Context - Real-time active topology

Context efficiently combines and transforms information coming from the network and from multiple BSS and OSS data sources into a searchable topology and dependency model.

Real-time topology for automated operations

Using graph data and semantic modeling, Context delivers an end-to-end dynamic view of network, services and customer dependencies that's constantly kept up to date. Start managing complex, cross-domain, multilayer network and service topologies with ease.

Real-time active topology helps:

Search through a dynamically changing topology; a one-stop shop for network and service asset details
Link real-time network, service and customer data sources with ease
Explore up-to-date element status and dependency through topology views and dashboards
Track real-time network deployment and configuration
Identify misconfigurations and data quality issues
Contextualize all customer-impacting network elements

EXFO adaptive service assurance: The right data. In context.

Watch EXFO’s E2E automation story to learn how EXFO’s adaptive service assurance platform quickly gives operators the right data at the right time—in context—to detect, diagnose and resolve customer-impacting events originating from communications network infrastructure and services.

Real-time topology

The Context real-time active topology platform and modules are used for network service and customer assurance applications. They are also used as a complement to inventory systems to support visualization, troubleshooting, workflow and data alignment for network operations center (NOC), service operations center (SOC) and care systems.

With its graph data-based approach and a graph pattern matching inference/rules engine, Context models the relationships between data stored in communications service provider's (CSPs) siloed systems for network management (NMS/EMS), billing, assurance, fulfillment, and CRM. It then maps those relationships into an accurate representation of services and their underlying virtual, logical and physical resources.

Context Path Computation

Because virtualization, cloudification and services-based architectures increase network complexity, greater demand is placed on the network infrastructure—often exceeding its capabilities. As a result, automating the provisioning process becomes almost impossible. Path computation from Context cross-links all silos and locates logical paths across multiple networks to deliver improved services and serve customers more efficiently.

Service impact analysis

For CSPs delivering sophisticated, complex services to their customers, Context's service impact analysis module automatically determines the customer-facing effects of network faults. This enables the effective prioritization of repair activity according to business priorities—not the whims of operations support systems (OSS). It also supports automated customer notification process workflows.

Automated common cause analysis

Context's automated common cause analysis uses innovative and unique topology data to answer the question: what do all these entities have in common? This is significant because it automates one of the most expensive—in terms of lost customer revenue and operational expenditures—and labor-intensive tasks to resolve network faults in a way that is applicable to all communication service providers (CSPs).

Change impact analysis and planning (CIAP)

CIAP enables the plan supervisor to investigate the scheduling of plans to determine whether costs can be reduced by combining overlapping changes, or to see if rescheduling conflicting changes can remove calculated change plan collisions. This helps avoid potential outages and service degradations. Centralized coordination of multiple change plans can also help reduce both the cost and length of disruptions by combining changes that impact the same parts of the network or the same top-level services.

Key features

Delivers rich, dynamic topology views with on-demand linking of assurance data
Enables real-time and accurate service impact and change plan analysis in a dynamically changing network
Maintains up-to-date dependencies between virtualised service components and physical infrastructure
Enables the modelling of complex entities composed of numerous individual data sources

CSP offers premium network services backed by topology-aware transport assurance

EXFO helps a Tier 1 European CSP build faster, more dependable networks to improve its revenue streams

European operator uses Nova Context to improve trouble-ticket management

In order to power its new OSS/BSS processes, a European MNO selected EXFO’s Nova Context (formerly EXFO Ontology’s) service impact analysis (SIA) and common cause analysis modules to improve customer trouble-ticket management by ranking repairs according to business priorities.

CenturyLink automates service delivery with EXFO's real-time topology

Telenor enhances the experience of its business customers

Reducing impact on customers during network upgrades

Nova Context - Customer 360 platform

Equipping a leading CSP to easily and quickly visualize accurate customer service topologies

Stratecast Solution Strategies: Multiple Views, Not Multiple Versions at Telkom South Africa

Tackling inventory consolidation issues