Page 465 - Handbook of Modern Telecommunications

3-256 CRC Handbook of Modern Telecommunications, Second Edition

HP has developed a tool, called the HP Process Framework. The Process Framework is a tool that
brings together operational processes, information models, applications, and application interfaces.
By incorporating standards like eTOM and ITIL with HP best practices into its multidimensional
object modeling techniques, it is possible to define and model processes, and the information flowing
in the processes, from the highest level all the way to the interfaces to the applications that imple-
ment them.
3.10.5.1.3.3 Develop The develop step used to include a lot of custom development of bespoke appli-
cations. While this allows the exact desired functionality to be implemented, in most cases this is not a
cost-effective approach. Even if the development does not introduce significant costs, the maintenance
and support of the applications can quickly become prohibitive.
These days, the develop step does not refer to developing new applications through coding but rather
developing the complete system by configuring and customizing off-the-shelf applications.
A significant effort during the development step is to integrate different applications. Two approaches
can be taken to minimize this step. The first is to insist that all applications come from a single vendor
already integrated. While this may provide some short-term cost reduction for greenfield environments,
this approach does not work when there are legacy applications present, nor does it provide future flex-
ibility. Rather, a better approach is to use standardized interfaces between applications, such as those
defined by OSS/J or the TeleManagement Forum Interface Program (TIP). HP has successfully used this
approach to reduce integration costs by 40 to 50%.
Since the complete system is more than the technology, the development step also needs to take into
account the full specification of any new processes that need to be specified.

3.10.5.1.3.4 Deploy The deployment step takes the solution and rolls it out into production. The tech-
nology aspects of deployment are generally well understood. What is not always remembered is that the
system includes not just the technology, but also the people and processes. The deployment needs to also
include deploying the new processes and, even more importantly, training the people involved in both
the new technology and the new processes.
In those cases where the transformation to an NGOSS can include changes to organizational struc-
tures, deployment also needs to include management of change: helping the people change from one set
of organizations, roles, and responsibilities to a new one.
3.10.5.1.3.5 Operate Finally, once the system is deployed, it needs to be operated. For an OSS, there are
two aspects to this. First, there is “operate” from the perspective of the services and infrastructure that
the OSS is monitoring. From this perspective, operate means being involved in the OSS aspects three
lifecycles. This is the responsibility of the operations department.
The other way to look at “operate” is from the perspective of the OSS itself. Somebody needs to make
sure the systems that make up the OSS are up and running, performing as needed, and maintained.
While this is sometimes done by the operations department, it can also be done by the IT department
or even outsourced. From this perspective, the OSS systems are no different from any other internal
business-critical system.
3.10.5.2 The Applications
While a discussion of the applications comes last so that we can keep them subservient to the business
requirements, the OSS is a system with a heavy technology component, making the right selection of
applications critical.

3.10.5.2.1 Telecom vs. IT applications
As with many things, when selecting OSS applications, there are extremes to avoid. One set of extremes
is between specialized telecom applications and regular IT applications. In the past, the choice was
obvious—regular IT applications were not adequate to the task, requiring telecom-specific applications.