Introduction#
Introduction to NBI#
VOSS Automate comes with a portfolio of service integration modules to support close working with associated provider OSS and BSS systems. Within this portfolio, VOSS Northbound Integration Module (NBI) offers integration with northbound systems for billing and reporting purposes. NBI is a module for VOSS Automate and provides functions to control the billing flow during initial customer provisioning, to monitor for changes to subscribers or their services once the customer is live, and issue real-time billing updates (payloads) northbound for charging.
NBI runs as a separate server appliance and provides this integration with northbound systems through a near real-time RESTful API. This interface is used to transfer a billing payload that contains information on subscribers and associated services and devices whenever a change is made to the live service.
Importantly, NBI can be tailored to the needs of individual providers and their OSS/BSS systems through configuration of this billing payload.
Note
Compatibility
VOSS NBI is compatible with VOSS Automate version 19.3x and above.
Business Benefits#
VOSS NBI offers the following business benefits:
Reduces time to cash and increases the speed and scale of customer on-boarding activity through full automation of the provisioning to billing information workflow.
Provides the ability for customers to self-provision a wider range of (chargeable) services.
Reduces costs and removes errors from the billing process (manual and multiple data entry points).
Reduces revenue leakage by ensuring correct charging for services at the point of consumption.
Improves asset utilization and capacity planning through full visibility of service usage.
Operational Benefits#
VOSS NBI offers the following operational benefits:
Near real-time integration for rapid action where required.
Small appliance footprint for easy and fast integration into operating environment (add-on).
Server separation – does not load or interfere with live service.
Packaged integration service to optimize integration with OSS/BSS.
Configurable payload to meet the needs of individual northbound billing systems.
‘Day 1’ and ‘Day 2’ operating modes – to support on-boarding and on-going billing needs.
Provider Responsibilities#
As part of the deployment and operation of the NBI, the service provider is expected to provide:
Information on billing requirements (particularly with respect to the payload content)
Resources for the installation of NBI – compute, storage and networking
IT changes as required to integrate NBI into the provider’s billing system
Testing of the end-to-end billing process and related systems
Deployment into production and monitoring during business operation
Glossary of Terms#
Term |
Definition |
|---|---|
API |
Application Programming Interface |
Billing Payload |
Packet of information sent by NBI to northbound billing system |
BSS |
Provider Business Support System (for example customer management) |
CLI |
The NBI appliance command interface (used for configuration and diagnostics) |
DNS / SRV |
Domain Name Server / Service Record |
HCS |
Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution |
MACD |
Moves, Adds, Changes and Deletes |
NOC |
Provider Network Operations Centre for alarm monitoring |
NBI |
VOSS Northbound Integration for billing and reporting (also known as the billing-data-extract application) |
Northbound System |
Provider OSS or BSS, which NBI integrates with for billing purposes |
OSS |
Provider Operating Support System (for example, asset management) |
RBAC |
Role Based Access Control |
Sandbox |
A sub process that can be configured and used to simulate a northbound system |
SFTP |
Secure File Transfer Protocol |
SNMP |
Simple Network Management Protocol |
SSH |
Secure Shell |
Subscriber |
Consumer of UC, telephony and collaboration services |
Tracking Table |
Contains a history of all billable events and associated payloads |
Trigger Event |
The list of VOSS Automate Transaction Codes that cause NBI to create a payload |