SLA Does Not Mean CYA.

The agreement has to be aligned with the client's business objectives and not give the service provider something to refer to when something goes wrong that falls outside what's within the SLA, Gersh says.

"If you want to add value [for a client], I don’t think you're going to succeed" by taking a CYA approach, Gersh adds.

"What you need to do is … understand the business," he says. "Tailor the SLAs as much as possible to the client and to the business needs of the client so you're able to provide value."