Every project starts with an idea... an idea that someone is excited enough to sponsor. But where are your ideas being generated from? How do they get cultivated and given time to grow? How do they get pitched? and How do they get heard? How are sponsors persuaded? How do they then get implemented? How do we amplify this cycle of innovation and implementation? I'm fascinated by…
Read More »What is a service provider's greatest asset? Now I'm biased when considering the title question, but I believe OSS are the puppet-master of every modern service provider. They're the systems that pull all of the strings of the organisation. They generate the revenue by operationalising and assuring the networks as well as the services they carry. They coordinate the workforce. They form the real-time sensor networks…
Read More »"Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken." Warren Buffett (although he attributed it to an unknown author, perhaps originating with Samuel Johnson). What if I were to replace the word "habit" in the quote above with "OSS integration" or "OSS customisation" or "feature releases?" The elegant quote reflects this image: The chains of feature releases are…
Read More »Over the last few days we've made some updates to our OSS products / vendors list to reflect recent acquisitions, mergers, etc. Please let us know if there are any others we should be adding to the list.
Read More »Data quality is one of the biggest challenges we face in OSS. A product could be technically perfect, but if the data being pumped into it is poor, then the user experience of the product will be awful - the OSS becomes unusable, and that in itself generates a data quality death spiral. This becomes even more important for the autonomous, self-healing, programmable, cooperative networks being…
Read More »"What will telcos do about the 30% of workers AI is going to displace?" Dawn Bushaus That question, which is the headline of Dawn's article on TM Forum's Inform platform, struck me as being quite profound. As an aside, I'm not interested in the number - the 30% - because I concur with Tom Goodwin's sentiments on LinkedIn, "There is a lot of nonsense about AI. Next…
Read More »Does your organisation have a number of different device inventory repositories? Hint: You might even be surprised by how many you have. Examples include: Physical network inventory Logical network inventory DNS records CMDB (Config Management DB) IPAM (IP Address Management) EMS (Element Management Systems) SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) Desktop / server management not to mention the management information base on the devices themselves (the…
Read More »There's a concept that's building a buzz across all digital industries - you may've heard of it - it's a little thing called DevOps. Someone (most probably a tester) decided to extend it and now you might even hear the #DevTestOps moniker being mentioned. In the ultimate of undeserved acknowledgements, I even get a reference on Wikipedia's DevOps page. It references this DevOps life-cycle diagram from…
Read More »Speedcast Secures Contract Valued at Up to AU$184 Million with NBN Co Australia. Speedcast International Limited announced it has secured a 10-year contract with Australian government-owned infrastructure provider NBN Co to deliver enterprise-grade satellite services. Speedcast’s wholly-owned subsidiary and dedicated entity, Speedcast Managed Services, will partner with NBN Co to design, build and manage NBN Co’s enterprise satellite services. The value of the base network build…
Read More »Have you ever worked on an OSS where a COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) solution has been so heavily customised that implementing the product's next version upgrade has become a massive challenge? The solution has become so entangled that if the product was upgraded, it would break the customisations and/or integrations that are dependent upon that product. This trickle-down effect is the perfect example of The Chess-board Analogy…
Read More »This is the sixth and final post in a series about the four styles of RPA (Robotic Process Automation) in OSS. Over the last few days, we've looked into the following styles of RPA used in OSS, their implementation approaches, pros / cons and the types of automation they're best suited to: Automating repeatable tasks - using an algorithmic approach to completing regular, mundane tasks Streamlining…
Read More »This is the fifth in a series about the four styles of RPA (Robotic Process Automation) in OSS. The fourth of those styles is as part of a closed-loop system such as the one described here. Here's a diagram from that link: This is the most valuable style of RPA because it represents a learning and improving system. Note though that RPA tools only represent the…
Read More »This is the fourth in a series about the four styles of RPA (Robotic Process Automation) in OSS. The third style is Decision Support. I refer to this style as the parrot on the shoulder because the parrot (RPA) guides the operator through their daily activities. It isn't true automation but it can provide one of the best cost-benefit ratios of the different RPA styles. It…
Read More »This is the third in a series about the four styles of RPA (Robotic Process Automation) in OSS. The second of those styles is Streamlining processes / tasks by following an algorithmic approach to simplify processes for operators. These can be particularly helpful during swivel-chair processes where multiple disparate systems are partially integrated but each needs the same data (ie reducing the amount of duplicated data…
Read More »Mtel Bulgaria selects Amdocs to Drive Unified Customer Experience and Commerce in the Digital Society. Amdocs announced that Mtel, Bulgaria’s leading mobile, fixed, broadband and IPTV services provider, is transforming the digital commerce and care experience of its more than four million subscribers through its 200+ retail stores, call centers. Leveraging the new Amdocs DigitalONE platform, Mtel will gain a 360 degree customer view with intelligence-driven,…
Read More »Amdocs to Acquire Vubiquity to Further Expand into the Media & Entertainment Business. Amdocs announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Vubiquity, a leading provider of premium content services and technology solutions, subject to customary closing conditions. The two companies are excited about the acquisition with the increased capacity to now deliver enhanced digital content capabilities for network operators, video distributors, OTT companies,…
Read More »Globe Telecom partners with Openet for rapid digital service launch, monetisation and customer engagement. Openet announced that it has entered into a partnership with Globe Telecom to provide its Digital Business Platform to the Philippines- based operator. Globe has chosen Openet’s Digital Business Platform to provide monetization and customer engagement for all data services. Openet’s Digital Business Platform will provide a key building block for the…
Read More »This is the second in a series about the four styles of RPA (Robotic Process Automation) in OSS. The first of those styles is automating repeatable tasks by following an algorithmic approach to complete regular, mundane tasks. Running an OSS has many high value, challenging tasks for operators to perform. Unfortunately, they also have many repetitive, simple (brain-dead?) tasks that need to be done too. This…
Read More »MATRIXX Software Announces $40 Million in Funding Led by Sutter Hill Ventures. MATRIXX Software (http://www.matrixx.com) announced a $40 million Series C funding led by Sutter Hill Ventures. Stefan Dyckerhoff, managing director at Sutter Hill, will join MATRIXX Software’s board of directors. Additional new investors include Spring Lake Equity Partners and strategic partner CK Hutchison, whose 3 brand group of telecommunications operators serve over 130 million customers…
Read More »You're probably already aware of RPA (Robotic Process Automation) tools. You've possibly even used one (or more) to enhance your OSS experience. In some ways, they're a really good addition to your OSS suite. In some ways, potentially not. That all comes down to the way you use them. There are four main ways that I see them being used (but happy for you to point…
Read More »"The majority of these new services [such as healthcare, content and media, autonomous vehicles, smart homes etc.] require partnerships and will be based on a platform business model where the customer is not aware of who is providing which part of the service and to be quite frankly honest, wont care. All as they will care about is the customer experience and the end-to-end delivery of…
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