24×7×365 VoIP Network Operations Center Services: Philosophy
“It’s not about getting alerts to my cell phone:
it’s about getting problems solved.“
Maintaining Networks is Hard, and Never Stops.
Live voice networks are made of many components that can fail. Service Providers need to detect and respond to failures rapidly. Network Faults can happen at any time. A fault at 5:00am must be resolved before business begins at 7:00am.
Automated NMS Alerts Are Not Enough.
Automated fault-detection systems (Network Management Systems, NMSs) cannot fully detect whether a detected event is a real problem. Network Analysis will always require human judgment.
System Engineers are not System Operators.
System Engineers are in a poor position to provide monitoring and operational support. There needs to be a layer of human judgment between automated problem reports and the Network Engineers. Network Operations needs specialized, dedicated staff in addition to Engineering.
Automated Monitoring Must Be Maintained.
NMSs need to be regularly maintained and adjusted for varying network conditions. Systems Engineers must be regularly (weekly) involved in the design and maintenance of automated fault detection.
VoIP Monitoring Is Not ISP Monitoring.
Proper monitoring requires full comprehension of the network application domain. Specialized skills, tools, and knowledge are required to monitor VoIP Carrier Networks. ISP/Application NOCs may not have the background required.
