Ask about financials, security and certification. Ask for, and check, references. The SLA covers how and when services are provided. There are also other areas that the SLA should cover. CompTIA's Booth says the average SLA can run two to five pages.
Booth warns to be aware of how uptime and service levels are figured.
For example, uptime can be calculated by machine or by the entire server farm. The average uptime for the farm is higher, so that's often the number quoted. The ASP probably won't initiate weekly telephone conversations, but you should. Peck says that users should call the ASP once a week in the beginning, to discuss how things are going. One problem is that new entrants into the ASP market often don't know what to expect.