Good analytics needs good data

The quality of any assessment is only as good as the information used to make it. For data-driven operations, this means having a complete set of real-time, precise key performance indicators (KPIs) for both the network and the services it carries. In fact, in an SDN/NFV network where there may be no direct correlation between the physical topology and service topology, it’s important to have KPIs for every service. Correlating changes in service KPIs, even before they indicate an issue, can lead to the discovery of hidden but more widespread problems, impacting many services. 

Ideally, KPI generation should be part of the service definition itself, being measured at the service endpoints and in a consistent manner for all services. This end-to-end view provides the closest measurement to what the customer is actually experiencing.