As the global thirst for Satellite Communications (SATCOM) bandwidth increases, the need to actively manage SATCOM Network Operations (NetOps) to ensure Quality of Service (QoS) becomes increasingly important. is not only prohibitive, often placing it beyond the means of many organizations, but outside their scope and capabilities.
Unfortunately for many satellite operators, resellers, and users of bandwidth services, the significant costs of establishing and operating a modern SATCOM NetOps infrastructure Integral Systems’ newly formed services group — Integral Systems Service Solutions (IS3) — is responding to this growing need by providing these organizations with the ability to now outsource their NetOps management needs.
Supported by decades of NetOps management experience, IS3 will offer RF signal monitoring, interference detection and geolocation and remote management as a subscription service, negating the need for significant upfront capital investments and significantly reducing annual operating costs
IS3 will provide a full range of NetOps management solutions to include link engineering/network planning, QoS monitoring, RF interference detection and geolocation, Service Level Agreement (SLA) validation, and other services critical to the effective management of SATCOM Networks. Customer access is segregated exclusively by account and made available via web portal, giving subscribers real-time access to actionable information on their assets and networks.
To ensure maximum cost savings, tiered subscription packages are available, bundling together commonly used services tailored to the specific needs of the customer. These packages range from the simplest of “surveillance packages” where networks are remotely monitored to a full turn-key outsourcing service where networks are both remotely monitored and managed.
Organizations not looking for bundled solution can still take advantage of IS3’s cost saving services through a selection of economical individual offerings including:
Link Engineering & Network Planning. Using the latest in commercially available analytical tools from partner Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, customer network needs are rapidly assessed, analyzed, and projected in order to optimize a customer’s use of valuable SATCOM bandwidth assets, the most expensive element of provisioned Fixed Satellite Services.
Interference Detection and Geolocation (iDetGeo). iDetGeo solutions provide a convenient means of automatically detecting, characterizing, and geolocating sources of RF interference.
Customer Access to Actionable Information. Critical information can be accessed through a Web portal and web enabled wireless devices. Alerts are sent to designated recipients via email, SMS test, pager, or recorded telephone messages.
US Government access is IA accredited and is via SIPRnet. Customer deployments are, of course, dynamic. IS3 works closely with organizations to design unique solutions that match their individual needs. From a high level though, customers in the following segments tend to rely on the following solutions:
Large Satellite Operators tend to be interested in IS3’s Interference Detection and Geolocation (iDetGeo) service. iDetGeo gives them the ability to economically augment their own infrastructure without having to incur the significant cost of building out this capability on their own.
Smaller Regional Satellite Operators often lack the resources needed to implement a robust service monitoring capability. Subscribing to IS3’s full range of services assures the SLAs are being met without the need for a large capital outlay and can save a regional operator 30 to 50 percent over the recurring costs of ownership.
Resellers typically purchase blocks of transponder capacity from satellite operators and resell the bandwidth to end users, often bundled with other types of end-to-end services. Utilizing IS3’s services, resellers can realize 10 to 20 percent increase in bandwidth utilization which translates into increased margins. In addition, the reseller can often times offer IS3 solutions as value add, resulting in increased revenue and higher margins.
Government Regulators need to be able to identify and monitor frequency usage in their country to enforce licensing statutes. IS3 can identify and characterize unlicensed users as well as pinpoint the transmitting location. The subscription costs of IS3’s services can be offset and eclipsed by the increase in revenue realized from fines and additional licensing fees.