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needs to be flexible, integrated and automated. The result will be a single service definition that defines the service for all downstream systems and a series of smart OSS systems that understand this service definition and make it real. As each new service is requested by a customer, these definition rules will be engaged and the OSS will quickly and automatically configure the IMS network and enable the service.
The reality of today
To fully utilize the IMS network technology, some general rules apply: Rapid service introduction and delivery means smarter, faster, more flexible and fully automated OSS. Manual steps in the process need to be eliminated, and importantly, exception management needs to be uncommon and manual intervention rare.
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These abstracting solutions that have the ability to operate over multiple inventory systems and provide a single, consolidated view of the entire network infrastructure must not require a software development cycle to encode information into workflow processes. The time-consuming code maintenance per new service needs to be removed and replaced by a separate engine that encapsulates the complexities of the service to network design process into easily configurable and extremely flexible design rules. This engine and design rules would handle the many permutations involved in managing and provisioning a customer order independently from the workflow process. Once defined, these rules will automate the service to network design and assign process and prioritize the most efficient use of the network infrastructure for all network domains and across multiple inventory systems.
IMS and OSS a partnership |
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Within the OSS system the service and network design and assign process is probably the most manual. Fortunately many automation implementations exist within the OSS silos. However, the design of a multiple technology service employing multiple inventory systems involves extremely complex workflow interactions. To avoid this, an inventory cross domain manager needs to be able to provide cross domain service and network design automation too. This will abstract the service design complexity from the workflow and provide a clearly articulated path towards OSS agility.
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IMS network technology when combined with an agile IMS-aware OSS represents the potential for a very rosy future for CSPs and for customers. Never before have customers had such a broad range of current and future services offered and available on-demand. The key to this solution, however, is to ensure that the flexibility and agility of the IMS network architecture is similarly reflected in the OSS architecture. Without OSS working in partnership with the IMS architecture, the potential of the IMS network will be short-changed.
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