Page 388 - Handbook of Modern Telecommunications

Network Management and Administration 3-179

• Analyst: Provides query, analysis, and reporting functions on network data used for executive
reports and for sales and marketing operations. Data may support high-level decisions on net-
work development in certain geographical areas.
• Integration Assistant: Used to make the network engineering database available for external,
higher-level provisioning functions or other inventories.

The fulfillment function is centered on the Granite technical inventory product, which offers a com-
prehensive view of central physical assets and the services implemented over them. This is also the basis
for the automated design and implementation of new services (see below). As might be expected, Granite
also offers data partitioning for access control and a federated mode of operation wherein authoritative
inventory data is not stored locally, but is rather imported on the fly from other systems. Furthermore,
optional Granite inventory modules provide:

• Network discovery and reconciliation with inventory
• Automation for repetitive tasks such as adding new equipment, configuring new services, and
so forth
• Activation, that is, comprehensive implementation of new services that may include configura-
tion of both the transport and circuit layers
• AutoRouter, which locates and scores alternative data routes across the network
• Number pool and IP address management (Range Manager and IPAM)
• Simple work order and task management functions (Works)
• View and query functions for analyzing data (e.g., Web Toolkit and View)
• Web-service wrapper product (Assign and Design WS) that provides access to inventory func-
tions for service-oriented architecture (SOA)-style integrations and clients (e.g., Business Process
Execution Language [BPEL] business processes)
• Exception manager that helps resolve failed automatic service implementations
Other core products related to fulfillment are Expediter, an order manager that includes an order
entry module, and product catalog, which stores blueprints of marketed products and services. The
Customer Number Manager is used for assigning new addresses or numbers during the processing of
orders for new services.
The service delivery function is built around the Telcordia Converged Application Server, an IMS-
style service delivery platform that can host both wireline and wireless services, meaning that services
can typically be managed and customized by users themselves.
One readily available application is Real-Time Charging, a rating solution designed for sophisticated
packages and products that also includes prepaid services and fixed-mobile-cable converged packages.
Real-Time Charging is a key enabler for adding new products, such as location-based services or music
and video downloads, to an operator’s portfolio.
Real-Time Policy can be used for implementing customer-centric controls such as charge control,
content filtering, and parental or corporate control. Usage-based service limitation is another possible
application aimed at protecting provider revenue by disabling fraud or excessive use.
Telcordia is also offering the above functionality as a hosted application service for Managed Virtual
Network Operators (MVNOs).
Solutions for the service management function focus on maximizing service levels through proactive
monitoring and immediate action.
The Service Director product helps operators define and measure customer service-level agreements
(SLAs), and by monitoring SLAs it can generate trend-based preemptive or proactive alarms and thus
trigger timely responses. The product can also be used for SLA reporting for customers and service qual-
ity management (SQM) reporting for internal organizations. Analyses and reports can correlate fault,
performance, and customer-originated trouble-ticket data.