Supercharge AI operations by breaking inventory silos
Managing dynamic new technologies like 5G with co-existing physical, virtual and cloud functions demands a reliable, rich inventory solution offering a single source of truth to empower automation and AI operations.
The evolution of CSPs driven by mergers and acquisitions as well as organic growth, has resulted in a complex and fragmented IT and network infrastructure. This is where removal of data silos becomes critical to enable CSPs to implement AI operations and monetize their investments in new networks.
Our industry is undergoing a significant transformation in the way networks are built and services are sold. For communications & media service providers (CSPs), whose networks are constantly evolving, this creates the need to proactively respond to these continuous changes. These organizations are now embracing the transition towards software-defined networks, virtualization and cloudification. Such advancements involve deployments across the edge and core, presenting an abundance of opportunities to introduce capabilities that enable the creation of unique and differentiated services.
But like any gradual process, it demands careful planning to ensure coexistence with existing networks. Since new network deployments will not be isolated from the current network landscape, they will need to coexist within the prevailing infrastructure – at least in the short and medium term. This involves sharing dependencies and maintaining a high level of integration between the new and existing networks.
But like any gradual process, it demands careful planning to ensure coexistence with existing networks. Since new network deployments will not be isolated from the current network landscape, they will need to coexist within the prevailing infrastructure – at least in the short and medium term. This involves sharing dependencies and maintaining a high level of integration between the new and existing networks.
Multiply operational capacity with AI
For operations teams, the deployment of cloud-native, disaggregated and virtualized networks spread across the edge and core creates a host of challenges. To effectively manage this complex hybrid network, sustain profitability and maintain existing operational capacity, automation is key. By leveraging AI/ML-driven automated actions to deliver and maintain service intent, CSP teams can effectively multiply their virtual operational capacity, leading to enhanced efficiency, improved customer experiences and increased profitability.
Yet for AI-triggered actions to be truly effective, it also requires comprehensive and accurate network and service data access. Inventory, which is situated at the heart of operations, fulfils this role, managing the lifecycle of both the network, as well as service data that is needed to fuel automation.
De-siloing inventory
Inventory has been impacted by the evolution of CSPs, which over time, in addition to organic growth, has been driven by mergers, acquisitions and spin-offs, resulting in a complex and fragmented IT and network infrastructure landscape. This is where removal of data silos becomes critical, enabling these organizations to implement AI operations and monetize their new network investments.
Yet given the different starting points of each individual CSP, it’s important to take a flexible approach to achieving this objective – especially in the current environment where there is hesitancy regarding complex data migration and inventory consolidation projects. Overall, an evolutionary approach should be preferred over a revolutionary one, as it allows for gradual adaptation and minimized disruptions.
Tailoring the journey
Service providers should consider future-proof inventory solutions that provide a blend of capabilities to support current and future networks. These include the ability to track and provide end-to-end visibility – including any inter-relationships across multiple domains and layers, bringing data from multiple data sources if required and exposing it through a common data structure.
Acquiring such capabilities will enable them to adopt a combination of the following approaches to meet their specific business needs:
- Federation over existing inventories, providing end-to-end visibility while deferring or avoiding risky data migrations
- Modernizationof legacy inventories, increasing business agility and supporting new technologies with cloud-era capabilities
- Expansion with a new inventory, supporting efficiently the dynamicity of new networks and services
An inventory for the 5G and cloud-era
Managing software-defined, programmable networks like 5G presents new operational challenges, especially in handling the coexistence of physical, virtual and cloud network functions, which together, support existing and new services. Addressing these effectively demands a reliable, rich inventory solution that empowers automation and AI operations to unlock new revenue streams and enhance customer experiences. With its advanced architecture to support any network, cloud and service,Amdocs Network Inventory fills this gap by simplifying and de-risking transformation journeys. This includes providing the awareness to automate operations across existing and future networks, while seamlessly providing end-to-end visibility via a centralized, single pane of glass.
Furthermore, by simplifying integrations with network and IT, it enables CSPs to reduce ownership costs. This is achieved through standards-aligned APIs defined by bodies such as TM Forum, 3GPP, ETSI, MEF and The Linux Foundation. Additionally, cloud deployment support facilitates the implementation of CI/CD practices, boosting agility and enabling faster support for new networks and services, ultimately reducing time to market. These capabilities are strengthened further by Amdocs’ delivery track record of over 100 successful inventory projects worldwide over more than two decades.
As leading CSPs have discovered, technology alone is not sufficient to break down silos. Rather, the crucial edge lies in partnering with an organization who can leverage deep industry domain knowledge and experience to enable new and existing technologies to exist side-by-side, while accounting for all inter-dependencies.
Learn more about Amdocs Network Inventory.
