Based on the input received to date, work has begun on formulating the content to develop Version 4 of the Cloud Computing Use Cases White Paper: (http://groups.google.com/group/cloud-computing-use-cases). The initial draft of the definition of a SLA is written as follows: A service-level agreement is a legally-binding contract between a cloud service provider and a cloud service consumer. An SLA contains several things: A set of services the provider will deliver, a specific definition of those services, a set of metrics for ensuring the services are delivered, the responsibilities of the provider and consumer and an explanation of the consumer's options if the services are not delivered. As the SLA portion of the White Paper is developed, there is a need to add in and define elements to consider for a SLA, such as: - Factors which can impact a service - Metrics - Responsibilities of the Provider - Responsibilities of the Consumer - Non-Performance Options The full post can be viewed at http://su.pr/31mSBo . Look forward to your comments.