The SonicWALL® Service Provider Module (only available as an add-on for SonicWALL Scrutinizer with the Flow Analytics Module,) adds several features that are especially useful for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Benefits include:

Easy customization.

Administrators can easily customize permissions, modify style sheets and default landing pages with the Service Provider Module. Several default sheets are even included.

Customizable billing solutions.

The SonicWALL Service Provider Module enables customizable invoicing and billing solutions based on actual network usage, and eases data export to Microsoft Excel in .CSV format.

Enablement of traffic and usage based billing.

The Scrutinizer Service Provider Module allows service providers to export flow data based on any flow (NetFlow, IPFIX, sFlow, etcetera) field or combination of flow fields including rate per second, packets, total bits, IP addresses, ToS (DSCP), or BGP autonomous system (AS) number. This data can then be used to invoice end customers based on actual network usage rather than WAN connection speed.

Increased invoicing options.

The Service Provider Module routinely exports a custom .CSV file with all the required details. For example, it allows billing based on a flat rate versus a burst rate as well as total amount transferred per month. More traditional billing is also possible, for example, where the end customer pays based on the 95% percentile technique.

Customized reporting options.

Using the intuitive configuration interface, any saved report in Scrutinizer can become the basis for an export. To ensure the highest accuracy, data is gathered from the raw flow data tables. The Service Provider Module also includes the following capabilities:

• Any NetFlow field or range within a field is saved as part of the filter within a report.
• The entire contents of any report type can be emailed or exported in CSV format.
• Exports occur on a periodic basis.
• Rolling the data into larger intervals is possible.
• Exports are emailed or saved in a directory with a custom name and time stamp.
• Scheduled routines:
  • - Prepare the data for further processing
  • - Write the data to another server

Mashups for easy accessibility. Utilizing simple web technology, Scrutinizer allows anyone to easily assemble a URL into a mashup or third party application to directly import and display important information regarding the activity of a specific host or application on your network into the Scrutinizer dashboard.

Customer portal.

IT administrators can choose to provide end users are with secure login access to the flow data generated by their network devices. End users can also use the customer portal to troubleshoot bandwidth usage and identify/analyze odd traffic patterns. Additionally, automatic HTML reports can be scheduled for each end customer. Service providers can use the portal as a message board to communicate with their customers as well as integrate other applications into the MyView interface.