Network intelligence
Encyclopedia
Network Intelligence is a technology that builds on the concepts and capabilities of Deep Packet Inspection
(DPI), Packet Capture
and Business Intelligence
(BI). It examines, in real time, IP data packets that cross communications networks
by identifying the protocols used and extracting packet content and metadata
for rapid analysis of data relationships and communications patterns.Sometimes referred to as Network Acceleration....
NI is used as a middleware to capture and feed information to network operator applications for bandwidth management
, traffic shaping
, policy management, charging and billing
(including usage-based and content billing), service assurance
, revenue assurance
, market research mega panel analytics, lawful interception
and cyber security. It is currently being incorporated into a wide range of applications by vendors who provide technology solutions to Communications Service Providers (CSPs)
, governments and large enterprises. NI extends network controls, business capabilities, security functions and data mining for new products and services needed since the emergence of Web 2.0
and wireless 3G
and 4G
technologies.
and wireless
technologies offer possibilities for new types of products and services, as well as opportunities for hackers and criminals to exploit weaknesses and perpetrate cyber crime
. Network optimization
and security
solutions therefore need to address the exponential increases in IP traffic, methods of access, types of activity and volume of content generated. Traditional DPI tools from established vendors like Sandvine
and Allot
have historically addressed specific network infrastructure applications such as bandwidth management
, performance optimization
and Quality of Service
(QoS).
DPI focuses on recognizing different types of IP traffic as part of a CSP’s infrastructure. NI provides more granular analysis. It enables vendors to create an information layer with metadata from IP traffic to feed multiple applications for more detailed and expansive visibility into network-based activity.
NI technology goes beyond traditional DPI, since it not only recognizes protocols but also extracts a wide range of valuable metadata. NI’s value-add to solutions traditionally based on DPI has attracted the attention of industry analysts who specialize in DPI market research. For example, Heavy Reading now includes NI companies on its Deep Packet Inspection Semi-Annual Market Tracker.
, Webmail, VoIP, instant messaging
, online chat
, blogs, social networks
– and from different access points via desktops, laptops and mobile devices.
NI provides the means to quickly identify, examine and correlate interactions involving Internet users, applications, and protocols whether or not the protocols are tunneled or follow the OSI model
. The technology enables a global understanding of network traffic for applications that need to correlate information such as who contacts whom, when, where and how, or who accesses what database, when, and the information viewed. When combined with traditional BI tools that examine service quality and customer care, NI creates a powerful nexus of subscriber and network data.
and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)
are under increasing competitive pressures to move to smart pipe
business models. The cost savings and revenue opportunities driving smart pipe strategies also apply to Network Equipment Providers
, Software Vendors
and Systems Integrators that serve the industry.
Because NI captures detailed information from the hundreds of IP applications that cross mobile networks, it provides the required visibility and analysis of user demand to create and deliver differentiating services, as well as manage usage once deployed.
NI as enabling technology for smart pipe applications
Customer metrics are especially important for telecom companies to understand consumer behaviors and create personalized IP services. NI enables faster and more sophisticated Audience Measurement
, User Behavior Analysis, Customer Segmentation
, and Personalized Services.
Real-time network metrics are equally important for companies to deliver and manage services. NI classifies protocols and applications from layers 2 through 7, generates metadata for communication sessions, and correlates activity between all layers, applicable for Bandwidth & Resource Optimization
, Quality of Service (QoS)
, Content-Based Billing, Quality of Experience (QoE)
, VoIP Fraud Monitoring and Regulatory Compliance
.
is fueling rapid adoption by companies and government agencies. Among concerns, however, are risks of information security
, e-discovery, regulatory compliance
and auditing. NI mitigates the risks by providing Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS)
and Software as a Service (SaaS)
vendors with real-time situational awareness of network activity, and critical transparency to allay fears of potential customers. A vendor can demonstrate hardened network security to prevent Data Leakage or Data Theft
and an irrefutable audit trail of all network transaction – communication and content – related to a customer’s account.
and Cyber Security. Real-time data capture, extraction and analysis allow security specialists to take preventive measures and protect network assets in real time as a complement post-mortem analysis after an attack.
, Database Auditing
and Network Protection. The network visibility afforded by NI can also be used to build enhancements and next-generation solutions for Network Performance Management
, WAN Optimization
, Customer Experience Management, Content Filtering
, and internal billing of networked applications.
Deep packet inspection
Deep Packet Inspection is a form of computer network packet filtering that examines the data part of a packet as it passes an inspection point, searching for protocol non-compliance, viruses, spam, intrusions or predefined criteria to decide if the packet can...
(DPI), Packet Capture
Packet capture
Packet capture is the act of capturing data packets crossing a computer network. Deep packet capture is the act of capturing, at full network speed, complete network packets crossing a network with a high traffic rate...
and Business Intelligence
Business intelligence
Business intelligence mainly refers to computer-based techniques used in identifying, extracting, and analyzing business data, such as sales revenue by products and/or departments, or by associated costs and incomes....
(BI). It examines, in real time, IP data packets that cross communications networks
Telecommunications network
A telecommunications network is a collection of terminals, links and nodes which connect together to enable telecommunication between users of the terminals. Networks may use circuit switching or message switching. Each terminal in the network must have a unique address so messages or connections...
by identifying the protocols used and extracting packet content and metadata
Metadata
The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
for rapid analysis of data relationships and communications patterns.Sometimes referred to as Network Acceleration....
NI is used as a middleware to capture and feed information to network operator applications for bandwidth management
Bandwidth management
Bandwidth management is the process of measuring and controlling the communications on a network link, to avoid filling the link to capacity or overfilling the link, which would result in network congestion and poor performance of the network.- Management :Bandwidth management mechanisms may be...
, traffic shaping
Traffic shaping
Traffic shaping is the control of computer network traffic in order to optimize or guarantee performance, improve latency, and/or increase usable bandwidth for some kinds of packets by delaying other kinds of packets that meet certain criteria...
, policy management, charging and billing
Convergent charging
Convergent charging and billing , is a solution in the telecommunications industry that enables common management of all users and all services for operators....
(including usage-based and content billing), service assurance
Service assurance
Service assurance, in telecommunications, is the application of policies and processes by a Communications Service Provider to ensure that services offered over networks meet a pre-defined service quality level for an optimal subscriber experience....
, revenue assurance
Revenue assurance
Revenue assurance is a niche business activity most commonly undertaken within businesses that provide telecommunication services.The activity is the use of data quality and process improvement methods that improve profits, revenues and cash flows without influencing demand...
, market research mega panel analytics, lawful interception
Lawful interception
Lawful interception is obtaining communications network data pursuant to lawful authority for the purpose of analysis or evidence. Such data generally consist of signalling or network management information or, in fewer instances, the content of the communications...
and cyber security. It is currently being incorporated into a wide range of applications by vendors who provide technology solutions to Communications Service Providers (CSPs)
Communications Service Provider
A communications service provider or CSP is a service provider that transports information electronically. The term encompasses public and private companies in the telecom , Internet, cable, satellite, and managed services businesses.The market in which a communication service provider specializes...
, governments and large enterprises. NI extends network controls, business capabilities, security functions and data mining for new products and services needed since the emergence of Web 2.0
Web 2.0
The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...
and wireless 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
and 4G
4G
In telecommunications, 4G is the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards. It is a successor to the 3G and 2G families of standards. In 2009, the ITU-R organization specified the IMT-Advanced requirements for 4G standards, setting peak speed requirements for 4G service at 100 Mbit/s...
technologies.
Background
The evolution and growth of InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and wireless
Wireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
technologies offer possibilities for new types of products and services, as well as opportunities for hackers and criminals to exploit weaknesses and perpetrate cyber crime
Computer crime
Computer crime, or cybercrime, refers to any crime that involves a computer and a network. The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target. Netcrime refers to criminal exploitation of the Internet. Such crimes may threaten a nation’s security and financial health...
. Network optimization
Network management
Network management refers to the activities, methods, procedures, and tools that pertain to the operation, administration, maintenance, and provisioning of networked systems....
and security
Network security
In the field of networking, the area of network security consists of the provisions and policies adopted by the network administrator to prevent and monitor unauthorized access, misuse, modification, or denial of the computer network and network-accessible resources...
solutions therefore need to address the exponential increases in IP traffic, methods of access, types of activity and volume of content generated. Traditional DPI tools from established vendors like Sandvine
Sandvine
Sandvine Incorporated , in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.Sandvine network policy control products are designed to implement broad network policies, ranging from service creation, billing, congestion management, and security...
and Allot
Allot
Allot Communications is a provider of IP service optimization solutions for service providers, carriers and enterprises. Allot solutions use deep packet inspection technology to change broadband pipes into smart networks offering complete network visibility, application control and subscriber...
have historically addressed specific network infrastructure applications such as bandwidth management
Bandwidth management
Bandwidth management is the process of measuring and controlling the communications on a network link, to avoid filling the link to capacity or overfilling the link, which would result in network congestion and poor performance of the network.- Management :Bandwidth management mechanisms may be...
, performance optimization
Network performance
Network performance refers to the service quality of a telecommunications product as seen by the customer. It should not be seen merely as an attempt to get "more through" the network....
and Quality of Service
Quality of service
The quality of service refers to several related aspects of telephony and computer networks that allow the transport of traffic with special requirements...
(QoS).
DPI focuses on recognizing different types of IP traffic as part of a CSP’s infrastructure. NI provides more granular analysis. It enables vendors to create an information layer with metadata from IP traffic to feed multiple applications for more detailed and expansive visibility into network-based activity.
NI technology goes beyond traditional DPI, since it not only recognizes protocols but also extracts a wide range of valuable metadata. NI’s value-add to solutions traditionally based on DPI has attracted the attention of industry analysts who specialize in DPI market research. For example, Heavy Reading now includes NI companies on its Deep Packet Inspection Semi-Annual Market Tracker.
Business Intelligence for data networks
In much the same way that BI technology synthesizes business application data from a variety of sources for business visibility and better decision-making, NI technology correlates network traffic data from a variety of data communication vehicles for network visibility, enabling better cyber security and IP services. With ongoing changes in communications networks and how information can be exchanged, people are no longer linked exclusively to physical subscriber lines. The same person can communicate in multiple ways – FTPFile Transfer Protocol
File Transfer Protocol is a standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control and data connections between the client and server...
, Webmail, VoIP, instant messaging
Instant messaging
Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
, online chat
Online chat
Online chat may refer to any kind of communication over the Internet, that offers an instantaneous transmission of text-based messages from sender to receiver, hence the delay for visual access to the sent message shall not hamper the flow of communications in any of the directions...
, blogs, social networks
Social network service
A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities. A social network service consists of a representation of each user , his/her social...
– and from different access points via desktops, laptops and mobile devices.
NI provides the means to quickly identify, examine and correlate interactions involving Internet users, applications, and protocols whether or not the protocols are tunneled or follow the OSI model
OSI model
The Open Systems Interconnection model is a product of the Open Systems Interconnection effort at the International Organization for Standardization. It is a prescription of characterizing and standardizing the functions of a communications system in terms of abstraction layers. Similar...
. The technology enables a global understanding of network traffic for applications that need to correlate information such as who contacts whom, when, where and how, or who accesses what database, when, and the information viewed. When combined with traditional BI tools that examine service quality and customer care, NI creates a powerful nexus of subscriber and network data.
Use in telecommunications
Telcos, Internet Service Providers (ISPs)Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)
Mobile network operator
A mobile network operator , also known as mobile phone operator , carrier service provider , wireless service provider, wireless carrier, or cellular company, or mobile network carrier is a telephone company that provides services for mobile phone subscribers.One essential...
are under increasing competitive pressures to move to smart pipe
Smart pipe
Smart pipe, related to a mobile network operator , refers to an operator’s network which leverages existing or unique service abilities, and the operator’s customer relationships, to provide value beyond that of data connectivity only...
business models. The cost savings and revenue opportunities driving smart pipe strategies also apply to Network Equipment Providers
Network Equipment Provider
Network Equipment Providers are companies that provide communication solutions to Service Providers like fixed or mobile operators as well as to Enterprise customers. If you place a call on your mobile phone, surf the internet, join a conference call or watch a video on demand through IPTV – it...
, Software Vendors
Independent software vendor
Independent software vendor is a business term for companies specializing in making or selling software, designed for mass marketing or for niche markets...
and Systems Integrators that serve the industry.
Because NI captures detailed information from the hundreds of IP applications that cross mobile networks, it provides the required visibility and analysis of user demand to create and deliver differentiating services, as well as manage usage once deployed.
| Requirement | Purpose | Example Applications |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Metrics | Understand customer demand |
|
| Network Metrics
|
Identify / deliver / manage services |
|
NI as enabling technology for smart pipe applications
Customer metrics are especially important for telecom companies to understand consumer behaviors and create personalized IP services. NI enables faster and more sophisticated Audience Measurement
Audience measurement
Audience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites...
, User Behavior Analysis, Customer Segmentation
Market segment
Market segmentation is a concept in economics and marketing. A market segment is a sub-set of a market made up of people or organizations with one or more characteristics that cause them to demand similar product and/or services based on qualities of those products such as price or function...
, and Personalized Services.
Real-time network metrics are equally important for companies to deliver and manage services. NI classifies protocols and applications from layers 2 through 7, generates metadata for communication sessions, and correlates activity between all layers, applicable for Bandwidth & Resource Optimization
Optimization (computer science)
In computer science, program optimization or software optimization is the process of modifying a software system to make some aspect of it work more efficiently or use fewer resources...
, Quality of Service (QoS)
Quality of service
The quality of service refers to several related aspects of telephony and computer networks that allow the transport of traffic with special requirements...
, Content-Based Billing, Quality of Experience (QoE)
Quality of experience
Quality of experience , some times also known as quality of user experience, is a subjective measure of a customer's experiences with a service...
, VoIP Fraud Monitoring and Regulatory Compliance
Regulatory compliance
In general, compliance means conforming to a rule, such as a specification, policy, standard or law. Regulatory compliance describes the goal that corporations or public agencies aspire to in their efforts to ensure that personnel are aware of and take steps to comply with relevant laws and...
.
Use in cloud computing
The economics and deployment speed of cloud computingCloud computing
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices as a utility over a network ....
is fueling rapid adoption by companies and government agencies. Among concerns, however, are risks of information security
Information security
Information security means protecting information and information systems from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, perusal, inspection, recording or destruction....
, e-discovery, regulatory compliance
Regulatory compliance
In general, compliance means conforming to a rule, such as a specification, policy, standard or law. Regulatory compliance describes the goal that corporations or public agencies aspire to in their efforts to ensure that personnel are aware of and take steps to comply with relevant laws and...
and auditing. NI mitigates the risks by providing Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Platform as a service
Platform as a service is a category of cloud computing services that provide a computing platform and a solution stack as a service...
and Software as a Service (SaaS)
Software as a Service
Software as a service , sometimes referred to as "on-demand software," is a software delivery model in which software and its associated data are hosted centrally and are typically accessed by users using a thin client, normally using a web browser over the Internet.SaaS has become a common...
vendors with real-time situational awareness of network activity, and critical transparency to allay fears of potential customers. A vendor can demonstrate hardened network security to prevent Data Leakage or Data Theft
Data theft
Data theft is a growing problem primarily perpetrated by office workers with access to technology such as desktop computers and hand-held devices capable of storing digital information such as USB flash drives, iPods and even digital cameras...
and an irrefutable audit trail of all network transaction – communication and content – related to a customer’s account.
Use in government
NI extracts and correlates information such as who contacts whom, when where and how, providing situational awareness for Lawful InterceptionLawful interception
Lawful interception is obtaining communications network data pursuant to lawful authority for the purpose of analysis or evidence. Such data generally consist of signalling or network management information or, in fewer instances, the content of the communications...
and Cyber Security. Real-time data capture, extraction and analysis allow security specialists to take preventive measures and protect network assets in real time as a complement post-mortem analysis after an attack.
Use in business
Because NI combines real-time network monitoring with IP metadata extraction, it enhances the effectiveness of applications for Database SecurityDatabase security
Database security concerns the use of a broad range of information security controls to protect databases against compromises of their confidentiality, integrity and availability...
, Database Auditing
Database audit
Database auditing involves observing a database so as to be aware of the actions of database users. Database administrators and consultants often set up auditing for security purposes, for example, to ensure that those without the permission to access information do not access it.-Issues:The...
and Network Protection. The network visibility afforded by NI can also be used to build enhancements and next-generation solutions for Network Performance Management
Network performance management
- Factors affecting network performance :Not all networks are the same. As data is broken into component parts for transmission, several factors can affect their delivery....
, WAN Optimization
WAN Optimization
WAN optimization is a collection of techniques for increasing data-transfer efficiencies across wide-area networks. In 2008, the WAN optimization market was estimated to be $1 billion , and it will grow to $4.4 billion according to Gartner, a technology research firm.The most common measures of...
, Customer Experience Management, Content Filtering
Content filtering
Content filtering is the technique whereby content is blocked or allowed based on analysis of its content, rather than its source or other criteria. It is most widely used on the internet to filter email and web access.- Content filtering of email :...
, and internal billing of networked applications.