Solect's IAF and Cisco's NetFlow Software Deliver New Level of Billing Flexibility
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- More information on Cisco Service Provider Solutions
- Solect Web Site
TORONTO, Ontario -- August 17, 1998 -- Solect Technology Group, the leading provider of infrastructure software solutions for service providers (SPs), and Cisco Systems, Inc., the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, announced today an advanced usage-based billing system that integrates Cisco's NetFlow software into Solect's Internet Administration Framework (IAF) product. This integrated solution is being used by leading providers of high-speed, broadband networks and services for commercial and business users.
"Cisco and Solect's product integration provides service providers with the unique ability to create flexible usage-based billing structures," said Tom Downey, director of product marketing for Cisco's Enterprise WAN Business Unit. "NetFlow's mechanism for collecting detailed information is an essential component for enabling service providers to profitably offer premium services."
Cisco's innovative NetFlow technology enables its router and switch platforms to provide detailed, flow-based accounting data required to enable usage-based billing. Solect's IAF, a comprehensive, customer care, billing and service management solution for service providers, processes the NetFlow data, enabling service providers to cost-effectively differentiate their services. In addition, IAF incorporates the Solect Rating Engine, jointly developed with Bellcore, for rating IP services. The Solect Rating Engine leverages the NetFlow usage data collection with the ability to implement creative, multitiered pricing plans.
In the world of the Internet, usage based billing extends beyond the concept of purely measuring and rating units such as seconds or bytes, to include more advanced information such as bandwidth, time of day, quality of service, level of service, application and source and destination information. NetFlow and IAF were designed with this flexibility in mind. IAF links combinations of services to create innovative pricing plans and provide new revenue opportunities.
"Service providers need infrastructure to support usage-based billing. This allows them to offer a broader range of services and to charge for these services according to market conditions," said Dan Taylor, managing director of telecommunications at Aberdeen Group. "IP networks are enabling a broader range of services, which stresses service providers' billing systems. Usage-based billing solutions, like Solect and Cisco's, are critical to market success."
Cisco's NetFlow technology provides network administrators with "call record" information for their data networks. It also enables key value-added applications including network management and planning, traffic analysis, enterprise accounting and departmental, usage-based billing and data warehousing/mining for marketing purposes.
"Our customers are demanding greater flexibility from their billing systems as they observe that usage patterns for networked services cannot be profitably billed through traditional flat rate or timed connection methods," said Paul Atkinson, CEO of Solect. "The combined technologies of IAF and Cisco provide a first class, usage-based billing solution. IAF and NetFlow are world class products brought together by experienced engineers to create and deploy this successful commercial application."
Availability
IAF/NetFlow is available immediately. For more information and pricing of solutions, please contact Solect via email at info@solect.com.About Solect
Solect's mission is to help redefine the way service providers manage their Internet business. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Solect is the leading provider of infrastructure software solutions, with over 50 service provider installations globally. Since its inception in 1993, Solect has developed industry-leading expertise and provides an integrated business solution for customer care, service management and billing. Solect has developed strategic partnerships with leading technology companies, such as Sun Microsystems, Cisco Systems, Netscape, Bellcore, Oracle, and Nokia, which has ensured Solect's products and expertise are continually refined to incorporate all the latest technology to meet the requirements of the rapidly changing world of the Internet.Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. athttp://www.cisco.com.Cisco, Cisco Systems and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. in the U.S. and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.
