Updated October 9, 2024
Service Level Agreement (SLA)
This Service Level Agreement (SLA) outlines the comprehensive website hosting and maintenance services provided by Elevated Web Systems Inc., d/b/a Elevated Audience. Our goal is to ensure the highest performance, security, and reliability standards for your website operations.
Your selected Care Plan package will determine the exact cadence, volume, and inclusion of the below.
1. Service Description
1.1 Hosting Services
- Ultra Fast Hosting: Your website will be hosted on one of our Virtual Private Servers (VPS), ensuring top-tier performance and speed.
- Content Delivery Network (CDN): We employ a CDN to ensure fast loading times for your website globally.
1.2 Maintenance Services
- Backups: We conduct local and off-site backups of your website, safeguarding your data against loss or corruption.
- Updates: WordPress core, themes, and plugins will be updated to keep your site secure and functional.
- Database Optimization: Regular optimization and cleaning of your website’s database to ensure smooth and efficient operation.
- Site Speed Optimization: Continuous monitoring and optimization of your site’s speed for optimal performance.
1.3 Security Measures
- Advanced Firewalls and Security: Implementation of cutting-edge firewalls and security protocols to protect your website from unauthorized access and other cyber threats.
- DDoS Protection: Comprehensive DDoS protection measures to safeguard your website against denial-of-service attacks.
- 24/7 Uptime Monitoring: Around-the-clock monitoring of your website’s uptime to ensure it remains accessible to your users at all times.
1.4 Support Services
- Dedicated Support Time: Blocks of monthly time support based on Care Plan level, with a guaranteed 5-business day turnaround on tickets.
- Support Ticket System: A user-friendly ticket submission system (helpdesk.elevatedaudience.com) for fast and effective resolution of any issues you encounter with your website.
1.5 Additional Services
- DNS Management: Optional management of your Domain Name System (DNS) settings for optimal performance and reliability.
- Staging Server: Access to a staging server for testing changes without affecting your live website.
- Monthly Reporting: Provision of a detailed monthly report on your website’s performance, accessible online.
1.6 Bug Fixes and Updates
- CMS and Plugin Updates: Regular checks and updates of the CMS and plugins, including fixing any bugs resulting from updates.
- Broken Link Scanning: Review and correction of pages and files flagged with 404 errors, ensuring a smooth user experience.
- Continuous Platform Updates: Our hosting environment is continuously updated with the latest features, security patches, and performance improvements to maintain website stability and security.
2. Support and Maintenance
Support is available from Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time, excluding bank holidays, with scheduled maintenance occurring during low-traffic hours (2 AM to 5 AM Eastern Time) to minimize downtime.
3. Requesting Support
Support requests can be submitted at https://helpdesk.elevatedaudience.com. If your Care Plan includes phone and/or email support, further direction will be provided.
4. Response and Resolution Times
Elevated Audience categorizes and responds to support tickets based on priority levels:
- Low Priority: Response within 2 business days, resolution within 5 business days
- Medium Priority: Response within 1 business day, resolution within 3 business days
- High Priority: Immediate response within 30 minutes, resolution ASAP
Examples of priorities
- Low: Text/ Imagery misalignment, Image replacements, Content Additions and Updates
- Medium: Contact form not working
- High: Website not loading
5. Backup and Disaster Recovery
Backups are conducted daily with a retention policy of daily backups for 7 days and weekly backups for one month locally and 180 days off-site. The Recovery Time Objective (RTO) for service restoration post-outage is 24 hours.
6. Security Measures
Our commitment to safeguarding our clients’ data is reflected in our robust security infrastructure, designed to thwart a wide range of cyber threats. Below are the key components of our security framework:
Advanced Firewall Protection
- 7G Firewall: A cutting-edge firewall that provides comprehensive security defenses against various cyber threats.
- ModSec WAF: A web application firewall that helps protect your website from web application attacks.
- Fail2Ban: Implements brute force attack protection by monitoring log files and banning IPs that show malicious signs.
- DDoS Protection: Our systems are equipped to mitigate Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, ensuring your site remains accessible even under attack.
Authentication and Access Control
- Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Our 2FA system adds an extra layer of security, requiring two forms of identification before granting access, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized entry.
- Password Security: We utilize an advanced, argon2-based password hashing schema, providing a formidable barrier against password cracking attempts.
- Login Protection: Our custom rate-limiting measures effectively block distributed brute force attacks without the need for inconvenient captcha systems.
These security measures are part of our unwavering commitment to maintaining the highest standards of data protection for our clients, ensuring peace of mind and a secure online presence.
7. Pricing and Payment
The service fees are dependent on your Care Plan. Payments are due in advance and are automatically charged to a payment method on file, renewing on the same calendar day your subscription was activated.
8. What’s Included and What Costs Extra
The table below sets out examples of the services that are included in the SLA and also the services that may be performed at an additional charge. The below are examples only and we will let you know if the service you have requested is not covered by the SLA and what our costs will be for completing your request.
| Category | Examples of what’s included in SLA | Examples of things that may cost extra |
|---|---|---|
| Minor CMS updates |
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| Bug fixes and technical / developer support |
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| Content / platform use support and training |
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| Third-party systems |
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| Theme, display, or design related issue |
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| Website performance reporting and tracking |
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| Site reviews and content quality control |
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9. Amendments and Termination
This SLA can be terminated by either party with 10 days’ written notice. Elevated Audience will continue to provide hosting services during the transition period without security updates or regular backups.
We reserve the right to modify the terms and inclusions of this Service Level Agreement at any time, without prior notice. Any changes will be effective immediately upon posting to this page. Please review this page periodically for updates to stay informed of any modifications.
