Success Stories

SoftBank had handled all its network configuration management (NCM) manually for ten years before deciding on Net LineDancer (NetLD) to manage and maintain its Managed CPE-S or CPE bundle carrier services in 2011.

• In 2011 they and support vendors manually handled the NCM for over 250 customers.
• It took 10 days to make customer requested changes.
• Network engineers traveled to each customer location at least twice per year (500+ trips) plus engineering salaries.
• There were differing views between SoftBank and their support vendors about which party would assume responsibility for maintaining all the configurations.
• All teams required overtime just to keep up with the NCM workload.
• They needed multi-vendor support so Cisco PI would not work for them.

Net LineDancer on Private Cloud

• NetLD is managing over 10,000+ devices on a large number of customer networks for SoftBank worldwide.
• SoftBank tracks all configurations now without depending on their several support vendors.
• NetLD access-control provides clear delineation between SoftBank and its support vendor’s responsibilities.
• Config changes can occur remotely now in minutes instead of days, saving hundreds of trips per year.
• SoftBank engineers and sub-contractors can now easily keep up with NCM duties, spend time doing other important jobs and can even handle NCM from home.
• NetLD has become an indispensable part of SoftBank’s managed service business model.
• NetLD’s Terminal Proxy allowing “automatic login” and trace “session logs” for their several support vendors has been very effective!
• Intelligent management of all the information for device recovery: configuration, OS version and module information.

SoftBank Corp., formerly SoftBank Mobile Corp., launched ‘SoftBank’ branded mobile services in Japan in 2006 after it was acquired from Vodafone Group in the same year. Today it is one of the largest telecommunications carriers in Japan. It has over 17,000 employees and its net sales were $2.8B in fiscal year 2016. SoftBank had been doing NCM manually for its Managed CPE-S or CPE bundle carrier services for ten years. At one point SoftBank wanted their subcontractors to claim ownership and maintain the configuration files, but the subs wanted SoftBank own them. SoftBank purchased netLD and this is no longer an issue. “We primarily bought NetLD for configuration changes, but now it is crucial for accessing our customer networks. It would be impossible to do our job now without NetLD.” Kazuhiko Maruko, Network Engineer SoftBank

SoftBank selected Net LineDancer for managing and maintaining Managed CPE-S or CPE bundle carrier services. It allows its subcontractors to access and manage devices with total control via Net LineDancer which has proven convenient and facilitated the unification of their configurations at reasonable cost. SoftBank engineers had considered a Cisco NCM solution, but even if they decided to buy all Cisco equipment in-house, their customers would still use everything else imaginable so Cisco PI would not have worked. According to Kazuhiko Maruko of SoftBank, “NetLD’s vendor coverage is much broader than its competitors. It covers more types of network devices, more supplier products, and provides greater utility.” SoftBank additionally works with several subcontracting network companies and has NetLD managing the NCM for all of it. With NetLD on SoftBank’s cloud, NetLD provides secure access for its subcontractors with SoftBank maintaining total control of each subcontractor’s access and permissions.

In 2010 SoftBank was manually handling the NCM for over hundreds of customers with the help of several maintenance partner vendors. Engineers had to travel to hundreds of customer locations twice per year (hundreds of trips) costing huge. With NetLD SoftBank was able to scale their business and take their service offering internationally. Currently SoftBank is managing over 10,000+ devices on over a large number of customer networks in United States, Canada and Asia. Keeping up with customer NCM requests used to be a full time job for the team, but now they are able to handle NCM issues quickly, provide appropriate levels of secured access to sub-contractors, and now have time for other important tasks as well. SoftBank employees can even make changes from home now. According to Kazuhiko Maruko of SoftBank, “We primarily bought NetLD for network configuration, but now it is crucial for accessing our managed CPE. It would be i mpossible to do our job now without NetLD.”

The real success story has been the development of a great working relationship between SoftBank and LogicVein. SoftBank needed a capable and responsive NCM vendor who would work with them to provide the flexibility and capability in an NCM product they could use. LVI has never stopped working hard to make sure SoftBank and all our customers are happy and productive. LogicVein has turned NetLD into a product our customers find they cannot do without. “LogicVein is very flexible and continually provides us with the changes and features we ask for. It is flexible to provide this level of support.” Kazuhiko Maruko, Network Engineer SoftBank

Manage who, when and how a job has been done: It is important to manage the history of operations accomplished by partner vendors. History of config changes and access logs can be easily managed and maintained by SoftBank and partner vendors. SoftBank can support inquiries of customers immediately. Access logs are automatically stored, which allows SoftBank to see who did what.

With credentials linking a devices to NetLD accounts, NetLD allows SoftBank to manipulate devices without thinking about login IDs/Passwords. Allows handling devices without thinking of IDs/Passwords. SoftBank has no need to disclose IDs/Passwords to partner vendors and with NetLD has only to make changes to Credentials of NetLD to recover problems in case of a security incident.

The ability to mix and match 20 types of access controls provides the right access to every user. NetLD provides SoftBank granular control of its users including authority to add or delete an SoftBank SE, SoftBank operator or partner vendors.

LogicVein has been flexible and supportive with changes and functionality SoftBank has needed as they go.

Net LineDancer for managing and maintaining Managed CPE-S or CPE bundle carrier services. Allows its partner vendors access to manage any number of devices with a total control. Made NCM and the task of unification of their many disparate networks easier and at a reasonable cost.