A billing and CRM system might similarly be notified about chargeable events. Human notification of an event is still an important part of the assurance process. Operator concurrence may be required before an automated corrective action is taken. Alerts should also be made visible should a corrective automation fail or if no predefined policy has been created for a specific problem type. Assurance is about taking quick, appropriate actions that have the highest probability of reestablishing acceptable service levels.
Service assurance goes far beyond fault management and performance reporting.
As network infrastructures become the underpinning to increasingly critical business transaction environments, the need to continuously deliver minimum service levels becomes paramount. This optimizes an infrastructure, even a Cisco Powered one, for service delivery. The key is to prioritize faults based on their effects, automate corrective actions, and integrate actionable information with external systems such as fulfillment and billing. In doing so, you get the best possible value from your capital and people investments. Patch critical holes first, and keep the ship afloat.