Internet Access: Cisco Systems And HP Empower ISPs to offer New, value-added services to customers. Expand commitment with Internet Usage Management Program - alternative to flat-rate Internet pricing - Company Business and Marketing

EDGE, On & About AT&T, Nov 2, 1998

Cisco Systems, Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Company Tuesday announced a program aimed at helping service providers implement an alternative to flat-rate pricing. The HP and Cisco Internet Usage Program, consists of joint technology enhancements, an HP and Cisco Partner Program and the development of competency centers.

Improved IP Usage Management The foundation of the program is the Internet Usage Platform (announced April 1998), based on HP Smart Internet Usage and Cisco NetFlow technology, which enables service providers to measure the use of Internet Protocol (IP) services. This platform reduces deployment cost and complexity by seamlessly integrating into existing infrastructures. Further, the Internet Usage Program maximizes the value of usage data by providing the ability to accurately extract subscriber usage information for use in strategic business functions, such as billing, marketing and performance monitoring. The platform enables service providers to transform these services into new revenue sources via usage-based billing and subscriber-usage analysis. In near-real time, the subscriber usage data is collected, aggregated, correlated and then transferred to an Internet Data Record (IDR). The Internet Usage Platform is enhanced with an order-of-magnitude performance improvement in transaction processing provided by the newly released HP Smart Internet Usage 1.1. The platform, with improved scalability, allows for more sophisticated billing schemes and requires less hardware and, therefore, lowers cost of ownership. Future releases of HP Smart Internet Usage will allow for even greater scalability. Additionally, HP and Cisco are working to extend the benefits of the platform to combined IP and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) environments. "Response to services management and the IDR has been overwhelmingly positive," said Bernard Guidon, HP senior vice president and general manager, Telecom Business Unit. "With increased competition, service providers struggle to differentiate themselves. The Internet Usage Platform's innovative technology enables service providers to maximize profits increase service levels to customers -- ultimately reducing customer turnover." Usage Management Partner Program HP and Cisco have created the Usage Management Partner Program to encourage broad industry participation and enable service providers to confidently select usage applications and integration partners suited to their usage-management requirements. HP will work with billing partners to ensure integration between the IDR and the application, and will provide comprehensive training on the Internet Usage Platform to maximize success with usage-management solutions and to help partners more successfully deliver usage-management solutions. "We are excited to announce EDS, a leader in the global information services industry, as our newest integration partner," said Bernard Guidon. "EDS is proud to be a part of the Internet Usage Program," said Charles Ansley, president of EDS' Communications Industry Group. "We are committed to transforming existing ISP architectures -- thus increasing the capability to manage network and IT environments while enhancing service providers' ability to offer a richer suite of offerings to their customers." EDS will provide worldwide systems-integration and in-depth billing and subscriber-analysis solutions. HP and Cisco have expanded their partner program to include the following premier billing-application vendors: Belle Systems and Kenan Systems. Initial billing-application and systems-integration program members included Cap Gemini, HP Consulting and Portal Software. Test-Drive Solutions at Competency Centers HP and Cisco have developed worldwide competency centers that allow program members and customers to realize, first-hand, the benefits of the platform through modeled environments and customized demonstrations. Worldwide Pricing and Availability The Internet Usage Platform is available today directly though HP, EDS and Cap Gemini. Pricing depends on customization and scale of integration. For more information, see http://www.cisco.com/go/hptelecom or http://www.hp.com/telecom. HP, a worldwide leader in IT infrastructure for telecommunications, delivers UNIX system and Windows NT world-class technology, products and services that help service providers and ISPs be successful as the Internet and telephony worlds converge. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.