Defined problem:
OpenSource GIS software is becoming increasingly popular in commercial, government, and educational organizations. Over the last 2-3 years, there has been a sharp increase in interest in FOSS4G - mainly due to economic reasons (macroeconomic situation in Europe and worldwide), and recently also for political reasons (technological dependence on a single vendor, data security).
However, there is something that has been a major Achilles' heel for FOSS4G for years and the main argument from closed software GIS users against switching to open source software - namely the lack of standardized and clearly defined technical support. Unlike closed commercial solutions, there are no universal standards regarding the scope and principles of support for FOSS4G.
And precisely in response to this criticism, we present a new initiative: SLA4GIS - an international association of companies providing SLA services for OpenSource GIS. The goal of the project is to eliminate the main barrier to implementing the FOSS4G ecosystem in corporate and government environments, as well as to ensure its reliability.

Key objectives of the SLA4GIS project:
1. Standardization of SLA for FOSS4G - the association defines worldwide standards for technical support, its scope and guarantees consistency and professionalism
2. Quality control - continuous monitoring and audit of member institutions (existing and new ones wishing to provide support services)
3. Exclusivity of the association - SLA4GIS members can only be institutions that have been operating in the market for at least 10 years and are actively engaged in the development of open source GIS software
4. Knowledge exchange - cyclical meetings (online and offline during international conferences), as well as a dedicated channel for knowledge and experience sharing (e.g. Telegram group)
5. Quality-assured initiative - obtaining official approval from QGIS, OSGeo, and OGC organizations