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1.
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Introduction |
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Many telecom service
providers routinely find up to 30% of their productive assets "lost" or "stranded"
due to ineffective network management. This waste of resources persists despite
the fact that network inventory systems were supposed to eliminate it five years
ago.
The problem is that the size and complexity of network inventory systems, along
with the cost and business disruption associated with their implementation, have
limited their success in delivering the benefits they promised. Their success is
limited to the parts of the network that are evolving least rapidly, as these are
the network portions that can be addressed without performing a major consulting
exercise.
The solution to this problem is software that is low-cost, effective, and that can
either operate as a stand-alone for the entire network or meet specific needs within
a carrier's overall network inventory OSS structure.
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2.
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Enterprise IT Infrastructure |
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In the past, the Enterprise
IT environment faced problems similar to the telecom industry. For decades, Enterprise
IT was the province of large applications run on mainframes, supported by legions
of staff both at the enterprise and at software/hardware vendors. While specific
applications were run on the mainframe, large masses of work were being performed
with no computing assistance at all.
In order to implement a new system, an enterprise had to secure a budget allocation,
run an RFP, and then undergo an implementation phase where a "herd of systems analysts"
would almost turn the business upside down. After this laborious two-year process,
the enterprise might or might not have a system that actually worked.
This drain on resources was alleviated by the arrival of the PC, and shortly thereafter
Microsoft Excel and other systems. While these systems did not drive mainframe applications
to extinction, they have caused a massive shift of computing tasks to the individual
user's desktop, which in turn has yielded a large productivity gain for enterprises.
The low cost, ease of use, and effectiveness of these applications have been the
key factors that fueled their spread and led them to become a de facto standard.
As they became more sophisticated, data was moved back and forth between desktop
systems and the remaining large applications.
The same process will soon apply to the network inventory field.
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3.
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Telecom OSS Infrastructure |
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There are strong parallels
between the 1970s era in IT and the current state of play in OSS. The industry searches
for a "God-system" that will solve all of the ills in the OSS environment. However,
just as large systems did not solve the challenges facing IT enterprises 35 years
ago, large OSS systems - specifically large Network Inventory systems - will not
solve telecom service providers' ills today.
When a telecom carrier starts the process of implementing a major new Network Inventory
system, it embarks on a three-year journey. It must spend time investigating alternative
vendors' products, running an RFP process, selecting a winner, negotiating a contract,
and finally having a "herd of systems analysts" almost turn the business upside
down during an implementation phase. If something major changes in the business
along the way, this leaves the firm vulnerable. How can the business be run while
its staff are waiting for the "big system" to be turned on?
Fortunately, new developments in network inventory software are making it possible
to complete this entire process in a matter of days or weeks instead of years. Instead
of hiring costly consultants, a business can now utilize the abilities of the people
that know their network the best - their own staff who built the network and operate
it. Telecom providers can now harvest three years of benefits from a network industry
system, without having to spend a preposterous amount of money on an end-to-end
process.
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4.
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ROME READER™ |
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ROME READER™ is the
latest product from Arkipelago, a company that has been selling network inventory
systems for over a decade to customers ranging from the largest telecom providers
on Earth to small regional operators. They have developed the ROME READER™ as a
simple yet effective way to improve network inventory management.
The ROME READER™ eliminates the unnecessary complexity of typical network inventory
systems by taking Occam's maxim that "the simplest explanation is the best one"
and applying it to Network Inventory. Through a new website (www.romereader.com),
users can download a read-only version of the ROME™ company's ROME? software
- for FREE.
In addition to the software itself, registered users of the website can download
devices from its online library, as well as use the website to store and share equipment
configuration files (config files) and the granular files (rep files) that are combined
to create a configuration file.
Access to the device library and configuration files enables businesses to quickly
build models of the equipment in a network, removing a major hurdle to the rapid
implementation of any network inventory system. With a download of ROME READER™
and suitable config files, a working model of a network can be built fast, and
for free. |
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5.
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What's the Catch? |
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Arkipelago considers
now to be the time for the telecom industry to evolve to the next level of network
inventory management. When service provider staff see how easy it is to create a
simple model of a network using ROME READER™ tools, Arkipelago expects that they
will be eager to buy ROME™, the full featured version of its product. The use of
the new website to spread ROME READER™ takes advantage of the Internet to distribute
the tool to a global audience.
As ROME™ and ROME READER™ are fully compatible, the online device library and configuration
files will also allow a ROME™ user to model their network rapidly, without having
to wait for a consultant. This approach combines the ease of use, low entry cost,
and ubiquity that have enabled Microsoft Excel to become a de facto standard in
any industry.
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6.
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Where can ROME™ and
ROME READER™ be used? |
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These products can
be used anywhere that a telecom service provider has a network. They are able to
meet the requirements of any network technology, combination of technologies, or
combination of vendors. Size does not matter - these tools can be applied to both
large and small networks.
ROME™ and ROME READER™ can also be used to expand the reach of large centralized
systems. If a telecom service provider needs to build a new network or network segment
quickly, the communications capability of ROME™ and ROME READER™ can be used to
ensure that the network assets are controlled from Day 1. Since these products work
in conjunction with the larger systems, the service provider has a complete view
of the total network. It is no longer necessary to wait for a software vendor's
staff to visit and "help" build out the network inventory.
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7.
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Conclusion |
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Just as desktop tools
such as Excel increased business efficiency by quickly performing tasks that had
previously been done manually or on mainframes, veteran Network Inventory specialist
Arkipelago holds that its ROME READER™ and ROME™ products will provide the telecom
industry with a low-cost, easy-to-use, and ubiquitous way to dramatically improve
their network inventory systems. Arkipelago's tools can be used by any carrier either
as a complete network inventory OSS system, or in conjunction with another vendor's
system to address rapidly changing network segments. The payoffs to the service
provider are attractive - full control over the network, rapid deployment, low cost,
and a decade of proven use in service globally. |
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Download White Paper:
NextGenOss.pdf |
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