Gartner Research
Key Performance Indicators for Network Technical Performance
Summary
Key performance indicators (KPIs), which include service level indicators (SLIs), can show whether performance goals are being met. This report by Senior Analyst Eric Siegel combines and updates the Methodologies and Best Practices (MBP) documents "Key Performance Indicators for Enterprise Networks" and "Enterprise SLAs: Lessons Learned." It discusses the use of KPIs in Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and for rapid incident classification, giving precise definitions and statistical treatments (especially for the classical networking technical KPIs of latency, jitter, availability, and workload) along with best practices for their implementation.
Published: 10 September 2008
ID: G00204034
Analyst(s): Eric Siegel
Table Of Contents
Introduction and Scope
KPI Advantages
KPI Selection and Use
- Relevance and Goals
- Credibility
- Usability for System Management and Diagnosis
- Affordability
Measurement
- Measurement Instrumentation
- Measurement Validation
- Measurement Error Exclusion
- Audit and Challenge Procedures
- Measurement Exclusions
- Statistical Analysis
- Basic Statistics for Individual Metrics
- Aggregation
Standard Network-Level KPIs
- Latency and Jitter
- Packet Loss
- Availability
- Workload
Implementing and Managing KPIs
Conclusion
Notes
Related Research and Recommended Reading
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