Free QoE Lite

In our previous post, we talked about the latest version of VAS Experts DPI, and the free QoE Lite module was among the new features we mentioned. Let’s discuss it in more detail.

QoE stands for Quality of Experience. For Internet providers and telecom operators, QoE is an indicator of how satisfied customers are with their work. Unlike QoS (Quality of Service), QoE focuses on subjective perception, such as whether a user experiences any lags, bugs, and freezes. It is primarily measured by positive and negative customer feedback to support, which is posted on the vendor’s official platforms or third-party websites. By continuously and promptly improving QoE, the vendor can also improve its rating and prevent customer attrition.

The QoE module for VAS Experts DPI collects and stores NetFlow and clickstream data (search history, browsing history) which is processed to evaluate how happy or unhappy customers are with the service. NetFlow analysis is created based on such metrics as RRT (Round Trip Time) and retransmission rate per user. Clickstream analysis involves processing analytical data from the aggregated log, which stores web surfing data of each user.

VAS Experts offers two QoE options—Standard and Lite. QoE Lite is free of charge for anyone who purchases a DPI system license no lower than FLTR. Being free, the QoE Lite option is still powerful enough to enable handling a variety of tasks.

First, let’s have a look at the functionality of the QoE module.

VAS Experts DPI is a traffic control and analysis system used to identify, classify, and analyze IP packets. The data is then sent to the database — Q-Store collector.

Q-Store is used to collect and process NetFlow data, as well as organize and record data in ClickHouse (open-source DBMS for analytical processing developed by Yandex). Data can be redirected to an external collector.

GUI (Graphical User Interface) is a web interface used to build graphs with Q-Store data, generate reports, configure triggers and notifications based on custom filters. GUI can be used to set up VAS Experts DPI with role-based access control.

Depending on the purpose, all analytical data can be divided into data for the technical team and data for the marketing team.

Each team uses the data collected to work on its duties:

Technical Team

• Find users experiencing high latency and low connection quality.
• Troubleshoot Wi-Fi routers and other end devices.
• Search for optimum IXPs.
• Identify and protect against botnet and DDoS attacks.
• Share data through API, extract data to the monitoring system and user dashboard.
• Prioritize based on bandwidth use.
• Notify about network failures. Decrease pressure on the support team.

Marketing Team

• Sell equipment which fits a particular user’s needs best in terms of performance and functionality.
• Prevent customer attrition.
• Prevent Internet reselling; activate business plans.
• View how crowded channels are and channel quality through dashboards.
• Notify about virus hazards for end devices (for IoT).
• Learn what causes negative feedback and remediate.
• Group subscribers by interests, ability to pay, etc. to sell more efficiently.
• Generate automated feedback forms after on-site repairs.
• Notify subscribers about new services and deals.

QoE Lite functionality:

• Q-Store collector.
• API for integration with third-party platforms.
• Full NetFlow and clickstream statistics graphs.
• Reports and top lists based on RTT, packet loss, traffic volume, autonomous systems, application-layer protocols, etc.
• Clickstream reports per user, device, host, IP, URL, etc.
• Supported report formats: .xlsx, .csv, .pdf, .png.

The Standard version additionally offers:

• Reports and top lists based on web resource category. Automated category list updates, category uploads to VAS Experts DPI.
• Custom reports and filters based on Full NetFlow and clickstream data.
• Trigger and actions configuration depending on events; sending reports by email.
• DDoS and botnet attacks identification.
• Ads integration with VAS Cloud.

A 30-day trial period is available for the Standard version.

Telecom operators and Internet providers will find the QoE module for VAS Experts DPI to be a practical tool to prevent customer attrition. It allows you to forecast customer needs and offer relevant services in time. The free QoE Lite option introduces you to the basic functionality of the module and lets you evaluate how well it performs in real life.