calculation.

Out-of-Hours Behavior for P1/P2: Priority 1 and Priority 2 incidents submitted out-of-hours receive immediate 24/7 response with the fastest response times and actual elapsed time SLA targets.

Monitoring and Alerting:

• 24/7 proactive monitoring and alerting for all services
• Critical alerts (P1/P2) trigger immediate priority response from senior technical resources
• All alerts receive priority review and handling

What’s Included:

• Priority queue ahead of ALL other customers for all requests
• Fastest response times for Priority 1 and Priority 2 incidents (24/7)
• Dedicated account manager with direct contact details
• Named technical contacts for escalation
• 24/7 monitoring with priority out-of-hours response
• Quarterly strategic IT planning and business review meetings
• Advanced reporting and analytics with executive dashboards
• Proactive recommendations and strategic guidance
• Direct escalation paths to senior leadership

Best For: Enterprise organizations, businesses with mission-critical 24/7 operations, organizations requiring white-glove IT service and strategic IT partnership.

4. Incident Priority Levels and Response Times

4.1 Priority Definitions

Support requests are prioritized based on business impact and urgency. AOIT reserves the right to re-prioritize tickets based on actual business impact, available resources, and technical assessment. Priority upgrades or downgrades will be communicated to the Partner with explanation.

Priority 1 (Critical)

Complete service failure with severe business impact. Work cannot continue.

Examples:

• Complete email system outage preventing all users from sending/receiving email
• Total loss of network connectivity affecting entire office
• Complete server failure with no access to critical business applications
• Active ransomware or security breach in progress
• Complete loss of telephone system (VoIP) preventing all inbound/outbound calls
• Database server crash preventing access to customer or financial data
• Complete website outage for e-commerce businesses
• Total backup system failure discovered during critical data loss event

Characteristics:

• Affects all or substantial majority of users
• No workaround available
• Business operations completely halted
• Significant revenue impact or regulatory compliance risk

Priority 2 (High)

Major service degradation with significant business impact. Work severely hampered but not completely stopped.

Examples:

• Email delays of several hours affecting multiple users
• Partial network connectivity with intermittent dropouts
• Key application performing extremely slowly but still accessible
• VoIP quality issues making calls difficult but not impossible
• Critical security vulnerability requiring urgent patching
• Backup failures for multiple systems
• Multiple user accounts locked out due to authentication issues
• Important server experiencing high CPU/memory causing severe performance degradation
• Remote access (VPN) failure affecting multiple remote workers

Characteristics:

• Affects multiple users or critical business function
• Workaround may exist but is impractical or temporary
• Business operations significantly degraded
• Productivity substantially impacted

Priority 3 (Medium)

Moderate service degradation or functionality issue. Business can continue with some inconvenience.

Examples:

• Individual user cannot access email (others unaffected)
• Printer not working for one department
• Non-critical application performing slowly
• Single user’s VPN connection failing (others working)
• Request to add new user accounts or equipment
• Software installation or configuration request
• Intermittent issues that are not consistently reproducible
• Non-urgent security updates or patches
• Minor network performance degradation
• Request to modify permissions or access rights
• Single device (laptop/desktop) hardware issue with loaner available

Characteristics:

• Affects limited number of users or non-critical function
• Workaround readily available
• Business operations continue with minor inconvenience
• Can be scheduled for resolution during normal workflow

Priority 4 (Low)

Minimal business impact. Information requests or minor issues.

Examples:

• “How do I…” questions and user training
• Request for documentation or user guides
• Cosmetic issues (display, formatting) that don’t affect functionality
• Feature requests for future consideration
• Non-urgent equipment requests
• General IT questions or consultation
• Request for reports or data extraction
• Scheduled moves, adds, or changes with flexible timeline
• Requests for new services or upgrades to be planned
• Minor bugs with easy workarounds

Characteristics:

• Minimal or no impact on business operations
• No urgency for resolution
• Can be scheduled at AOIT’s and Partner’s mutual convenience
• Often informational or planning in nature

4.2 Response and Resolution Time Commitments

All times below are stated in hours. Business hours times are calculated using AOIT’s business hours (08:00-17:00 Mon-Fri) as defined in Section 2. Times marked “24/7” for Premium and Elite Support are measured in actual elapsed time for Priority 1 and Priority 2 only.

Standard Support (Business Hours Only)

Time Calculation: Business hours only. All times use business hours calculation as defined in Section 2.

Out-of-Hours Behavior: Tickets submitted outside business hours are queued until 08:00 the next business day. The response clock starts at 08:00.

Example: P1 ticket submitted Saturday at 15:00 → Response clock starts Monday 08:00 → Response due Monday 10:00 (2 business hours)

Approximate Calendar Time:

• 8 business hours ≈ 1 working day (08:00 Mon → 08:00 Tue)
• 16 business hours ≈ 2 working days (08:00 Mon → 08:00 Wed)
• 24 business hours ≈ 3 working days (08:00 Mon → 08:00 Thu)
• 40 business hours ≈ 5 working days (08:00 Mon → 08:00 next Mon)

Advanced Support (Business Hours Only – Faster Response)

Time Calculation: Business hours only. All times use business hours calculation as defined in Section 2.

Out-of-Hours Behavior: Tickets submitted outside business hours are prioritized ahead of Standard Support tickets when the queue is reviewed at 08:00 the next business day.

Priority Handling: During business hours, Advanced Support tickets receive priority over Standard Support tickets in the support queue. When multiple tickets of the same priority exist, Advanced Support tickets are handled first.

Example: P1 ticket submitted Tuesday 14:00 → Response due Tuesday 15:00 (1 business hour) → Resolution target Tuesday 18:00 continuing to Wednesday 09:00 for full 4 business hours

Premium Support (24/7 for P1/P2, Business Hours for P3/P4)

Priority 1 and Priority 2 (24/7 Actual Time):

Time Calculation: 24/7 actual elapsed time (including evenings, weekends, and public holidays).

Out-of-Hours Behavior: Priority 1 and Priority 2 incidents receive immediate 24/7 response regardless of when submitted. Times are measured in actual elapsed time, not business hours.

Example: P1 ticket submitted Sunday 02:00 → Response due Sunday 03:00 (1 actual hour) → Resolution target Sunday 06:00 (4 actual hours)

Priority 3 and Priority 4 (Business Hours):

Time Calculation: Business hours only (08:00-17:00 Mon-Fri).

Out-of-Hours Behavior: Priority 3 and Priority 4 tickets submitted at 17:00 or later will be queued until 08:00 the next business day. The SLA clock starts at 08:00 and uses business hours calculation.

Example: P3 ticket submitted Friday 18:00 → SLA clock starts Monday 08:00 → Response due Monday 12:00 (4 business hours) → Resolution target Tuesday 08:00 (16 business hours)

Priority Handling: Premium Support tickets receive priority over Standard and Advanced Support tickets.

Elite Support (24/7 Priority for P1/P2, Business Hours for P3/P4)

Priority 1 and Priority 2 (24/7 Actual Time – Fastest Response):

Time Calculation: 24/7 actual elapsed time (including evenings, weekends, and public holidays).

Priority Queue: All Elite Support requests are handled ahead of Standard, Advanced, and Premium Support requests regardless of priority level. Elite P1 incidents receive immediate attention even if Premium P1 incidents are active.

Out-of-Hours Behavior: Priority 1 and Priority 2 incidents receive fastest 24/7 response regardless of when submitted. Times are measured in actual elapsed time, not business hours.

Example: P1 ticket submitted Saturday 23:30 → Response due Sunday 00:00 (30 minutes) → Resolution target Sunday 01:30 (2 hours)

Priority 3 and Priority 4 (Business Hours – Priority Handling):

Time Calculation: Business hours only (08:00-17:00 Mon-Fri).

Out-of-Hours Behavior: Priority 3 and Priority 4 tickets submitted at 17:00 or later will be queued until 08:00 the next business day. The SLA clock starts at 08:00 and uses business hours calculation, but receives priority handling ahead of all other support tiers.

Example: P4 ticket submitted Thursday 19:00 → SLA clock starts Friday 08:00 → Response due Friday 12:00 (4 business hours, but processed ahead of all other P4 tickets)

Priority Handling: Elite Support tickets receive priority handling ahead of ALL other customers (Standard, Advanced, Premium) regardless of priority level.

4.3 Resolution Time Clarification

Resolution times represent AOIT’s commitment to restore service capability or provide a functional workaround that allows business operations to continue. This does not necessarily mean the issue is permanently resolved.

When a workaround is provided:

• The ticket status is set to “Workaround Provided”
• The SLA timer is paused
• The Partner can continue business operations using the workaround
• The SLA resolution commitment has been met
• AOIT continues to work toward a permanent fix in the background
• Regular status updates continue to be provided
• The ticket is fully resolved once the permanent solution is implemented and verified

Example Scenarios:

Email Server Failure (P1): Email server crashes. AOIT restores email service using a backup server within 4 hours. Users can send and receive email normally. Ticket status is set to “Workaround Provided” and SLA is met. AOIT continues working on repairing the primary server. Once the primary server is repaired and email is migrated back, the ticket is fully resolved.

Network Performance Issue (P2): Network switch experiencing intermittent issues causing slow performance. AOIT reroutes traffic through alternate switch within 2 hours. Network performance is restored. Ticket status is set to “Workaround Provided” and SLA is met. AOIT orders replacement switch and schedules installation during next maintenance window.

Application Slow Performance (P3): Database application running slowly due to query performance. AOIT implements database query optimization within 16 business hours. Performance is acceptable. Ticket status is set to “Workaround Provided” and SLA is met. AOIT continues analyzing for additional optimization opportunities and schedules comprehensive database tuning.

Print Server Issue (P4): Print server intermittently failing. AOIT configures direct IP printing for affected users within 16 business hours. Users can print normally. Ticket status is set to “Workaround Provided” and SLA is met. AOIT investigates print server issue and schedules permanent fix during maintenance window.

4.4 SLA Timer Pause Conditions

The SLA clock is automatically paused in the following circumstances and will resume when the blocking condition is resolved:

Awaiting Partner Response:

• AOIT has requested information, credentials, access, or clarification from the Partner
• AOIT is awaiting Partner approval to implement a solution or make changes
• AOIT requires access to systems, facilities, or personnel that the Partner has not yet provided
• Partner has indicated they need time to test a proposed solution before implementation
• Partner has requested AOIT delay implementation until a specific date or event

Awaiting Third-Party Vendor:

• Issue requires intervention from a third-party vendor (ISP, software vendor, hardware manufacturer, cloud provider)
• AOIT is waiting for vendor support, patches, firmware updates, or replacement parts
• Escalation to vendor has been made and AOIT is awaiting their response or action
• Vendor has acknowledged the issue and provided an estimated time for resolution
• Parts or licenses have been ordered and AOIT is awaiting delivery

Workaround Provided:

• AOIT has provided a suitable workaround that allows business operations to continue
• Ticket status is set to “Workaround Provided”
• AOIT is working on permanent resolution in parallel
• Partner has confirmed the workaround is acceptable and business operations can proceed

Scheduled Maintenance Window:

• The Partner has requested AOIT delay resolution until a scheduled maintenance window
• Implementation is pending Partner-approved change window
• Testing or staging environment preparation is required before production implementation

Documentation and Communication:

• AOIT will document the reason for any SLA timer pause in the ticket notes
• Partner will be notified when the SLA timer is paused and the reason for the pause
• Partner will be notified when the SLA timer resumes and what action triggered the resumption
• AOIT will continue to provide regular status updates even when the SLA timer is paused

SLA Timer Does NOT Pause For:

• AOIT internal investigation, troubleshooting, or escalation
• AOIT staff training or onboarding
• AOIT resource conflicts or competing priorities
• AOIT equipment procurement (unless caused by vendor delay)
• Complexity of the issue or difficulty in diagnosis

4.5 Complex Issue Handling

Some issues may require extended time to resolve permanently due to factors beyond AOIT’s immediate control:

Common Factors Requiring Extended Resolution:

• Third-party vendor support requirements (software vendor, hardware OEM)
• Hardware procurement and delivery times (servers, network equipment, replacement parts)
• Extensive troubleshooting and testing required (intermittent issues, complex environments)
• Waiting for software patches, updates, or new releases from vendors
• Coordination with multiple parties (ISPs, cloud providers, application vendors)
• Need for off-hours implementation windows to minimize business disruption
• Regulatory or compliance requirements affecting implementation approach
• Dependencies on Partner actions or approvals for significant changes

AOIT’s Approach to Complex Issues:

In such cases, AOIT will:

1. Provide a workaround within the committed SLA timeframe to restore service capability
2. Set ticket status to “Workaround Provided” to pause the SLA (resolution commitment met)
3. Keep the Partner informed with regular status updates on permanent fix progress
4. Set realistic expectations for permanent resolution timeline based on known factors
5. Continue working toward complete resolution in parallel with the workaround
6. Schedule final implementation during an appropriate change window with Partner approval
7. Conduct post-implementation verification to ensure permanent fix is successful
8. Update documentation and knowledge base to facilitate faster resolution in future

Communication During Complex Issues:

For P1 and P2 incidents requiring extended resolution:

• Initial status update within 2 hours of workaround implementation
• Daily status updates until permanent fix is implemented (business days)
• Immediate notification if timeline or approach changes
• Root cause analysis provided once permanent fix is complete

For P3 and P4 issues requiring extended resolution:

• Status update at least twice per week until permanent fix is implemented
• Updates whenever significant progress is made or roadblocks are encountered
• Final root cause and resolution summary upon completion

4.6 Escalation Process

If the Partner is not satisfied with the progress on a support request, escalation is available at any time. AOIT encourages Partners to escalate when they feel resolution is not progressing appropriately or when they need additional attention or resources applied to an issue.

Escalation Levels:

Level 1: Support Technician (initial contact and assignment)

• First point of contact for all support requests
• Handles routine issues and standard troubleshooting
• Escalates to Level 2 when additional expertise is required

Level 2: Senior Technical Specialist (technical escalation)

• Escalation available after 50% of target resolution time has elapsed without resolution
• Escalation available immediately for highly complex or unusual issues
• Advanced technical expertise and broader system knowledge
• Authority to engage vendor support and coordinate with third parties

Level 3: Technical Director (management escalation)

• Escalation available after 75% of target resolution time has elapsed without resolution
• Escalation available for repeated SLA breaches or ongoing service issues
• Oversight of technical team and resource allocation
• Authority to authorize emergency changes or unusual solutions
• Engages with Partner management for strategic or business-critical issues

Level 4: Managing Director (executive escalation)

• Escalation for critical unresolved issues exceeding SLA targets
• Escalation for significant or repeated service failures
• Escalation for situations requiring executive decision-making or partner relationship management
• Final point of escalation within AOIT organization

How to Escalate:

Partners may request escalation at any time through any of the following methods:

1. Email: Send email to support@aoitnetworks.com with “ESCALATION REQUEST” in the subject line, including:
   • Ticket number
   • Current status and concern
   • Requested escalation level
   • Best contact method and availability
2. Phone: Call 0191 825 0808 and request escalation when speaking with support staff
3. Partner Portal: Use the escalation option in the Partner Portal ticket interface
4. Account Manager: Contact your dedicated Account Manager directly (Premium and Elite Support only)

Escalation Response:

• Escalation requests are reviewed within 1 business hour of receipt during business hours
• Out-of-hours escalation requests for Premium and Elite P1/P2 incidents are reviewed within 1 hour (24/7)
• AOIT will acknowledge the escalation, provide an escalation reference number, and provide a timeline for management review
• The assigned escalation manager will contact the Partner within the specified timeframe to discuss the issue and next steps
• Escalation does not automatically reset or pause SLA timers but may result in additional resources being applied

Automatic Escalation:

AOIT’s systems automatically escalate tickets that are approaching SLA breach thresholds:

• At 50% of resolution time target: Escalated to Senior Technical Specialist
• At 75% of resolution time target: Escalated to Technical Director
• Upon SLA breach: Escalated to Technical Director with management notification

5. Service Availability and Uptime Commitments

5.1 Service Availability Targets

AOIT commits to the following Monthly Uptime Percentages for services under AOIT’s direct control and management:

Important Notes:

• Uptime commitments apply only to services under AOIT’s direct control and management
• Services dependent on third-party infrastructure not under AOIT’s control are subject to Section 7 exclusions
• Uptime is measured for the specific service, not the underlying infrastructure components
• Multiple brief interruptions count toward total downtime even if individually minor

5.2 Uptime Calculation

Monthly Uptime Percentage is calculated as:

Uptime % = ((Total Minutes in Month - Downtime Minutes) / Total Minutes in Month) × 100

Examples:

• 30-day month = 43,200 minutes total
• 99.0% uptime = 43,200 × 0.99 = 42,768 minutes uptime allowed
• Maximum downtime = 43,200 – 42,768 = 432 minutes (7.2 hours)
• 31-day month = 44,640 minutes total
• 99.0% uptime = 44,640 × 0.99 = 44,193 minutes uptime allowed
• Maximum downtime = 44,640 – 44,193 = 447 minutes (7.45 hours)

Important Measurement Notes:

• Uptime is measured 24 hours per day, 7 days per week
• Uptime calculations do NOT use business hours – they are continuous 24/7 measurements
• Downtime during weekends and evenings counts toward the downtime total
• Downtime is measured from the moment service becomes unavailable until it is fully restored
• Only Planned Maintenance (properly notified as per Section 6) and Excluded Downtime (Section 7) are excluded from calculations
• Partial service degradation counts as downtime if service is not functioning at acceptable operational levels

5.3 Measurement Period

Service availability is measured on a calendar month basis from 00:00:01 on the first day of the month to 23:59:59 on the last day of the month (GMT/BST).

Measurement is performed continuously through automated monitoring systems that check service availability at regular intervals (typically every 1-5 minutes depending on service type).

Monitoring Method:

• Automated health checks from multiple monitoring locations
• Service-specific checks (HTTP/HTTPS for web services, SMTP for email, etc.)
• Response time and functionality verification
• Automated alerting when service becomes unavailable
• Incident ticket creation for tracking and resolution

Downtime Start and End:

• Downtime begins when monitoring system detects service unavailability OR when Partner reports service unavailability (whichever occurs first)
• Downtime ends when service is fully restored and monitoring confirms availability OR when Partner confirms service restoration (whichever occurs last)
• For disputed timing, AOIT’s monitoring logs serve as the authoritative record unless Partner can provide evidence of longer downtime

5.4 Uptime Reporting

AOIT provides Monthly Uptime Reports showing service availability performance. The level of detail and delivery method varies by Support Tier.

Standard Support – Reports Available on Request:

Partners may request monthly uptime reports by emailing support@aoitnetworks.com with “Monthly Uptime Report Request” in the subject line. Reports will be delivered within 10 Business Days of the end of the reporting period.

Monthly reports include:

• Service availability percentage for each applicable service category
• Summary of significant outages or service degradations
• Duration and business impact of each downtime incident
• Planned maintenance activities performed during the month

Advanced Support – Automatic Reports:

Monthly uptime reports are automatically generated and sent by email by the 10th of the following month to the Partner’s designated technical contacts.

Monthly reports include:

• Detailed service availability statistics for all managed services
• Month-over-month comparison and trends
• All incidents with priority, impact, duration, and resolution summary
• Support ticket statistics including average response times and SLA compliance
• Planned and emergency maintenance activities
• Summary of system health metrics

Premium Support – Automatic Detailed Reports:

Comprehensive monthly uptime reports are automatically generated and sent by email by the 10th of the following month to designated technical and management contacts.

Monthly reports include everything in Advanced Support plus:

• Performance trend analysis and capacity planning recommendations
• Security event summary and threat intelligence overview
• Backup success rates and data protection status
• Detailed uptime statistics by service with historical comparison
• Executive summary dashboard with key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Recommendations for optimization, improvement, and risk mitigation
• Comparison against industry benchmarks where applicable

Elite Support – Comprehensive Reporting and Strategic Review:

All reporting from Premium Support plus:

• Executive summary with strategic recommendations aligned to business objectives
• Quarterly business review meeting to discuss trends, strategy, and IT roadmap
• Custom reports available on request with flexible delivery schedule
• Proactive identification of optimization opportunities and technology improvements
• Strategic IT planning guidance and alignment with business goals
• Dedicated Account Manager for reporting clarification and follow-up discussions

6. Planned Maintenance

6.1 Maintenance Windows

AOIT performs planned maintenance to ensure optimal performance, security, and reliability of services. Planned maintenance activities are scheduled to minimize business impact and are performed during designated maintenance windows whenever possible.

Preferred Maintenance Window: Sunday 02:00 – 06:00 GMT/BST

This window is selected to minimize impact on business operations for the majority of Partners.

Secondary Window: Weekday evenings 22:00 – 02:00 GMT/BST

Used when Sunday window is not suitable for specific services, when Sunday maintenance schedule is full, or when services require weekday maintenance for technical reasons.

Emergency Maintenance:

Emergency maintenance may be performed outside designated maintenance windows when necessary to address:

• Critical security vulnerabilities requiring immediate patching
• Imminent service failures or system instability
• Active security incidents or breaches
• Urgent legal or regulatory compliance requirements
• Vendor-mandated emergency updates

Emergency maintenance will be communicated as soon as the need is identified, with as much advance notice as technically feasible.

6.2 Maintenance Notification

AOIT provides advance notification of planned maintenance according to the following schedule:

Standard Planned Maintenance:

• At least 5 Business Days’ advance notice via email
• Notification includes:
  • Date and time of maintenance (start and expected completion)
  • Expected duration of maintenance window
  • Services affected and expected impact (e.g., brief interruption, degraded performance, full outage)
  • Reason for maintenance (e.g., security updates, performance optimization, infrastructure upgrade)
  • Anticipated user experience during maintenance
  • Actions Partners should take, if any (e.g., save work, log off)
• Sent to Partner’s designated technical and management contacts
• Posted to Partner Portal with visible notification banner

Emergency Maintenance:

• At least 24 hours’ advance notice where technically possible
• For critical security vulnerabilities or imminent failures requiring immediate action, maintenance may proceed with shorter notice (as little as 2-4 hours)
• Notification provided as soon as the need is identified
• Partners directly affected will be contacted by phone where feasible and during business hours
• Email notification sent to all affected Partners
• Posted to Partner Portal with urgent notification banner

Notification Methods:

• Primary: Email to Partner’s registered technical and management contacts
• Secondary: Partner Portal notification banner
• Urgent: Phone call for emergency maintenance affecting business-critical services

Notification Content: All maintenance notifications include:

• Maintenance reference number
• Scheduled date and time (GMT/BST timezone specified)
• Expected duration
• Affected services and systems
• Expected impact level (no impact, brief interruption, degraded performance, full outage)
• Reason for maintenance
• AOIT contact for questions or concerns

6.3 Maintenance and Uptime Calculation

Excluded from Downtime (Does NOT count against uptime commitments):

Planned maintenance is excluded from downtime calculations if ALL of the following conditions are met:

• At least 5 Business Days’ advance notice was provided via email
• Performed during a designated maintenance window (Sunday 02:00-06:00 or weekday 22:00-02:00)
• Does not exceed the communicated duration by more than 30 minutes
• Partner was given opportunity to request alternate timing (though alternate timing may not always be feasible)

Counted as Downtime (DOES count against uptime commitments):

The following situations count toward downtime and uptime calculations:

• Emergency maintenance with less than 5 Business Days’ advance notice (unless addressing critical security vulnerability, in which case it’s excluded)
• Maintenance that exceeds the communicated duration by more than 30 minutes (overage time only)
• Unplanned outages or service degradations not related to maintenance
• Maintenance performed outside designated maintenance windows without 5 Business Days’ notice
• Failed maintenance attempts that cause additional downtime beyond the maintenance window

Maintenance Overruns:

If maintenance extends beyond the communicated duration:

• First 30 minutes of overrun: Excluded from downtime (grace period for unforeseen complications)
• Beyond 30 minutes of overrun: Counts toward downtime
• AOIT will provide real-time updates if maintenance is taking longer than expected
• Partners will be notified immediately if significant delays are anticipated

Example Calculation:

• Planned maintenance scheduled: Sunday 02:00-04:00 (2 hours)
• Actual maintenance duration: Sunday 02:00-05:00 (3 hours)
• Excluded from downtime: First 2.5 hours (2 hours scheduled + 30 minute grace)
• Counted toward downtime: 30 minutes (overrun beyond grace period)

7. SLA Exclusions

The service levels and commitments in this SLA do not apply to service interruptions or degradations caused by circumstances outside AOIT’s reasonable control. This section defines when SLA commitments are either paused (temporarily not measured but will resume) or nullified (completely void for that incident).

7.1 Circumstances That Nullify SLA

SLA commitments are completely nullified (not merely paused) in the following circumstances because the issue is entirely outside AOIT’s control and AOIT cannot provide a workaround to restore service:

Third-Party Service Failures Without Workaround Available:

When third-party service failures occur and AOIT is unable to provide a workaround to restore service, the SLA commitments are nullified as the issue is entirely outside AOIT’s control.

AOIT will maintain clear and consistent communication with the Partner throughout the duration of any third-party service disruption, providing updates on vendor status and estimated restoration times where available.

Examples of third-party service failures that nullify SLA when no workaround is possible:

Cloud and SaaS Services:

• Microsoft 365 outages preventing email, SharePoint, OneDrive, or Teams access when AOIT cannot provide alternative access methods
• Azure outages affecting hosted services when failover to alternate infrastructure is not configured or technically feasible
• AWS outages affecting cloud-hosted applications or services
• Google Workspace outages preventing email or document access
• Salesforce, Xero, or other critical SaaS application outages when no alternative data access is available

Connectivity and Telecommunications:

• ISP connectivity failures causing complete loss of internet access when backup connectivity is not in place or also affected
• Telecommunications provider failures affecting VoIP services when alternative call routing is not available
• Mobile network provider outages affecting mobile device management or mobile connectivity
• BGP routing issues or internet backbone problems affecting connectivity across multiple providers

Infrastructure and Platform Services:

• DNS provider failures when secondary DNS is also unavailable or affected
• Domain registrar issues preventing domain resolution or management
• CDN provider outages affecting website availability when origin server access is blocked
• Third-party authentication services (e.g., OAuth providers, SSO services) when alternative authentication is not configured
• Email filtering or security service outages when mail flow depends on the third-party service

Software and Application Dependencies:

• Software vendor service outages preventing license validation or critical application functionality
• API service dependencies when application cannot function without the third-party API
• Database-as-a-Service provider outages when local replication is not configured
• Backup service provider outages affecting backup or restore operations when no alternative backup exists

AOIT’s Obligations During Third-Party Service Failures:

Even though SLA is nullified, AOIT commits to:

1. Immediate Notification:
   • Notify the Partner as soon as AOIT becomes aware of the third-party service disruption
   • Provide initial impact assessment and affected services
   • Set expectations for communication frequency
2. Clear and Consistent Communication:
   • Provide regular status updates at intervals appropriate to the severity (hourly for P1, 2-4 hours for P2, daily for P3/P4)
   • Share vendor status updates and estimated time to resolution when available
   • Notify Partner immediately when service is restored
   • Provide post-incident summary including root cause from vendor
3. Escalation with Third-Party Vendor:
   • Escalate the issue with the third-party vendor to expedite resolution where possible
   • Monitor vendor status pages and communication channels
   • Provide Partner with direct vendor status page links for real-time updates
   • Coordinate with vendor technical support where AOIT has direct support relationship
4. Attempt to Provide Workaround:
   • Actively investigate potential workarounds or alternative solutions
   • Implement workaround if technically feasible, even if not ideal
   • Clearly communicate limitations of any workaround provided
   • If workaround is provided and service is restored, SLA commitments resume and apply to the workaround implementation
5. Documentation:
   • Document the third-party failure in the support ticket
   • Include vendor incident reference numbers where available
   • Record timeline of communications and actions taken
   • Provide post-incident report if requested by Partner

SLA Resumption After Third-Party Failure:

If AOIT is able to provide a workaround that restores service despite the third-party failure (such as failing over to a backup service, rerouting through alternative infrastructure, or implementing a temporary solution), then:

• The SLA nullification ends
• SLA commitments resume and apply to implementing the workaround
• Response and resolution time targets apply from the moment the workaround becomes technically feasible
• AOIT will meet the applicable SLA targets for implementing the workaround solution

Example:

• Microsoft 365 email outage occurs (SLA nullified – outside AOIT’s control)
• AOIT identifies that email can be temporarily routed through Partner’s legacy email server
• SLA resumes – AOIT has 1-4 hours (depending on support tier) to implement workaround
• Once workaround is implemented and email service is restored, SLA has been met
• AOIT continues monitoring Microsoft 365 status and migrates back when service is restored

7.2 Circumstances That Pause SLA

SLA timer is paused (not nullified) in the following circumstances. The SLA commitment still applies but the clock stops ticking until the circumstance is resolved:

Planned Maintenance:

• Scheduled maintenance communicated at least 5 Business Days in advance as described in Section 6
• Performed during designated maintenance windows
• Within communicated duration (plus 30-minute grace period)

Force Majeure Events:

• Natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, fires, severe weather)
• Acts of God beyond reasonable control
• Acts of terrorism or war
• Civil unrest, riots, or strikes
• Pandemic or epidemic affecting operations
• Government actions, regulations, or court orders preventing service delivery
• Failure of public utilities (power grid failure, water supply issues)
• Telecommunications network failures affecting multiple providers
• Other events beyond AOIT’s reasonable control that prevent service delivery

Partner Environment and Infrastructure:

Issues originating from the Partner’s network, equipment, systems, or facilities not managed by AOIT, including:

• Partner’s internal network issues, misconfigurations, or hardware failures
• Partner-owned equipment failures (routers, switches, firewalls not under AOIT management)
• Partner’s own ISP or connectivity problems (when Partner maintains their own internet connectivity)
• Power failures at Partner sites not managed by AOIT (when UPS or generator is Partner’s responsibility)
• Environmental issues at Partner facilities (cooling failure, humidity, physical security breach)
• Partner’s infrastructure modifications without AOIT consultation or approval

Partner Actions or Inactions:

Service degradation resulting from the Partner’s actions or failure to act, including:

• Incorrect information provided to AOIT delaying accurate diagnosis
• Failure to follow AOIT’s recommendations or best practices
• Unauthorized changes to systems, configurations, or infrastructure managed by AOIT
• Failure to implement security patches, updates, or upgrades recommended by AOIT
• Insufficient resources allocated (e.g., insufficient bandwidth, storage, or compute resources) despite AOIT’s capacity planning recommendations
• Denial of access to systems, facilities, or information needed for resolution
• Delay in providing required information, credentials, or approvals
• Failure to maintain current contact information for technical staff
• Refusal to authorize necessary expenditures for resolution
• Partner-initiated changes during active incident response

Security Incidents:

Service interruptions caused by malware, viruses, ransomware, DDoS attacks, hacking attempts, social engineering attacks, or other malicious activities directed at the Partner or AOIT’s infrastructure, unless directly caused by AOIT’s gross negligence or failure to implement industry-standard security controls.

Examples include:

• Ransomware attacks
• Phishing attacks leading to credential compromise
• DDoS attacks targeting Partner or AOIT infrastructure
• Malware infections
• Unauthorized access attempts
• Data exfiltration attempts
• Social engineering attacks

AOIT will respond to security incidents according to SLA targets for containment and recovery, but the incident itself does not constitute an SLA breach.

Resource Limitations:

Performance degradation due to usage exceeding agreed capacity limits, resource allocations, or fair use thresholds as specified in the service agreement. Examples:

• Storage capacity exhausted beyond allocated limits
• Bandwidth consumption exceeding agreed limits
• User or device count exceeding licensed or supported limits
• Resource-intensive operations not previously disclosed

Beta, Trial, or Proof-of-Concept Services:

Services explicitly designated as beta, pilot, trial, proof-of-concept, or experimental are provided “as-is” without SLA commitments.

Acceptable Use Policy Violations:

Service suspension, limitation, or termination due to Partner’s violation of the Acceptable Use Policy (available at www.aoitnetworks.com/acceptable-use-policy).

Legal, Regulatory, or Compliance Requirements:

Service interruptions required to comply with legal obligations, court orders, regulatory requirements, law enforcement requests, or security investigations.

7.3 Notification of Excluded Events

AOIT will make commercially reasonable efforts to notify Partners of service interruptions caused by excluded circumstances as soon as practicable after becoming aware of the situation.

Notification will include:

• Nature of the exclusion or circumstance
• Affected services and expected impact
• Estimated restoration time (if available)
• Whether SLA is paused or nullified
• Actions AOIT is taking to assist with resolution
• Any actions Partner should take

AOIT will continue to work diligently to restore services even when caused by excluded circumstances, though SLA commitments do not apply in such situations.

8. Service Credits

8.1 Discretionary Service Credits

AOIT may, at its sole and absolute discretion, provide service credits for failures to meet the Monthly Uptime Percentage commitments outlined in Section 5.1. Service credits are not automatic, are not guaranteed, and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Critical Important Notes:

• Service credits apply ONLY to uptime/availability commitments in Section 5.1
• Service credits do NOT apply to support response time or resolution time commitments in Section 4
• Support response and resolution times are targets and goals, not guarantees eligible for service credits
• Service credits are granted at AOIT’s sole discretion and do not constitute an entitlement
• Requesting service credits does not guarantee they will be granted

Factors Considered in Service Credit Decisions:

AOIT will consider the following factors when assessing whether to grant service credits:

Service Control:

• Whether the service is under AOIT’s direct and complete control
• Whether AOIT manages all components of the service stack
• Whether the downtime was caused by components AOIT manages vs. third-party dependencies

Exclusions:

• Whether the downtime was caused by circumstances excluded in Section 7
• Whether the downtime was preventable by AOIT
• Whether industry-standard precautions were in place

Nature of Failure:

• The cause of the service disruption (hardware failure, software bug, configuration error, etc.)
• Whether AOIT followed appropriate change control and incident management procedures
• Whether the incident was due to AOIT error, third-party failure, or unforeseeable circumstances

Impact:

• The severity, duration, and business impact of the disruption
• Whether the disruption affected all Partners or only specific Partners
• Time of day the disruption occurred (business hours vs. off-hours)

Partner Relationship:

• The Partner’s service tier and history with AOIT
• Whether the Partner’s account is in good standing with no overdue payments
• Whether the Partner has had previous service credit requests and the outcomes

Partner Cooperation:

• Whether the Partner reported the issue promptly and appropriately
• The Partner’s cooperation and responsiveness during incident resolution
• Whether the Partner provided accurate information during troubleshooting

Pattern Analysis:

• Whether this is an isolated incident or part of a pattern
• Whether AOIT has already taken corrective actions for similar issues
• Whether the Partner has experienced repeated service issues

High-Profile Hosted Services:

Service credits are more likely to be granted for hosted services where AOIT has complete control over the infrastructure, application, configuration, and all dependencies, and where the service disruption was caused by factors entirely within AOIT’s control and not covered by SLA exclusions in Section 7.

8.2 Service Credit Request Process

To request consideration for service credits, the Partner must follow this process:

Submission Requirements:

1. Submit a written request to support@aoitnetworks.com within 30 calendar days of the end of the month in which the service availability failure occurred
2. Include in the request:
   • Partner name and account number
   • The specific service(s) affected
   • Dates and times of unavailability or degradation (with timezone)
   • Duration of the outage or degradation
   • Supporting evidence where available:
     • Screenshots showing unavailability
     • Log files or error messages
     • Incident ticket numbers from AOIT support
     • Impact on business operations
   • Reference to the specific service availability commitment that was not met (cite Section 5.1)
   • Calculation showing how uptime target was not achieved
   • Details of business impact where relevant

Review Process:

• AOIT will acknowledge receipt of the request within 2 Business Days
• AOIT will investigate the request thoroughly, including:
  • Reviewing monitoring logs and system records
  • Analyzing the cause and duration of the outage
  • Determining whether exclusions apply (Section 7)
  • Assessing all factors listed in Section 8.1
• AOIT will respond with a decision within 15 Business Days
• If additional information is needed, AOIT will request it and the 15-day clock will pause until information is provided

Decision Notification:

AOIT’s response will include:

• Approval or denial of the service credit request
• Explanation of the decision and factors considered
• If approved: Amount of service credit granted
• If denied: Specific reasons for denial
• Information about the appeals process if the Partner disagrees with the decision

Credit Application:

If service credits are granted at AOIT’s discretion:

• Credits will be applied to the Partner’s account within 30 days of the approval decision
• Credits will appear on the next invoice following approval
• Partner will receive written confirmation of the credit amount and application
• Credits are applied against future invoices for AOIT services only

8.3 Service Credit Amount

If AOIT elects to grant service credits, the amount will be determined at AOIT’s discretion based on the severity and duration of the service disruption.

Typical Service Credit Calculation (when granted):

Service credits, if granted, are typically calculated based on the degree to which the uptime target was missed:

Important Notes:

• These percentages are typical examples only and do not constitute a guarantee
• AOIT may grant larger or smaller credits based on specific circumstances
• Credits are calculated based on monthly fees for the specific affected service only, not total monthly fees for all services
• The maximum service credit for any single month cannot exceed 25% of monthly fees for the affected service

Example Calculation (if credit were granted):

Service: Hosted Exchange Email Server

• Monthly fee for service: £500
• Uptime target: 99.0%
• Actual uptime: 98.2%
• Target missed by: 0.8 percentage points
• Typical credit range: 10% of monthly fees
• Credit granted (if approved): £50 (10% of £500)

8.4 Service Credit Limitations

Service credits, if granted, are subject to the following limitations:

What Credits Apply To:

• Apply only to recurring monthly service fees for the specific affected service
• Calculated based on the monthly fee for the service that experienced the outage

What Credits Do NOT Apply To:

• One-time fees (setup, installation, configuration)
• Project fees or statement of work charges
• Usage charges or variable costs
• Third-party costs (licenses, subscriptions, hardware)
• Services not affected by the outage
• Training or professional services fees

Credit Restrictions:

• Cannot be redeemed for cash or refund
• Cannot be transferred to another account or partner
• Must be used against future invoices for AOIT services
• Do not roll over beyond 12 months from the date of issue
• Expire if Partner account is closed or services are terminated before credit is fully used

Maximum Caps:

• No more than 25% of monthly fees for any single affected service
• Maximum total service credits in any calendar month shall not exceed 25% of the total monthly recurring fees for all affected services combined
• Service credits granted in one month do not carry forward or accumulate with service credits in subsequent months

Exclusive Remedy:

• Service credits, if granted, are the Partner’s sole and exclusive remedy for AOIT’s failure to meet service availability commitments
• Accepting a service credit constitutes full satisfaction of any claim related to that specific service availability failure
• Partners may not pursue additional remedies (financial or otherwise) for the same service availability failure once a credit has been granted and accepted

8.5 No Automatic Entitlement

Partners expressly acknowledge and agree that:

• Service credits under this SLA are discretionary and granted solely at AOIT’s discretion
• There is no automatic entitlement to service credits for any service disruption, regardless of duration or cause
• AOIT’s decision on whether to grant service credits is final and not subject to appeal except for clear errors in fact or calculation
• The decision to grant or deny service credits does not constitute an admission of liability, fault, or breach of contract
• Service credits are a goodwill gesture intended to maintain Partner satisfaction and do not imply any legal obligation or contractual breach
• Requesting service credits does not guarantee that credits will be granted
• AOIT may consider patterns of service credit requests when evaluating future requests

Dispute Resolution:

If a Partner disagrees with a service credit decision:

• Partner may submit additional information or evidence for reconsideration within 10 Business Days of the decision
• AOIT will review the additional information and provide a final decision within 10 Business Days
• AOIT’s final decision after reconsideration is binding and not subject to further appeal
• Partner may pursue other remedies available under the Master Services Agreement if they believe AOIT has materially breached the contract

8.6 Limitation of Liability

Service credits, if granted, are the Partner’s sole and exclusive remedy for AOIT’s failure to meet the Monthly Uptime Percentage commitments in Section 5.1.

AOIT’s total aggregate liability for any failure to meet this SLA, whether service credits are granted or not, shall not exceed the amount set forth in the Master Services Agreement (typically the greater of £10,000 or 12 months of fees).

Nothing in this Section 8 limits or excludes AOIT’s liability for matters that cannot be limited or excluded by law, including:

• Death or personal injury caused by negligence
• Fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation
• Willful misconduct or gross negligence
• Breaches of data protection laws
• Any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under UK law

9. Performance Monitoring and Reporting

9.1 Monitoring Systems

AOIT maintains comprehensive automated monitoring systems that continuously track service availability, performance, health, and security across all managed services. Monitoring is performed 24/7 for all Partners regardless of support tier, though response to alerts varies by tier as described in Section 3.

Monitoring Coverage:

Service Availability and Uptime:

• Continuous availability monitoring for all managed services
• Automated health checks and status verification at regular intervals (1-5 minutes depending on service criticality)
• Network connectivity and performance monitoring
• Application and service responsiveness checks
• Protocol-specific checks (HTTP/HTTPS, SMTP, DNS, etc.)
• Multi-location monitoring to distinguish between local and widespread issues

System Performance and Resources:

• Server resource utilization (CPU, memory, disk space, disk I/O)
• Application performance metrics (response times, error rates)
• Database performance and query execution times
• Storage capacity, growth trends, and capacity planning
• Network bandwidth utilization and traffic patterns
• Virtual machine and hypervisor performance
• Queue depths and processing backlogs

Security Monitoring:

• Security event logging and analysis
• Threat detection and prevention alerts
• Intrusion detection and prevention system (IDS/IPS) monitoring
• Failed authentication attempts and account lockouts
• Security vulnerability scanning and assessment
• Antivirus and anti-malware status
• Firewall rule violations and suspicious traffic patterns
• Patch compliance and missing updates

Backup and Data Protection:

• Backup job completion and success rates
• Backup duration and data volume trends
• Backup integrity verification and test restores
• Replication status and health
• Recovery point objective (RPO) compliance
• Backup storage capacity and retention policy compliance
• Failed backup alerts and automatic retry monitoring

Network and Connectivity:

• Network device health and performance
• Switch and router CPU, memory, and interface utilization
• Bandwidth utilization and trends by circuit and application
• VPN and remote access availability and performance
• Internet connectivity status and quality
• Circuit failover and redundancy status
• DNS resolution and response times
• Latency, jitter, and packet loss measurements

Application-Specific Monitoring:

• Email flow and queue depths
• Web server response times and error rates
• Database connectivity and transaction rates
• File server performance and share accessibility
• Print server functionality
• Line-of-business application availability and performance

9.2 Alert Response by Support Tier

All Partners receive 24/7 proactive monitoring of their managed services regardless of support tier. The difference between tiers is how and when AOIT responds to alerts.

Standard Support:

• Monitoring: 24/7 automated monitoring active
• Alert Review: Alerts are queued and reviewed during business hours only (08:00-17:00 Mon-Fri)
• Critical Alerts: Potential P1 incidents are queued for immediate priority review at 08:00
• Non-Critical Alerts: Reviewed and actioned according to priority during business hours
• Partner Notification: Partner is notified of issues during business hours
• Response: Support response follows Standard Support SLA times (P1: 2hr/8hr)

Advanced Support:

• Monitoring: 24/7 automated monitoring active
• Alert Review: Alerts are queued and reviewed during business hours with priority over Standard Support
• Critical Alerts: Receive priority review and faster response times during business hours
• Proactive Analysis: Trend analysis and capacity monitoring to identify potential issues before they cause outages
• Partner Notification: Partner is notified of issues during business hours with priority handling
• Response: Support response follows Advanced Support SLA times (P1: 1hr/4hr)

Premium Support:

• Monitoring: 24/7 automated monitoring active
• P1/P2 Alerts: Trigger immediate 24/7 response from AOIT technicians regardless of time of day
• P3/P4 Alerts: Reviewed and actioned during business hours with priority handling
• Critical System Alerts: Out-of-hours technician is notified immediately for P1/P2 level alerts
• Partner Notification: Immediate notification for critical issues at any time; business hours notification for non-critical issues
• Proactive Outreach: AOIT contacts Partner proactively for potential issues requiring attention before they cause service disruption
• Response: Support response follows Premium Support SLA times (P1/P2: 1hr/4hr 24/7; P3/P4: business hours)

Elite Support:

• Monitoring: 24/7 automated monitoring active with highest priority
• All Alerts: Receive priority review and handling ahead of other support tiers
• P1/P2 Alerts: Trigger immediate 24/7 priority response from senior technical resources
• P3/P4 Alerts: Reviewed during business hours with highest priority
• Dedicated Monitoring: Named technical contacts monitor Elite customers with heightened attention
• Proactive Recommendations: Regular proactive outreach with optimization recommendations
• Partner Notification: Immediate notification for all significant events; proactive communication for trending issues
• Response: Support response follows Elite Support SLA times (P1/P2: 30min/2hr 24/7; P3/P4: 2hr/8hr business hours)

9.3 Reporting

AOIT provides comprehensive reporting to help Partners understand service performance, identify trends, and make informed decisions about their IT infrastructure. The level of detail, delivery method, and frequency varies by Support Tier.

Standard Support – Reports Available on Request

Partners may request monthly service reports by emailing support@aoitnetworks.com with “Monthly Service Report Request” in the subject line. Reports will be delivered within 10 Business Days of the end of the reporting period.

Monthly Service Reports Include:

• Service availability summary for the month with uptime percentages
• Significant incidents and their resolutions
• Planned maintenance activities performed
• Support ticket statistics:
  • Number of tickets opened and closed
  • Average response time
  • Breakdown by priority level
• Executive summary suitable for management review

Advanced Support – Automatic Monthly Reports

Monthly service reports are automatically generated and sent by email by the 10th of the following month to the Partner’s designated technical contacts. No request is required.

Monthly Service Reports Include:

• All content from Standard Support reports, plus:
• Detailed service availability statistics for all managed services
• Month-over-month comparison showing improvement or decline
• Trend charts for key metrics
• All incidents with priority, impact, duration, and resolution summary
• Support ticket statistics including:
  • SLA compliance metrics (percentage of tickets meeting SLA targets)
  • Average time to resolution
  • Ticket volume trends
• Planned and emergency maintenance activities with impact assessment
• Security event summary:
  • Number of security alerts
  • Threats detected and blocked
  • Security scan results
  • Recommended actions
• System health overview with attention items highlighted

Premium Support – Automatic Detailed Reports with Dashboard Access

Comprehensive monthly service reports are automatically generated and sent by email by the 10th of the following month to designated technical and management contacts. Real-time dashboard access is provided through the Partner Portal.

Monthly Service Reports Include:

• All content from Advanced Support reports, plus:
• Performance trend analysis:
  • 3-month and 12-month trending
  • Capacity growth analysis
  • Performance optimization opportunities
• Capacity planning recommendations:
  • Projected resource exhaustion dates
  • Recommended upgrades or expansions
  • Cost-benefit analysis for improvements
• Security event details:
  • Detailed threat intelligence summary
  • Vulnerability assessment results
  • Compliance status (if applicable)
  • Security posture score and improvement recommendations
• Backup success rates and data protection status:
  • Backup completion percentage
  • Failed backup analysis
  • Data protection coverage assessment
  • Recovery point actual vs. target
• Detailed uptime statistics by service with historical trends
• Executive summary dashboard with key performance indicators (KPIs):
  • Service health score
  • Security posture
  • Capacity status
  • Support effectiveness
• Recommendations for optimization, improvement, and risk mitigation prioritized by impact and urgency
• Comparison against industry benchmarks where applicable

Real-Time Dashboard Access:

• Partner Portal provides 24/7 access to real-time dashboards showing:
  • Current service status (all systems operational, degraded, or down)
  • Recent ticket activity and status
  • Key performance metrics
  • Uptime history
  • Backup status
  • Security event summary
  • Resource utilization trends

Elite Support – Comprehensive Reporting and Strategic Review

All reporting from Premium Support plus enhanced strategic analysis and dedicated Account Manager support.

Monthly Service Reports Include:

• All content from Premium Support reports, plus:
• Executive summary with strategic recommendations aligned to business objectives
• Technology roadmap suggestions
• Cost optimization opportunities
• Risk assessment and mitigation strategies
• Industry trend analysis relevant to Partner’s business
• Competitive positioning insights where applicable

Quarterly Business Review Meetings:

Elite Support Partners are entitled to quarterly business review meetings with their dedicated Account Manager and AOIT senior technical staff. These meetings are typically 60-90 minutes and cover:

• Service performance against SLA targets and business objectives
• Incident trends, patterns, and root cause analysis
• Review of capacity planning and infrastructure recommendations
• Security posture assessment and threat landscape review
• Upcoming changes, upgrades, or technology initiatives planned by AOIT
• Partner’s strategic IT planning and business alignment
• Discussion of Partner’s upcoming business initiatives and IT requirements
• Technology roadmap and multi-year planning
• Budget planning and cost optimization
• Partner feedback, requirements, and satisfaction assessment
• Continuous improvement opportunities
• Action items and follow-up tasks

Custom Reporting:

• Available on request with flexible delivery schedule (weekly, monthly, quarterly)
• Can be tailored to specific metrics or focus areas
• Formatted for specific audiences (technical staff, management, board of directors)
• Delivered in preferred format (PDF, PowerPoint, Excel, online dashboard)

Proactive Communication:

• Dedicated Account Manager provides proactive recommendations
• Regular check-ins to discuss trending issues or optimization opportunities
• Advance notification of technology changes, updates, or industry trends
• Strategic guidance on IT investments and technology decisions

10. Continuous Improvement

AOIT is committed to continuous improvement in service delivery, operational excellence, and customer satisfaction. This section outlines AOIT’s approach to learning from incidents, monitoring performance, and incorporating feedback.

10.1 Post-Incident Review

Following any Priority 1 incident, significant service degradation, repeated SLA breaches, or at the request of the Partner, AOIT conducts an internal post-incident review to identify root causes and implement corrective actions.

Post-Incident Review Process:

1. Incident Documentation:
   • Comprehensive timeline of events from initial detection to full resolution
   • All actions taken and decisions made during incident response
   • Personnel involved and escalation path followed
   • Communication timeline with Partner and internal team
2. Root Cause Analysis:
   • Identify the fundamental cause of the incident, not just symptoms
   • Analyze contributing factors and triggers
   • Determine whether the incident was preventable
   • Assess whether existing procedures and safeguards were followed
3. Response Effectiveness Assessment:
   • Evaluate response time and adherence to SLA
   • Assess communication effectiveness with Partner and internal team
   • Identify what went well and what could be improved
   • Analyze resource allocation and escalation appropriateness
4. Lessons Learned:
   • Document specific learnings from the incident
   • Identify gaps in procedures, documentation, or training
   • Recognize effective practices that should be formalized or replicated
   • Assess whether monitoring or alerting should be enhanced
5. Corrective Actions:
   • Implement immediate corrective actions to prevent recurrence
   • Develop and schedule longer-term improvements
   • Update documentation, runbooks, and procedures
   • Enhance monitoring, alerting, or automation where appropriate
   • Schedule necessary infrastructure improvements or upgrades
6. Knowledge Base Update:
   • Add incident to knowledge base with resolution steps
   • Update troubleshooting guides and documentation
   • Create or update runbooks for similar situations
   • Share learnings across technical team
7. Training and Development:
   • Provide additional training to staff where gaps are identified
   • Conduct table-top exercises for similar scenarios
   • Update onboarding materials with new procedures
   • Schedule refresher training on critical procedures

Post-Incident Report Availability:

• All Partners: May request a summary of post-incident review findings and corrective actions for incidents affecting their services
• Premium and Elite Support Partners: Automatically receive post-incident review summaries for all P1 and P2 incidents affecting their services
• Elite Support Partners: Invited to participate in post-incident review discussion if they wish to provide input or feedback

Post-Incident Report Contents:

• Executive summary of incident and impact
• Timeline of key events
• Root cause explanation in business terms
• Corrective actions taken immediately
• Planned improvements to prevent recurrence
• Expected timeline for improvements
• Lessons learned

10.2 SLA Performance Review

AOIT leadership reviews SLA performance metrics on a quarterly basis to identify trends, improvement opportunities, and areas requiring attention.

Quarterly SLA Performance Review Includes:

Performance Analysis:

• SLA compliance rates by support tier and priority level
• Average response times and resolution times vs. targets
• Uptime performance vs. commitments by service category
• Trend analysis: improving, stable, or declining performance
• Comparison of current quarter vs. previous quarters

Issue Identification:

• Services or infrastructure components with repeated issues
• Root causes of SLA breaches (resource constraints, process gaps, technical issues)
• Partners experiencing consistent service challenges
• Systemic issues vs. isolated incidents
• Seasonal or cyclical patterns affecting performance

Resource and Capacity Assessment:

• Whether current staffing levels are adequate to meet SLA commitments
• Whether on-call rotation is sustainable and effective
• Whether technical team has necessary skills and training
• Whether tools and systems support effective service delivery
• Whether infrastructure capacity is appropriate for current and projected demand

Process Improvement:

• Identification of process bottlenecks or inefficiencies
• Opportunities for automation or workflow optimization
• Documentation gaps or outdated procedures
• Communication improvements needed (internal or external)
• Tool or technology enhancements needed

Customer Feedback Analysis:

• Partner satisfaction trends
• Common complaints or concerns
• Positive feedback and areas of strength
• Feature or service requests
• Competitive insights and industry trends

Action Planning:

• Prioritized list of improvement initiatives
• Resource requirements and budget implications
• Timeline and milestones for initiatives
• Ownership and accountability assignments
• Success metrics and measurement approach

Proactive Partner Outreach:

Partners experiencing repeated service issues, consistent SLA challenges, or dissatisfaction will be contacted proactively by AOIT management to discuss:

• Patterns observed in service issues
• Root causes and contributing factors
• Remediation plans and timelines
• Potential service adjustments or upgrades
• Open communication about challenges and solutions
• Commitment to improvement and partnership

10.3 Partner Feedback

AOIT values Partner feedback as a critical input to service improvement and innovation. Partners are actively encouraged to provide feedback through multiple channels.

Feedback Channels:

Support Satisfaction Surveys:

• Brief automated survey sent after ticket resolution
• Measures satisfaction with response time, communication, technical resolution, and overall experience
• Optional comments field for detailed feedback
• Responses reviewed daily by support management
• Trends analyzed monthly for improvement opportunities

Regular Account Review Meetings:

• Scheduled check-ins with Account Managers for Advanced, Premium, and Elite Support Partners
• Frequency: Monthly for Elite, quarterly for Premium, semi-annually for Advanced
• Opportunity to discuss service quality, upcoming needs, and concerns
• Two-way dialogue about performance, expectations, and improvements

Quarterly Business Reviews:

• Strategic discussions with Premium and Elite Support Partners
• Formal review of performance metrics, incidents, and trends
• Partner feedback on service delivery and relationship
• Collaborative planning for improvements and future needs

Direct Communication:

• Partners may provide feedback anytime via email to support@aoitnetworks.com
• Partners may contact their Account Manager directly (Premium and Elite)
• Partners may request meetings with AOIT management to discuss concerns or suggestions
• Open-door policy for Partners to raise issues at any level of the organization

Annual Satisfaction Survey:

• Comprehensive annual survey covering all aspects of service and relationship
• Service quality, technical competence, communication, responsiveness, value
• Net Promoter Score (NPS) and willingness to recommend
• Comparison against previous years to track improvement
• Anonymous option available for candid feedback

Feedback Response:

• All feedback is reviewed by AOIT leadership
• Significant concerns receive personal follow-up from management
• Patterns and trends inform strategic improvement initiatives
• Partners are notified when their feedback results in changes or improvements
• “You spoke, we listened” communication shares improvements driven by Partner feedback

Feedback Usage:

• Continuous improvement in service delivery quality
• Enhancement of processes, tools, and capabilities
• Identification of training needs for technical staff
• Development of new services or features
• Improvement of communication and relationship management
• Strategic planning and investment decisions

11. General Provisions

11.1 SLA Amendments

AOIT may update this SLA from time to time to reflect changes in service capabilities, industry standards, regulatory requirements, technology advances, or operational improvements.

Material Changes:

Material changes that reduce Partner rights, increase Partner obligations, or significantly change service level commitments will be communicated at least 60 days in advance via email to designated Partner contacts.

Material changes include:

• Reduction in uptime commitments
• Increase in response or resolution time targets
• Reduction in monitoring coverage or capabilities
• Changes to SLA exclusions that expand AOIT’s exemptions
• Changes to service credit eligibility or calculations that reduce Partner benefits

Partners will be provided the opportunity to:

• Review proposed changes and provide feedback
• Continue under existing terms until their next contract renewal date
• Terminate the agreement if changes are unacceptable (subject to Master Services Agreement terms)

Material changes take effect at the next contract renewal date after the 60-day notice period.

Non-Material Changes:

Non-material changes such as clarifications, formatting updates, additional examples, corrections, improvements that benefit Partners, or updates required by law may be implemented with shorter notice or immediately as required.

Non-material changes include:

• Clarification of existing terms without changing substance
• Addition of examples or explanatory content
• Formatting or organizational improvements
• Correction of typographical errors or inaccuracies
• Enhancements that improve Partner benefits without reducing rights
• Updates required to comply with legal or regulatory changes

Partners will be notified of non-material changes via email and Partner Portal notification.

Change Notification:

• All SLA changes will be posted to www.aoitnetworks.com/service-level-agreement
• Version number and effective date clearly indicated
• Previous versions available on request for reference
• Change log maintained showing history of updates

11.2 Limitation of Liability

Service credits provided under this SLA (if granted at AOIT’s discretion) are the Partner’s sole and exclusive remedy for AOIT’s failure to meet service availability commitments in Section 5.1.

Subject to the limitations set forth in the Master Services Agreement, AOIT’s total aggregate liability for any failure to meet the commitments in this SLA shall not exceed:

• The service credits (if any) granted under Section 8, OR
• The limitations set forth in the Master Services Agreement (typically the greater of £10,000 or 12 months of fees)

No Liability Limitation For:

Nothing in this SLA limits or excludes AOIT’s liability for matters that cannot be limited or excluded by law, including:

• Death or personal injury caused by AOIT’s negligence
• Fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation by AOIT
• Willful misconduct or gross negligence by AOIT
• Breaches of data protection laws
• Any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under UK law

No Consequential Damages:

Subject to the above, neither party shall be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including without limitation loss of profits, loss of revenue, loss of data, loss of business opportunity, or loss of anticipated savings, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

11.3 Good Faith Cooperation

Both AOIT and the Partner commit to working together in good faith to achieve the objectives of this SLA and maintain a productive partnership.

Mutual Commitments:

• Resolve Issues Promptly: Work collaboratively to resolve service issues as quickly as possible with professionalism and respect
• Share Information: Provide accurate and timely information necessary for effective issue diagnosis and resolution
• Implement Recommendations: Give fair consideration to recommendations from each party to prevent issue recurrence and improve service delivery
• Continuous Improvement: Actively participate in efforts to improve service quality, reliability, and performance
• Open Communication: Maintain open, honest, and respectful communication about challenges, expectations, and concerns
• Escalate Appropriately: Use escalation processes when standard processes are insufficient, without bypassing appropriate channels unnecessarily
• Provide Feedback: Share constructive feedback to help each party improve
• Plan Collaboratively: Work together on capacity planning, technology roadmaps, and strategic initiatives
• Respect Constraints: Acknowledge operational and resource constraints while working toward solutions
• Act Professionally: Treat each other’s staff with courtesy and professionalism at all times

Dispute Resolution:

In the event of disagreements about SLA interpretation, performance, or application:

1. First attempt resolution through direct discussion between technical contacts
2. If unresolved, escalate to management level (Account Manager and Technical Director)
3. If still unresolved, escalate to executive level (Managing Directors)
4. If good faith efforts at resolution fail, follow dispute resolution procedures in Master Services Agreement

11.4 Entire Agreement

This SLA, together with the Master Services Agreement, Data Processing Agreement, Acceptable Use Policy, and any applicable Order Forms or Statements of Work, constitutes the entire agreement between AOIT and the Partner with respect to service levels and supersedes all prior understandings, agreements, or representations regarding service commitments, whether written or oral.

No employee or agent of either party has authority to make any representation, warranty, or commitment on behalf of either party except as expressly set forth in these written agreements.

11.5 Survival

The following sections of this SLA survive termination or expiration of the Master Services Agreement:

• Section 7 (SLA Exclusions) – for purposes of resolving disputes about performance during the term
• Section 8 (Service Credits) – for service credit requests relating to the final months of service
• Section 10.1 (Post-Incident Review) – for incidents occurring before termination
• Section 11.2 (Limitation of Liability) – indefinitely
• Section 11.3 (Good Faith Cooperation) – for purposes of orderly termination transition
• Any other section that by its nature should survive termination

11.6 Contact Information

For questions, concerns, escalations, or requests related to this SLA, please contact:

General Support and Service Requests:
Email: support@aoitnetworks.com
Phone: 0191 825 0808
Portal: portal.aoitnetworks.com

Account Management (Advanced, Premium, Elite Support):
Contact your designated Account Manager via email or phone
Contact details provided in welcome materials

Escalations:
Email: support@aoitnetworks.com with “ESCALATION REQUEST” in subject line
Phone: 0191 825 0808 and request escalation
Include ticket number and nature of concern

Service Credit Requests:
Email: support@aoitnetworks.com with “SERVICE CREDIT REQUEST” in subject line
Include all information specified in Section 8.2

SLA Questions or Clarifications:
Email: support@aoitnetworks.com with “SLA QUESTION” in subject line

Mailing Address:
AOIT Networks Ltd
Jarrow Business Centre
Rolling Mill Road
Jarrow, Tyne and Wear
NE32 3DT
United Kingdom

Company Information:
Company Number: 10450071
VAT Number: GB 253 424 912

Appendix A: Response Time Matrix (Quick Reference)

Standard Support (Business Hours Only: 08:00-17:00 Mon-Fri)

All times in business hours. Out-of-hours tickets queue until 08:00.

Advanced Support (Business Hours Only: 08:00-17:00 Mon-Fri)

All times in business hours. Priority over Standard Support. Out-of-hours tickets queue until 08:00 with priority.

Premium Support (24/7 for P1/P2, Business Hours for P3/P4)

P3/P4 tickets submitted at 17:00 or later queue until 08:00 next business day.

Elite Support (24/7 for P1/P2, Business Hours for P3/P4)

P3/P4 tickets submitted at 17:00 or later queue until 08:00 next business day. Priority queue ahead of all other support tiers.

Appendix B: Uptime Targets (Quick Reference)

Uptime measured 24/7. Planned maintenance (with 5 days’ notice) excluded from calculations.

Appendix C: Support Tier Comparison