Ten Questions: Signing a Service Level Agreement
Be forewarned, however, that your enterprise may have very strict guidelines as to who can have access to the servers and data centers your streaming media may cross. On a global level, it is pretty much impossible to guarantee every consultant and technician around the world who has any level of access has been fingerprinted and drug-tested and passed a criminal background check, but your company may require it. Reach out to a relationship manager in IT who has negotiated for your enterprise already to find out what level of risk is associated with access to your content.
What is this NOC, and what does it do?
You care about the NOC, or network operations center. Some CDNs have a different name for this, but the function is the same: it is the powerhouse that monitors their performance and dynamically responds to streaming bottlenecks and downed servers, spontaneously re-routing webcasters and viewers—or so they say. The magic of how this all works over the tangled matrix of interconnected data centers and peering relationships is often referred to as "The Secret Sauce." But if someone really had the secret sauce, there would only be one CDN.
How do I protect the interests of my organization through risk analysis and compliance?
You will be able to protect your enterprise organization through the use of disclaimers. That is a key role assignment for your legal team, and if you have a compliance team at your disposal, they may become your best friends. Friends are very important throughout this process.
First, consider the global footprint of your audience. This consideration could touch on some legal limitations, the biggest one of which is copyright. There could be a series of government restrictions that may apply depending on the subject matter of the webcast or other video content and where the audience is. Be prepared to go with the flow—China, for instance, keeps changing the rules almost monthly!
My experience has been predominantly in financial enterprise, so I am well aware of SEC regulations that require options for webcast participants with disabilities; closed captions or a written transcript may need to be provided along with the webcast.
Depending on your industry, there are a variety of regulatory agencies that have different measures for the communications you will be sending out through your CDN. Health insurance, medical, legal, and educational organizations are regulated by their own agencies, and since you represent your organization, make sure you familiarize yourself with these regulatory agencies and determine compliance levels in order to ensure you are following the rules.
How do I know you can deliver the streams and quality of service I’m asking for? How do I know I can trust your secret sauce?
The process for getting a good rating in the CDN industry is intrinsically corrupt; a good rating can be bought these days. Many of the so-called "research reports" available from analysts are next to useless, so the best way to get a real sense of a CDN’s quality is to ask its customers.
Will you allow me to demo or "pilot" on your CDN prior to any contracts?
My philosophy has always been to implement a three-step program for success:
Pilot (call it a demo or proof of concept if you prefer)—Give the system a test drive!
Rate the results of the pilot with measurable success parameters—Create a simple scorecard that includes all the features that are important to your deliverable.