Overview
ISO/IEC 19086-2:2018 - Cloud computing - Service level agreement (SLA) framework - Part 2: Metric model (ISO) defines a standardized metric model and common terminology for specifying metrics used in cloud SLAs. The standard helps cloud service providers (CSPs) and cloud service customers (CSCs) describe, compare, and implement measurable service commitments (SOs), including cloud service level objectives (SLOs) and cloud service qualitative objectives (SQOs). It complements ISO/IEC 19086‑1, -3 and -4 and does not mandate a specific set of metrics.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Common terminology: Definitions for cloud service characteristic, cloud service metric (CSM), measurement, measurement result, unit, SO, SLO, SQO.
- Metric model: A structured model (Clause 8) that specifies data types and relationships required to define a metric consistently.
- Metric specification format: Guidance for representing metrics using UML and textual descriptions; Annex D provides an XML schema for validation.
- Conformance: A metric specification conforms when it follows the model’s data types and relationships; XML documents must validate against the namespace/schema in Annex D.
- Metric composition: Support for composite metrics built from underlying reusable metrics.
- Measurement rules: Defines the conditions and rules for performing measurements and interpreting results so metrics are implementable and comparable.
Practical applications
- Standardizes how CSPs publish SLA metrics (availability, performance, reliability, security-related metrics), making offerings easier to compare.
- Helps CSCs translate business requirements into measurable SLOs/SQOs and evaluate vendor claims objectively.
- Assists implementers and tool vendors to build measurement systems and monitoring tools that consume standardized metric definitions and XML representations.
- Useful for procurement teams, legal/SLA authors, IT ops, auditors, and third-party monitoring services to ensure clarity, comparability, and repeatability of measurements.
Who should use this standard
- Cloud service providers (CSPs) defining SLAs and internal monitoring metrics (CSMs)
- Cloud service customers (CSCs) specifying requirements and validating provider performance
- Solution architects, SLA authors, procurement specialists, and monitoring/tooling developers
- Compliance auditors and governance teams assessing SLA fulfilment
Related standards
Adopting ISO/IEC 19086-2:2018 improves SLA clarity, promotes fair comparison of cloud services, and supports practical implementation of measurable, verifiable service commitments.
