Support optimisation through simplified network management and automated data collection

Surely you know the problem: Your network is running perfectly, but suddenly there is a breakdown. To create the support ticket with your service partner, you need information such as the maintenance contract number of the component, its serial number, but also manufacturer-specific system information such as “show tech”, “request support-information”, etc. or even the configuration and relevant log messages – which you are missing. And as happens, the colleague who normally supports the affected system and knows it better is not there…

We know the problem too! As a maintenance partner, Xantaro looks after over 120000 network components from different manufacturers. Therefore, we thought about how we could simplify this process for our customers and the XTAC. It was clear that automation would significantly simplify the entire communication around ticket creation and so our developers integrated the “XTAC app” into Yukon – the Xantaro service engine.

Automated data collection for ticket creation

Yukon was developed under the premise of ease of use for multi-vendor network management. Therefore, like many other functions, ticket opening here is simply drag’n’drop within the intuitive graphical user interface. This means that in a support case, you simply drag one or more impaired network components from your Yukon inventory list onto the XTAC app, which automatically collects all the necessary system and contract data. You then enter the error description via a dialog box and finally transfer all relevant information bundled directly to the XTAC ticket system.

Ticket opening with the XTAC App and automated data collection via Yukon, the Xantaro Service Engine

Our engineers can immediately start analyzing and diagnosing the problem and, if necessary, directly involve the manufacturer. The XTAC app also provides a central overview of all current and past tickets, including their history, for evaluation and analysis.

The variety of applications – an overarching ecosystem

Together, the various Yukon applications form an ecosystem for cross-vendor network management. The highlight: The different apps interact with each other and thus provide additional added value beyond their own functionality. In a ticket creation scenario, for example, the XTAC app accesses information from three other applications:

The Inventory app generates a list of the entire inventory including relevant information such as installed modules, sub-modules, optics, etc. through automated data retrieval. In the event of a support case, you will find all components here, which you simply drag onto the XTAC app to open a ticket. The latest data of the affected component is automatically added to the XTAC ticket for problem resolution.

The Info App provides a centralised overview with all information on individual network components. In the case of support, it provides details on hardware and software versions, interface status, and contributes support and maintenance contract data.

The Watchlog App puts log data from various network components into context in a detailed overview, assisting with their analysis and identification of network and log errors in both real-time and time-delayed fashion. For an accelerated recovery process, the XTAC app also bundles this data of the affected component during ticket creation, so that the XTAC gains valuable insights into the overall context that contributes to traceability and faster fault clearance.

For further information on apps and functions of our Service Engine visit Yukon.

Win-Win – beyond the partnership with Xantaro

The example of the XTAC app shows how both you as a network operator and our XTAC as a service interface benefit from the automated processes through the use of Yukon in the network:

Technical information can be easily retrieved and provided (RSI) without in-depth technical expertise; information is presented in a comprehensive, visualized manner.
Normalized data and automated exchange ensure optimized and simplified service delivery both for you as a customer and for our XTAC.
There is also no need for manufacturer-specific know-how, individual processes and proprietary technologies – Yukon is ONE tool for all!

At the same time, we are very aware of one thing: True “vendor independence” only applies if these advantages also apply beyond Xantaro’s partner relationships and Yukon also maps components that are under maintenance at your other service partners. That is why we are constantly developing our service engine together with you, adding technologies as well as new, value-adding functions – so that Yukon is available as a central interface for your individual network and valuable functions such as those of the (X)TAC app can have an increased positive effect.