Minimise the tentacles on the OctopOSS. Keep it simple
“In the context of databases, cardinality refers to the uniqueness of data values contained in a column. High cardinality means that the column contains a large percentage of totally unique values. Low cardinality means that the column contains a lot of “repeats” in its data range.” Techopedia. Whilst researching today, I came across a word […]
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.” J.P. Morgan. At their core, OSS and BSS are primarily about efficiency. They are tools to make the management of the following (and many more) easier and more efficient: Order entry Alarm / event management Service […]
“Many connection providers use outdated manual procedures for design, sizing, costing and build rather than embrace new technology. Few companies have so far adopted a GIS-driven (Geographic Information System) approach to design and build that allows more accurate designs more quickly and can inform other processes such as sizing, costing and overall customer service.” Davis […]
“The difference between extracting simplicity and mastering complexity is largely whether we focus on defining the right abstractions or creating new mechanisms.” Scott Shenker. The diagram below provides a slide taken from a speech by Scott Shenker on the principles behind SDN (Software Defined Networking). You can listen to the words surrounding this slide roughly […]
“Carriers could have a couple of different viewpoints [on SDN]. One is we’ve gotta do something on our equipment costs because they’re not going down as fast as traffic is going up. Others say I want to compete with the data centre operators, the cloud providers. Others say I just want greater service velocity. I […]
“The best ideas lose their owners and take on lives of their own.” N. Bushnell. In yesterday’s blog, we discussed a new product to infuse innovation more deeply within a CSP via its OSS, partly based on the concept of EMC|ONE. On the back of EMC’s work, they propose “Ron Burt’s theory of structural holes […]
“Always give more in use value than what you take in cash value.” Wallace D. Wattles. What does this mean exactly? Well, in the context of an OSS, it basically means that the CSP gets more value from their OSS than what they’ve paid a supplier / integrator for it. Given that OSS are big […]
“Scientists have been warning about global warming for decades. It’s too late to stop it now, but we can lessen its severity and impacts.” David Suzuki. We’ve all heard the stories of global warming leading to increasing occurrences of cataclysmic weather events. Further to yesterday’s blog about big data and the ever-increasing data flowing through […]
“We looked at the areas of technical and commercial risk within data access projects, and created a combination of product features and commercial policies that, as far as is possible, mitigate this risk.” Ontology website. The diagram link above shows the five principles put forward by an organisation named Ontology. It just so happens that […]
“I do all my work by storyboard, so as I draw the storyboard, the world gets more and more complex, and as a result, my North, South, East, West directions kind of shift and go off base…” Hayao Miyazaki. Does your B/OSS have the ability to track each interaction relating to a customer, through all […]
“An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success.” Stephen Covey, In yesterday’s blog, I described the importance of providing the field workforce with tools that improve the feedback of data into the OSS, thus improving data […]
“They (customers) don’t want quarter-inch bits. They want quarter-inch holes.” Leo McGinneva. As alluded to in McGinneva’s quote above, OSS are only a means to an end. A customer doesn’t want a Performance Management tool. They want to ensure their network is performing efficiently and reliably. If a better approach comes along, there might no […]
“They say “the house always wins.” And it’s true – games always favour their maker. If you’re not playing a part in designing the game you’re playing, you’re probably being played..” Dr Jason Fox. Following a recent blog entitled Gamified Learning, a friend and colleague pointed me towards the work of Dr Jason Fox, someone […]
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” Benjamin Franklin. In an earlier post, the question of using gamification as a means of learning was posed In another earlier post, knowledge bases were discussed. And in a third post, the concept of an OSS apprenticeship was proposed. In today’s post, let’s discuss a product concept […]
“In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later.” Harold S. Geneen. In the world of Telco, there are also two coins. One is technology and one is cash. Telco and OSS engineers often get wrapped up in the righteousness of technology. […]
“Heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companions slept, they were toiling upward in the night.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 110 years ago today, the Wright Brothers made the first manned flight, a well known story. Not quite so well known is the story of Samuel Langley, […]
“We don’t know where our first impressions come from or precisely what they mean, so we don’t always appreciate their fragility.” Malcolm Gladwell. They say that first impressions are lasting. Apple knows this and invests greatly in their first impressions, their packaging. I’m no great devotee of Apple, but I was certainly wowed by the […]
“The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.” Peter Drucker. In yesterday’s blog we discussed the trend of carrier’s focussing on Customer Experience Management, specifically the results of a Comarch study on mobility carriers. There are so many aspects of CEM […]
“As consumers we are incredibly discerning. We sense where has been great care in the design, and when there is cynicism and greed.” Jonathan Ive. Over the years, I’ve created interface specifications for many devices, element managers and network managers (NE/EMS/NMS). Some have been very easy to figure out. Others have been highly complex. Today, […]
“Sometimes you are in sync with the times, sometimes you are in advance, sometimes you are late.” Bernardo Bertolucci. Yesterday we spoke of the OSS of the future not having an offline database that needs to be synchronised against network assets regularly. As we all know, data synch is one of the banes of an […]
