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Nectar Services Corp. has announced a major update to its Converged Management Platform (CMP), saying that it now gives network operators deep visibility into converged IP networks.

One of the key enhancements in the new version is the new Vendor Knowledge Module (VKM) for Avaya Nortel CS 1000 and Avaya (News - Alert) Nortel Call Pilot, incorporating autodiscovery of Nortel installations, real-time performance monitoring and quality management.

Joe Fuccillo, chief technology officer at Nectar Services, said that the Avaya Nortel (News - Alert) CS 1000 VKM features continuous auto discovery enabling major productivity advantages for operators of large, complex voice and data networks using Avaya Nortel systems.

Automating the creation of comprehensive asset inventories and respective monitoring yields significant savings of time and labor, Fuccillo said.

CMP dynamically creates an end-to-end topographical visualization of voice assets, showing network operators real-time status of devices and their dependencies, Fuccillo said, adding that “This is the single-pane-of-glass view NOCs have been waiting for.”

The release simplifies the complexity of maintaining the thousands of servers, routers, gateways, boards, systems and subsystems making up a converged Avaya Nortel network.

Fuccillo said that the software interfaces with Avaya Nortel voice assets at a highly functional command line level. In addition to determining whether specific systems or subsystems are connected to the network, the company’s firmware-level APIs enable CMP also provides granular, real-time performance monitoring and reporting of every asset in the converged network including capacity utilization and trends.

Moreover, thanks to the ability to manage data at the command line level, Nectar (News - Alert) CMP can centralize inventory on the exact versions of software and firmware installed. Company officials said that operators can clearly identify the clients that need upgrades and those that don't, since they can compare versions and refer to critical notes.

Automatically, the Software Release Management (SRM) Module, a part of the new release of Nectar CMP, performs this essential task, according to company officials.

“Nectar CMP maps dependencies in real-time, and alerts network operators of specific systems or devices impacted by a manufacturer software or firmware change,” Fuccillo said, adding that this “greatly simplifies” the change management process for converged network operators.

For different sites and device types, the new automated QoS mapping feature in Version 4.0 supports separate service thresholds. Company officials said that CMP filters QoS events via business rules empowering the system to distinguish between important and trivial problems.

Additionally, other Version 4.0 enhancements include increased support for data networks with MIB import and automated MIB polling; integration of Syslog Servers with alarm receiver and dependency tree module; a VKM for Avaya System Manager; and support for Acme session border controllers (SBCs), providing critical control functions for unified communications across IP network borders.

Earlier this year, Nectar Services announced the promotion of Harry Abt to vice president of Global Channel Development.