Overview
Cisco® Service Control solutions bring application awareness and a new degree of subscriber awareness to complex, converged service providers' broadband networks. Based on the intelligence of the Cisco IP Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture and the Cisco ServiceFlex network design for converged multimedia broadband services, Cisco service control solutions are delivered through purpose-built hardware and specialized software. Service control allows service providers to:
• Monitor, analyze, and generate reports on all network traffic
• Classify and control application-level traffic per subscriber
• Generate usage reports and strategic marketing intelligence that cross-references customer databases
• Optimize traffic to improve the subscriber experience
• Offer many new personalized and self-service features to subscribers
• Apply per-subscriber policies in real time
The opportunity provided by broadband services has influenced cable and DSL providers around the world to launch aggressive architecture, marketing, and service strategies to gain market share and revenues. As they adopt new IP-based service models, operators also face the challenge of changing their networks from generic access pipelines into service delivery networks.
Service providers are looking for profitable ways to deliver value-added, bundled, or personalized IP services to greater numbers of broadband users. As cable operators and DSL providers capitalize on IP networks, they need to create higher-margin, higher-value premium services such as interactive gaming, video on demand (VoD), or voice over IP (VoIP). The missing element of the current strategy is service differentiation: the ability to understand at a granular level how subscribers are using the network, identify what applications or services are being consumed, and then intelligently apply network resources to applications and cultivate subscribers who promise the highest return on investment.
Service control, which is both a software and hardware solution, is possible with an IP network element built specifically to address the infrastructure gap that is challenging broadband operators. Situated "inline" on the IP data stream, the platform performs hardware-accelerated, stateful deep packet inspection to accurately classify and control traffic by content, application, and subscribers.
The Cisco Service Control Application Suite for Broadband provides application-level and subscriber-level awareness for residential broadband, traffic optimization, incremental service security, tiered service, and premium IP service enablement. The suite is deployed on the Cisco SCE 1000 Series Service Control Engine (SCE) and Cisco SCE 2000 Series Service Control Engine. Included with the solution is the middleware required for reporting - the Collection Manager - and subscriber control - the Subscriber Manager.
Applications possible with service control technology in broadband networks include:
• Usage analysis
• Traffic optimization
• Service network security
• Tiering and access control
• Content charging
• Premium service enablement
Cisco Service Control Products
Cisco SCEs
The Cisco SCEs are designed for carrier-grade deployments that require high-capacity stateful application and session-based classification and control of all network traffic. They integrate easily into the wide range of network architectures created and controlled by Cisco routing solutions. Two Cisco SCE models are currently available: the Cisco SCE 1000 and the Cisco SCE 2000. These units differ in terms of both capacity and functionality. They inspect packet flows and fully reconstruct flows and the Layer 7 state of each application flow, making the network application-aware and subscriber-aware. This awareness allows for control of traffic based on configurable rules.
Cisco Service Control Management Suite
Collection Manager
The Collection Manager software receives raw data records from one or more Cisco SCE platforms. These data records are collected and processed in one of the Collection Manager's adapters. Raw data records contain a variety of information and statistics, depending upon how the system is configured, and include data records on transactions, subscriber usage, and traffic carried on a link for a defined interval. The Collection Manager has a prepackaged reporting tool and 100 report templates to generate a wide range of reports on network activities and application usage. Service providers can choose to use the Collection Manager as an efficient standalone solution or integrate it using the Cisco SCE with existing usage management, mediation, and billing solutions.
Subscriber Manager
The Subscriber Manager middleware software supplies subscriber information for Cisco SCE platforms in deployments where dynamic subscriber awareness is desired. The Subscriber Manager stores subscriber information (such as the network IDs that map to the subscriber IDs and policy information per subscriber) and can also serve as a stateful bridge between one or more Cisco SCEs and the customer authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) system and operational support system (OSS).
Cisco Broadband Policy Manager
Cisco Broadband Policy Manager is a product suite used to create and deploy complex services on broadband networks. The products include Cisco Broadband Policy Manager software; Cisco Broadband Policy Design Studio, which is used to create and deploy rules and services that run on the Cisco Broadband Policy Manager server; the Cisco Broadband IP Services Module, a set of tested use cases that service providers can use to deliver differentiated services to broadband network subscribers; and Cisco Edge Voice Capacity Admission Control Module and Cisco Edge Video Capacity Admission Control Module, supporting VoIP and VoD call admission control based on the capacity of the access network.
Service Control Deployment Options
The Cisco SCE is deployed at the network access or aggregation layer (Figure 1), as close to the subscriber as possible. In the basic implementation, the Cisco SCE views packets and flows at the application level. Traffic records are reported to the Collection Manager, which provides data to the reporting tool, including information about most frequent users, applications most frequently used, and peak flows. To create services, the Subscriber Manager is used. The Cisco SCE can act on subscriber-level flows and, when integrated with a policy server, can deliver complex policies that are dynamic and control other equipment in the network.
Figure 1. Cisco Service Control Components
The following section describes the potential applications of service control technology in broadband networks and potential areas of direct effect on a service provider's business.
Usage Analysis
Improving and developing new business models require that broadband service providers accurately understand their subscribers' usage patterns. Service control technology is intended to dramatically improve this analysis. Obtaining meaningful usage data from IP networks is a particularly difficult task.
Service control technology provides high-performance application and subscriber-aware traffic classification, offering operators superior visibility into network activity. By tracking all IP traffic flows and performing stateful deep packet inspection, the solution collects statistics about the applications and services used by individual subscribers. Taking the guesswork out of capacity planning and detailing the subscriber demographics help operators reveal new revenue potential and hidden operational costs associated with IP service delivery in broadband networks.
Traffic Optimization
The growing number of broadband Internet subscribers and the emergence of broadband-aware and bandwidth-hungry applications, such as peer-to-peer file sharing and streaming media, are affecting the cost and profit equation for service providers. Regardless of the amount of data capacity operators make available, new applications and growing file sizes make network congestion inevitable. The incremental costs of network upgrades and transit reduce service provider margins. A service control solution can help providers reduce network costs.
Using state-of-the-art capacity and throughput management applied to network traffic on a global, subscriber, or individual flow-level hierarchy allows operators to dictate how network resources are distributed, which becomes equally important for latency-sensitive applications such as voice or interactive gaming. The results are an improved subscriber experience, higher overall satisfaction with broadband network performance, and a reduction in transit costs and costly network upgrades.
Service Network Security
The low number of security-conscious residential subscribers and the open nature of the Internet create a breeding ground for network security threats that affect both service providers and subscribers. Subscribers are under a constant threat of denial-of-service (DoS) attacks and worm and virus infection. Recent threats have created "security storms" resulting from prevalent viruses such as Sasser, Slammer, and Blaster. Additionally, as more IP-enabled handsets and personal digital assistants (PDAs) become targets for hackers, service security is becoming a more significant issue for service providers.
Increased network traffic caused by the activity of infected hosts results in increased administrative costs and technical support calls as service providers seek to track, disable, and block the spread of a virus attack. Infected machines generate network congestion as they attempt to propagate a viral infection, resulting in performance degradation for all users. Service control-enabled networks stop and proactively mediate security threats that create unwanted traffic and network congestion while decreasing the service provider's costs to handle these threats.
Tiering and Access Control
Differentiated service levels and compelling new content can influence dialup users to migrate to broadband access, creating the necessary critical mass of users for premium content service deployment. As content proliferates and content suppliers begin to partner with network operators, both mobile and broadband service providers will have to protect copyrights, which may be based upon subscriptions, while preventing unauthorized access to copyrighted content.
A service control platform helps operators account for usage on an individual subscriber level, while enforcing different policies on a variety of applications or services. This dynamic, subscriber-centric enforcement model allows for the creation of access and throughput-on-demand services that can improve overall subscriber satisfaction by allowing subscribers to select or gain access to chosen content and resources. Providers can initiate truly customized broadband products and services and enforce service parameters directly correlated to the needs of individual users.
Content Charging
If the network could differentiate between different types of content, value service offerings differently, and track and meter combined usage, mobile and broadband service providers would be better able to competitively package and value content in unique ways. A content-charging solution offers carriers the ability to increase revenue and use infrastructure investments by adding prepaid and postpaid content-based services to mobile service offerings. Broadband providers can create application quotas, and mobile providers can use the content-charging solution to enable real-time charging of traffic according to sophisticated rate plans and control traffic based on advanced prepaid and postpaid billing models. Real-time charging is performed against a subscriber's balance and usage, preventing potential revenue loss.
Premium Service Enablement
The ability of the IP network to generate compelling new services is virtually unlimited. As the number of Internet subscribers grows and the number of intelligent portable devices increases, the market for broadband is positioned to accept new premium service offerings such as VoIP, online gaming, music downloads, VoD, and streaming television. These services offer the potential to dramatically increase average revenue per user (ARPU) for the service provider, further increasing the overall value of network assets. Integrating into existing quality-of-service (QoS) frameworks and communicating with policy servers and network transport elements, service control technology helps enable dynamic, real-time provisioning of network QoS based on application activity, greatly simplifying integration and delivery costs associated with the delivery of multiple services.
Cisco Services
Cisco Service Control Solution Lifecycle services help service provider customers build and introduce optimized, application-aware and subscriber-aware IP services on their IP NGN broadband networks. Cisco can bring together the depth and breadth of expertise required to implement and operate IP services based on the service control solution. Cisco offers a range of lifecycle services.
Fixed Services
Cisco Service Provider Base Support is offered specifically for service providers as part of Cisco Technical Support Services. It is the first step in providing service providers the support they need to keep their networks up and running.
Consulting/Scoped Services
Transactional (one time only):
• Subject matter expert (SME)
• Deployment Services
Subscription based (renewed yearly):
• Operate and Optimize Services
Service Definitions
The Cisco Service Control Solution Planning Service assists in the assessment of critical architecture elements and the evaluation of the network infrastructure and its capacity to support the increased demands for services. This service helps service providers produce an efficient design and avoid design errors.
The Cisco Service Control Solution Design Service assists a service provider to enhance the performance, resiliency, and availability of a Cisco service control solution by developing a comprehensive detailed design that meets business and technical requirements.
The Cisco Service Control Solution Implementation Service assists the service provider in staging and testing the proposed system to identify and resolve potential system implementation problems and validate service control functionality. This service helps operators integrate devices and applications without disrupting the existing network or creating points of vulnerability.
Table 1 describes the service types.
Table 1. Service Types
Cisco Service Control Integration Levels and Applications
Integration Level 1: Cisco SCE and Collection Manager
• Global traffic analysis: Traffic records from one or multiple Cisco SCEs are collected by the Collection Manager, which can then provide the data to a reporting tool, including a customer database. The data can delineate most frequent users, most popular applications, peak flows, and many other statistics. More than 100 types of usage reports are available. By tracking all IP traffic flows, service providers can better understand application issues and trends, including the effects on VoIP services from Web-based competitors such as Skype; the extent and effects of malicious and annoying traffic, such as DoS packet flooding and unsolicited e-mail; and the level of usage and bandwidth consumption for specific applications, such as peer to peer.
Integration Level 2: Subscriber Manager
• Enhanced subscriber awareness: Data on application and traffic flows can be correlated with subscriber data to determine which subscribers are using which resources and how much bandwidth they consume. Operations and marketing messages can be targeted directly to individual subscribers. Customer segmentation is possible, allowing service providers to better understand customer segments and more appropriately offer and price services to meet customer needs and optimize revenues.
Integration Level 3: Cisco Broadband Policy Manager
• Advanced policy enforcement: The Cisco SCE is preconfigured to perform packet flow optimization and to interoperate with the Collection Manager and Subscriber Manager. For more complex rules and the ability to add to and change rules in real time, the Cisco Broadband Policy Manager may be added. With the Broadband Policy Manager, a service portal can be used that lets the service provider create, deploy, manage, and monitor new policies related to advanced services, including tiered services, application-driven QoS, and quota-based services. With advanced policy enforcement, service providers can provide different levels of service to different customers at different price points and optimize the use of network resources.
An array of other technologies and products can be used to augment the Cisco SCE and provide additional and enhanced solutions. These include the Cisco Intelligent Services Gateway (ISG), Cisco Service Selection Gateway (SSG), and the Cisco 10000 Series Routers, which allow the network to automatically detect when users are accessing the network and determine both the type of service each user wants to access and the type of device that is being used. The distributed Cisco policy function determines which resources are available to each subscriber, allowing the network or a centralized policy management system such as the Cisco Broadband Policy Manager to detect policy triggers or make policy decisions.
Using Cisco Expertise
Cisco engineers help service providers rapidly plan, design, test, install, and optimize Cisco SCEs and related technologies while mitigating risks and accelerating time to market for new services. Cisco Services uses best practices and proven methodologies for each phase of the prepare, plan, design, implement, operate, and optimize (PPDIOO) lifecycle. We utilize tools and test labs and collaborate with partners as necessary to help ensure the stability, availability, transparent integration, and lower cost of ownership of Cisco solutions. Cisco Services includes an award-winning global technical assistance center, an extensive network of certified partners, and customer portals. Our customers have access to a comprehensive collection of certified IP experts with years of experience in all phases of deploying and supporting network infrastructures both large and small.
Conclusion
As broadband networks increasingly power next-generation communications, service providers must increase their visibility and improve their control over network activity. Enabling IP networks to differentiate between services such as VoIP, Web browsing, music downloads, video streaming, and peer-to-peer traffic makes it possible to control the quality of individual services and charge for them effectively. Cisco Service control technology provides these solutions to existing service provider infrastructures.
A service control network element adds a programmable service layer to broadband networks, allowing providers to identify subscribers, classify applications, guarantee service performance, and charge for multiple IP services without costly infrastructure upgrades.
Specifically built to fit into broadband edge networks, the Cisco Service Control platform offers broadband service providers superior control over network traffic and subscriber usage. Now a service provider's transport network can be augmented with vital functions. For a small incremental investment, operators can quickly deploy new IP services, reduce overall costs, amortize massive investments in network access across multiple services, establish new partnerships with third parties, and test new business models. The capability to profitably deliver premium IP services has arrived.
Cisco Services can help bring these new features to market through consulting services. Our services are organized around a lifecycle methodology, based on years of experience in engagements with service providers of many types and sizes around the world. The six primary phases of the methodology include prepare, plan, design, implement, operate, and optimize. Our modular approach to services lets you choose exactly what you need and nothing more from the PPDIOO methodology.
For More Information
For more information about Cisco service control solutions from Cisco Services, visit us at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/svcs/services_area_root.html or contact your Cisco account manager today.