Understanding SLAs: How to Define, Calculate, and Commit to a Service Level Agreement
An SLA is not only an engineering number. It is part of the product. Sales teams use it to win deals, and customers compare it when they choose between providers. A strong SLA can be the reason a customer signs, especially in enterprise deals where the buyer has to justify the choice to their own management. So the number is usually shaped by product managers, sales, and leadership as much as by engineers.