Starting a WISP - Backend Systems

To have a basic foundation for your network you should have the following BackEnd systems:

1. Monitoring.
2.Technical Support Tracking (aka trouble ticket)
3.Billing (you want to get paid right?)

There are other systems & functionality you can add in as you grow but the above 3 are the most important.  Now let’s discuss them.

Monitoring. You want to know if your network is up, down, or in-between.  You don’t want to wait on customers to call to tell you they can’t get online.  Having a monitoring solution helps you get ahead of the curve.  Cacti, Nagios, MRTG, and Zenoss are all open source monitoring tools.

Technical Support. A good ticketing solution can help you do the work of many. I have known ISPs with thousands of customers run their operations with just a handful of technical support folks.  This is because of the organization factor a trouble ticket system brings.  An added benefit of a ticket system is the extra communication it brings to your customers.

Billing. Don’t skimp here.  It’s okay to start out with something simple. Quickbooks works for some small operators. After you start growing it’s time to upgrade.   Azotel Simpler is one of the packages I currently like.  A philosophy more and more ISPs are taking is they want to do credit card only.  If this is your policy from the start you limit your liability.  You don’t have to chase down customers to get them to send in money. You don’t have to process checks.  If you really want to offer the option of paper bills make the customer pay 3, 6, or even 12 months in advance.