Transforming OSS Economics
As networks and services have evolved, service provider environments have become highly complex islands of technology infrastructure from multiple vendors, each with its own management and operational system. This complexity makes it hard for service providers to stay ahead in today's intensely competitive markets. At the heart of the issue is the integration and cost of the operations support system (OSS) that controls hundreds and thousands of network elements and services economically and effectively.
The OSS is the critical mechanism for turning network investments into revenue. Yet most OSS applications have been built for a single purpose, inevitably creating a collection of highly fragmented and inefficient OSS applications. This operational fragmentation is a serious drag on service providers' ability to roll out new network technologies and dynamically deploy end-user services rapidly and cost-effectively.
Solving the challenge demands a complete redefinition of the OSS. Cisco and Nokia Siemens Networks are collaborating to create an open network management platform that will enable all OSS application developers to add greater value for service providers through integrated and collaborative network management solutions. The platform will make interoperability across the entire network a straightforward proposition. Service providers will be able to launch new services more rapidly with lower deployment and operational costs. Users will be able to take advantage of exciting new services that are up-to-date, affordable, and reliable.
Third-Party Reaction
- British Telecom
"It is not often that we see such powerful strategic innovation in an area so desperate for a new approach," said George Nazi, Vice President of Global Engineering, British Telecom. "While often downplayed, the OSS is the critical engine for our ability to leverage our network investment to meet the demands of consumers and business for new services, new technologies, and new ways of doing business. Providing a common view of the physical and virtual network across all technologies and building a foundation for other vendors will complement British Telecom's software driven network strategy to deliver superior customer experiences."
- Amdocs
"Building linkages between Amdocs' industry-leading OSS applications and the core network and network devices has always been one of the most labor- intensive parts of our many deployments," said Guy Dubois, President, Cramer Division, Amdocs. "The collaboration between Cisco and Nokia Siemens Networks promises to dramatically reduce the effort required and will free resources that can be better applied to deliver more value to our customers. This collaboration will allow service providers to deliver the highest- quality services more quickly and at even lower cost."
- IBM
"IBM is dedicated to helping service providers and network solution providers transform their ability to deliver next-generation services in a converging and highly competitive world," said Alan Ganek, CTO Tivoli Software and VP Autonomic Computing within IBM Corporation. "Today's announcement represents a highly differentiated new technology. IBM is focused on being interoperable with new technologies that promise to help more easily manage network assets, reduce complexity, and add flexibility for users. IBM is committed to delivering carrier grade software solutions that meet today's needs and provide a safe migration path to new technologies like ANA."
- CA
At CA, our focus is on unifying and simplifying the management of today's complex communications infrastructures across networks, systems, applications, security, and storage," said Venu Venugopal, Vice President, Solutions Marketing for Communications, Media and Entertainment, CA. "Our advanced event correlation, root-cause analysis, and performance monitoring software enables many of the world's largest service providers to predict problems before they impact customer service, quickly resolve them when they occur, and ensure compliance with service level agreements. As a long-time Cisco partner, CA sees this latest standards-based initiative as a way to simplify the currently complex interfaces between advanced management software like ours and the underlying hardware infrastructure."
- BMC Software
Service Management (BSM) strategy is helping IT organizations deliver a better return on their technology investments while directly aligning IT resources with the needs of the business," said Tom Bishop, Chief Technology Officer for BMC Software. "Networks are becoming both more complex and costly to operate, as well as a critical IT resource whose management needs to be tightly integrated into a larger BSM approach. Cisco and Nokia-Siemens Networks are taking a leadership position in providing a vendor-neutral platform for managing the critical network elements of an IT environment. The results should make it easier for our customers to operate their networks more cheaply and with greater business alignment."
- Opsware
A joint effort between Cisco and Nokia Siemens Networks on a network management platform is exactly what the industry needs and will clearly benefit Opsware and our customers," said Tim Howes, Chief Technology Officer at Opsware Inc. "We have been pleased with what we have seen so far of the technology architecture. We are working with Cisco to ensure our products will be able to leverage the platform when it is delivered. We are excited about the opportunities this combination will bring to us and the benefits it will bring to customers."
- Tech Mahindra
Tech Mahindra is looking forward to working with Cisco and Nokia Siemens Networks to focus on one of the critical shortcomings in the telecommunications infrastructure ---having a standard, flexible, and vendor agnostic way of harnessing network resources," said Sanjay Kalra, President of Tech Mahindra. "Our business success is tied to helping service providers make and manage market transitions (and not just doing the plumbing). We see this collaboration as a key way for us to develop even stronger, more profitable, value-add relationships with our clients."
Recent Announcements
Cisco and IBM Expand Alliance to Centralize Service Management for Service Providers
New Solutions Will Combine Cisco Network Management Platform with IBM Tivoli Software for Service Assurance and Fault Management.
Learn More
Cisco Nokia Siemens OSS Partnership
Cisco is transforming OSS economics by pioneering an interoperable and synergistic architecture that delivers open, vendor-extensible, next-generation network management solutions based on industry standards.
Read More
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