Advanced ISP Billing software works with three different databases and just about any platform, with the backing of 24-7 support.

by Jeff Goldman [March 24, 2004]

Advanced Communications was founded in 1997 to provide a wide range of solutions including web hosting management software, VoIP services, and a portal offering. Headquartered in the United States, Advanced Communications has its development and support offices in Pakistan.

The company's billing solution, Advanced ISP Billing, supports prepaid, postpaid, limited, and unlimited access. According to Project Manager Naveed Ilyas, the software allows pricing to be adjusted by the hour. "You can set a different rate for every hour in the week," he says. "You can define peak calls, off-peak calls, holiday rates, things like that."

Advanced ISP Billing (213) 341-1431 sales@advancedispbilling.com

As a Java application with a customizable web interface, Advanced ISP Billing is compatible with Windows, UNIX, Solaris, and Linux. "On every platform where Java can be installed, our billing software can be installed," Ilyas says. "It also supports three main databases: MySQL, Oracle, and MS SQL Server. The same version of the software is compatible with all three databases."

As a result, a customer can start with MySQL, then change later without having to purchase new software. "When the customer has the ability to purchase the Oracle or MS SQL license, he can easily migrate our billing system to Oracle or MS SQL," Ilyas says. "We also provide scripts that import the databases from different billing systems into ours, so a customer can easily migrate from any other system."

For VISPs, the software can be run from a single server to support a number of different ISP customers, allowing each VISP to access their own data through a customized interface. "They can run one application, but at the back end, every service provider has their own interface, their own users, and their own packages," Ilyas says.

Managing e-mail
The billing software is able to provision e-mail access automatically, once an account has been created. ""We have independent scripts that are automatically activated after registering the customer, and then those scripts execute on the e-mail server," Ilyas says. "The customer can then log into his account on the billing system and he can change his e-mail password."

This allows the email server and billing server to be maintained separately. "The e-mail server can be installed in a completely different place, with the billing server on a different machine," Ilyas says. "To do this, we have provided scripts for Sendmail and for other e-mail software which is installed on Windows, on Linux, or on Solaris."

For both prepaid and postpaid customers, the application allows customers to be automatically denied access if there's a billing problem. "If a customer's credit is denied, the customer is automatically disconnected online," Ilyas says. "And for prepaid customers, the cards can be expired a specific number of days from their activation."

Pricing for the software includes one year's support, along with free remote installation and customization.

Ongoing Support
Afaf Durrani is the owner of the Pakistan-based ISP, MaxNet. The company, which provides service to seven cities in Pakistan, has been using Advanced ISP Billing ever since it was founded two and a half years ago. Prior to founding MaxNet, Durrani worked for Paknet, another Pakistani ISP that also utilized Advanced ISP Billing.

The strongest selling point for the software, Durrani says, is its support. "I saw how good their support was when I was working for Paknet; it was just awesome," he says. "That's why I went with Advanced ISP Billing. They have online support, and I can call them late at night and still get service."

When he was starting up, he says, Durrani was able to take advantage of the company's support for a wide range of questions. "Their support has been excellent, whether it was about billing, about taking backups at night, about SQL Server, about RADIUS," he says. "They just used to guide me all the time."

Durrani runs MaxNet from his house, using the secure web interface to manage all aspects of his company's billing. "Advanced ISP Billing's interface is amazing," he says. "They keep on improving their software: they're doing that even now. Everything is immaculate—I've never had any problems."

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