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Torturous OSS version upgrades

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…

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07/02/2018 No Comments

A summary of RPA uses in an OSS suite

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…

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06/02/2018 1 Comment

RPA in OSS feedback loops

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…

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05/02/2018 No Comments

The OSS / RPA parrot on the shoulder analogy

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…

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02/02/2018 No Comments

Using RPA as an alternate OSS integration

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…

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01/02/2018 No Comments

Mtel Bulgaria selects Amdocs

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,…

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01/02/2018 No Comments

Amdocs to acquire Vubiquity

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,…

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01/02/2018 No Comments

Globe Telecom partners with Openet

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…

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01/02/2018 No Comments

Using RPA to automate OSS activities

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…

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31/01/2018 No Comments

MATRIXX Software raises $40 Million

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…

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31/01/2018 No Comments

The four styles of RPA used in OSS

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…

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30/01/2018 No Comments

Onboarding outsiders as a new OSS business model

"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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29/01/2018 No Comments

Will it take open source to unlock OSS potential?

I have this sense that the other OSS, open source software, holds the key to the next wave of OSS (Operational Support Systems) innovation. Why? Well, as yesterday’s post indicated (through Nic Brisbourne), “it’s hard to do big things in a small way.” I’d like to put a slight twist on that concept by saying, “it’s hard to do big things in a fragmented way.” [OSS…

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25/01/2018 No Comments

It’s hard to do big things in a small way

"...it’s hard to do big things in a small way, so I suspect incumbents have more of an advantage than they do in most industries." Nic Brisbourne. The quote above came from a piece about the rise of ConstructTech (ie building houses via means such as 3D printing). However, it is equally true of the OSS industry. Our OSS tend to be behemoths, or at least…

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24/01/2018 No Comments

PLDT, Smart sign seven-year US$300M deal with Amdocs

PLDT, Smart ink seven-year US$300M deal with Amdocs. Leading Philippine telco and digital services provider PLDT and its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications (“Smart”) announced that they have entered into agreements to establish a strategic relationship with Amdocs, under which this leading global provider of software and services to communications and media companies will upgrade and manage business technology systems serving PLDT and Smart customers, with the…

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24/01/2018 No Comments

The two types of disruptive technologists

OSS is an industry that's undergoing constant, and massive change. But it still hasn't been disrupted in the modern sense of that term. It's still waiting to have its Uber/AirBnB-moment, where the old way becomes almost obsoleted by the introduction of a new way. OSS is not just waiting, but primed for disruption. It's a massive industry in terms of revenues, but it's still far from…

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23/01/2018 12 Comments

How “what if?” scenarios can halt a project

Let's admit it; we've all worked on an OSS project that has gone into a period of extended stagnation because of a fear of the unknown. I call them "What if?" scenarios. They're the scenarios where someone asks, "What if x happens?" and then the team gets side-tracked whilst finding an answer / resolution. The problem with "What if?" scenarios is that many of them will never happen,…

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22/01/2018 No Comments

U Mobile renews BSS with Ericsson

U Mobile renews Business Support System deal with Ericsson. Ericsson has further extended its partnership with U Mobile Sdn Bhd to transform the Malaysian telecommunications service provider’s Business Support System (BSS) into an industrialized, real-time converged environment. Originally signed in 2012, the partnership has been extended for another five years until 2022. In the ongoing contract, Ericsson is responsible for competence development, solution design, deployment and…

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21/01/2018 No Comments

Germany’s Tele Columbus Selects Netcracker

Netcracker's Solution to Provide Tele Columbus Group With Comprehensive Billing and Charging Capabilities Across B2B and B2C. Netcracker Technology announced that Tele Columbus has selected Netcracker's Revenue Management solution as the single billing and charging system for the entire Tele Columbus Group, which has grown substantially following its acquisition of Primacom and Pepcom. The scope of Netcracker's solution covers both B2B and B2C markets and will…

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20/01/2018 No Comments

The developer development analogy (to OSS investment)

In a post last week, we quoted Jim Rohn who said, "You can have more – if you become more." Jim was surely speaking about personal growth, but we equated it to OSS needing to become more too, especially by looking beyond the walls of operations. Your first thoughts may be, "Ohh, good idea, I'd love to get my hands on some of the CMO's budget…

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19/01/2018 No Comments

The evolving complexity of RCA

Root cause analysis (RCA) is one of the great challenges of OSS. As you know, it aims to identify the probable cause of an alarm-storm, where all alarms are actually related to a single fault. In the past, my go-to approach was to start with a circuit hierarchy-based algorithm. If you had an awareness of the hierarchy of circuits, usually through an awareness in inventory, if…

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18/01/2018 No Comments