Verizon Business today announced a set of application-aware tools that will enable its Private IP service customers to better ensure the performance of applications such as voice over IP and video.

The tools include the capability for network assessment, reporting, dynamic bandwidth and packet marking tools that allow Verizon Business customers to more closely monitor network performance and adjust capacity as requirements change to ensure networks are used cost-effectively. "This augments our private IP service," said Michael Marcellin, director of IP and Ethernet Networking for Verizon. "We are creating application-aware networks that go a step beyond looking at the network to look at the applications running on the network."

This becomes particularly important as businesses add applications such as voice and video to their networks. These latency-sensitive and potentially bandwidth-intensive applications can have a negative impact on other high-priority applications.

The new tools enable customers to set class-of-service parameters for specific services and can more closely track network performance against service-level agreements. Bandwidth can be assigned dynamically to meet specific short-terms demands as well.

Verizon Business' Private IP AAN capabilities include network assessment service, network performance, bandwidth optimization and application and packet marking optimization.

For Network Assessment, Verizon will provide professional services expertise to evaluate the current state of a customer network, see how bandwidth is being used and how cost effectively the network is being operated, Marcellin said.

Network performance gives both a network snapshot and an underlying view to track the performance applications, systems and networks. Bandwidth Optimization allows real-time adjustments in allocation of bandwidth to support applications. Application and Packet marketing Optimization generates Web-based reports on network performance down to the desktop level.

Verizon has long offered this level of support to larger enterprises on a customized basis, but this new service brings these capabilities to a much larger audience, Marcellin said.

"We think businesses will find the package very attractive, and they can pick and choose the services they want," he said.