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The Basics of OSSs
The Basics of OSSs
A good way to begin understanding OSSs is to familiarize yourself with the fundamental systems involved in the typical ordering and service fulfilment process for any next-generation service providers including voice, data, and Internet protocol (IP) related products and services.
The process flow from placing an order for service to activating that service on the network leads through workflow, ordering, inventory, circuit design/engineering, provisioning, and activation systems.
Workflow Engine
An effective workflow engine is typically the nucleus of an integrated OSS solution. The workflow engine helps the service provider organize and manage the flow of information between the OSS and the service provider’s workforce (employees) and even between disparate systems as appropriate. The workflow engine organizes business processes into task flows and their related subtasks, enabling the service provider to manually or automatically complete tasks as needed. Some OSS vendors package workflow engines as part of an integrated system, whereas other vendors specialize in workflow. Workflow systems may be designed specifically for the communications industry, whereas other workflow systems are general information technology products that can function in any environment from communications to financial services to manufacturing. The purpose of a workflow engine is to manage business processes and task completion between systems and an organization’s workforce; the more effectively the workflow engine addresses the needs of its user, the greater the potential gain in productivity for the workflow engine and, as a result, the user.
Ordering
The ordering system is a key element of any service provider’s business. Ordering is where the service provider enters and manages much of the information necessary for providing service. The provider can keep track of customers and manage relationships with suppliers and trading partners as well. The products and services that need to be supported include wholesale and retail local and long-distance services that may range from basic, residential plain old telephone service (POTS) lines to complex services such as channelized, high-capacity T-1s carrying voice and data traffic, integrated services digital network (ISDN), digital subscriber line (DSL), virtual private networks (VPNs), and more. Next-generation ordering systems typically feature an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI), which helps customer-service representatives complete orders more quickly and accurately and can even provide the capability for customers to place their own orders via Web interfaces. Some ordering systems also automate some of the data entry that is common to the types of products and services a provider offers, further reducing the time to enter an order. Ordering systems also perform a certain amount of error checking to notify users when required data has been omitted or invalid data has been entered; this functionality helps maintain overall process integrity and helps prevent incorrect/incomplete orders, which can be both costly and time-consuming.
Once an order is entered, the system generates tasks that support the process of completing service activation on the network. The ordering system passes these tasks on to other systems, such as the workflow engine, which update the ordering system as each appropriate task is completed. This processing power gives the service provider an up-to-date status report for each service order. The workflow engine generally manages task flows, ensuring that each system performs its specified function in the proper sequence and within established time parameters.
Inventory
Service providers need an inventory system to manage information about the facilities and equipment within their network. When an order is placed, other parts of the OSS, such as ordering, network design, and provisioning, must be able to communicate with the inventory system to determine whether or not the requested service can be supplied. The inventory system lets the service provider know if the proper equipment is in place or if new equipment must be installed. Inventory systems also lets the service provider know if the proper facility circuits, such as the high-capacity circuits that provide backbone transport, are already assigned, or if they need to be configured. More sophisticated next-generation OSSs also enable the service provider to manage ownership of inventory, identifying inventory that the provider owns and leases ("on-net" and "off-net"). By maintaining a clear view of on-net and off-net inventory, service providers can maximize their return on investment (ROI) in network resources.
Engineering and Provisioning
Engineering and provisioning systems enable service providers to manage, track, and assign the equipment and circuits in their physical network. These systems include network design and circuit design capabilities. Often referred to as "design and assign," these systems specify the network routes and network resources to be utilized in fulfilling the service requirements for an order.
Many next-generation engineering and provisioning systems incorporate graphical tools that allow the service provider to create services on a network map with point-and-click capabilities rather than either drawing maps manually or relying on an abstract set of equipment identifiers. State-of-the-art OSSs provide even more advanced functionality, such as the ability to overlay engineering and provisioning information on top of maps that follow intuitive topologies, such as physical geography (mountains and rivers), city, county, state, and province boundaries, and more. Some next-generation OSSs also feature capabilities that enable service providers to automatically design circuits based upon a predefined set of priorities.
Element Management and Activation and Field Service ManagementOnce services have been ordered, engineered, and provisioned (or designed and assigned), the services are activated, or turned up, on the network. Activation requires several steps. If new equipment/lines must be installed or configured manually, a field service/management system must be notified so that technicians can be dispatched to make the proper physical assignments. Field service systems must notify the technician of the service being installed as well as the specific equipment involved and where it is located. For example, services provided to a large office complex must be associated with a building, floor, network, closet, and perhaps a certain equipment rack within that closet.
Some aspects of the activation process can be performed automatically. Next-generation OSSs enable service providers to achieve flow-through ordering, provisioning, and activation, sharing information between systems to order, design, and assign the proper facilities and equipment and issue the appropriate commands to an activation system. The activation system then automatically activates service on the proper network elements (network hardware, such as a switch, multiplexer, or cross-connect system).
Many of today's network elements are designed with an intelligent element manager that can receive and execute commands sent by activation systems. Element managers also can feed equipment status data back to upstream systems for network and trouble management functions. Element managers use protocols such as common management information protocol (CMIP), transaction language 1 (TL1), or simple network management protocol (SNMP) for traditional data equipment to communicate with activation and other systems. In this manner, an activation system often acts as a manager of managers, overseeing and communicating with various element managers and equipment types.
Network and Trouble ManagementOSS functionality does not end at service activation. Two critical elements of any OSS are network and trouble management systems.
Network management systems are responsible for the overall supervision of a network, utilizing protocols such as SNMP and CMIP to communicate with network elements. They monitor traffic traversing the network and collect statistics regarding performance. They also are responsible for spotting trouble on a network and identifying the source of the problem. Network management systems are the heart of a network operations centre (NOC). NOCs are often typified by the graphical network displays projected on large screens on their walls.
Network elements are designed to provide varying levels of self-diagnosis. Newer network elements feature intelligent functionality that is designed to provide more precise trouble information. A problem in a network, such as damage to a fibre-optic line or switch failure, can result in a chain reaction, causing many network elements along one or more paths to produce alarms. Network management systems are generally designed to correlate these alarms to locate the source of a problem.
Once the system identifies trouble, it passes information on to a trouble management system that logs the problem and issues a trouble ticket to begin the repair process. Some network elements have enough intelligent routing capability built in to automatically reroute network traffic around problem areas. Where this is not the case, trouble spots must be identified to allow human operators to reroute traffic. A trouble management system in an integrated OSS environment can send commands to the appropriate systems, such as field service management, to dispatch technicians who physically repair equipment. Next-generation OSSs enable service providers to define diversity requirements within the engineering (network design) process to automatically identify alternative network routes that can be accessed and utilized when problems arise.
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