Enablement of Traffic and Usage Based Billing
Some customers request to be billed for their Internet connection not based on a theoretical maximum throughput of their connection but rather on actual usage. To accommodate this customer demand, service providers have to be able to determine actual bandwidth usage in order to bill each customer accurately and fairly.
The Scrutinizer Service Provider Module allows service providers to export flow data based on any flow (NetFlow, IPFIX, sFlow, etcetera) field or combination of flow fields including rate per second, packets, total bits, IP addresses, ToS (DSCP), or BGP autonomous system number. This data can then be used to invoice end customers based on actual network usage rather than simply WAN connection speed.
The Service Provider Module routinely exports a custom CSV file with all the required details. For example, it allows billing based on a flat rate versus a burst rate as well as total amount transferred per month. With the data export, invoicing possibilities are myriad. Invoices can include, but are not limited to:
•A fixed amount for any usage within the base rate (X MB)
•A higher charge for usage between the base rate and “burst” max (X + Y MB)
More traditional billing is also possible, for example, where the end customer pays based on the 95% percentile technique.
Using the intuitive configuration interface, any saved report in Scrutinizer can become the basis for an export. To ensure the highest accuracy, data is gathered from the raw flow data tables. The Service Provider Module also includes the following capabilities:
•Any NetFlow field or range within a field is saved as part of the filter within a report.
•Both inbound and outbound flow analytics are available.
•The entire contents of any report type can be emailed or exported in CSV format.
•Archives of all exports can be saved for future reference.
•Exports occur on a periodic basis.
•Rolling the data into larger intervals is possible.
•Exports are emailed or saved in a directory with a custom name, which includes a time stamp.
•Scheduled routines:
o Prepare the data for further processing o Can write the data to another server
Customer Portal
IT administrators can choose to provide end users are with secure login access to the flow data generated by their network devices. End users can also use the customer portal to troubleshoot bandwidth usage and identify / analyze odd traffic patterns. Additionally, automatic HTML reports can be scheduled for each end customer.
Furthermore, service providers can use the portal as a message board to communicate with their customers as well as integrate other applications into the MyView interface.
SonicWALL Scrutinizer 9.0.1 Release Notes
P/N
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