Inventory Management

Telecom players’ world-wide are moving towards high capacity next generation and shared radio access networks that promise significant revenue opportunities and differentiation. Key to sustaining profitability is the ability to consistently offer services in this perpetually dynamic and evolving environment. A critical factor in managing several networks in parallel is to enable better overall capacity management, in addition to improving process automation, data quality measurements and enabling faster rollouts and smooth migration of networks towards next generation technologies.

Challenges

• Complex architecture mandating multiple vendors
• No common model to represent resources and services
• Inaccurate network inventory after introduction of commercial products
• Disparate inventory systems with no common data model
• Lack of mechanisms and tools to measure data quality
• Ineffective framework to manage the complete data integrity process (Discovery, Sync, data quality KPI’s/reports)
• Error-prone manual processes leading to delays
• Inadequate management of network capacity
• Incumbent platform nearing end of life, requiring platform upgrades
• Inability to adapt competitively to newer technologies like 4G, IPv6, multi-operator RANs

Aricent’s innovative approach

Aricent believes that inventory management cannot be an isolated function. Our solution is based on a set of industry best practices that track the entire network reconciliation process. This is to ensure that at any given time, the data in the inventory system is in sync with the real network, while allowing for a smooth migration in related areas.

This transformational result is made possible by -

• Delivery of OSS transformation and related business change management based on the OSS Platform and industry best practice that is right for you
• Better capacity management and CoS management supporting next generation network evolution
• Provide very high levels of data integrity (especially transmission) including data governance processes/ reporting
• Reduce complexity and staying innovative by leveraging OOB technology packs
• Upgrade to allow introduction of extension points for the future, e.g. service provisioning
• Address organizational mis-alignments and connect individual business teams across IT, OSS, Transmission, Finance, Business, Operations and 3rd party suppliers etc.

Capabilities

• Seasoned inventory architects with experience across multiple international customers and best-in-class products
• Deep knowledge of network technologies
• SOA compliant inventory integration with external OSS / BSS Systems
• Innovative custom UI solutions well-aligned to customer business processes, providing productive alternatives to OOB Inventory product GUIs

Why Aricent

• Innovation well beyond our competitors
• Thought leadership and professional services to leading carriers like Vodafone and AT&T
• Improved service quality and asset utilization through improved capacity and CoS management
• Ability to federate various instances of inventory (Cramer / Granite & other products)
• The first true Service Oriented Architecture implementation of Cramer
• Custom alternatives to Amdocs OOB for data integrity management
• Custom task oriented interfaces improving productivity by over 20 times
• Automated custom reconciliation framework that allows complex network reorganization in hours improving process efficiency by over 30 times
• Data quality measurement & KPI reporting solution for improving inventory data quality

Key Benefits

Benefits to Customers – Operational

• Process automation, effective provision cycles and optimum utilization of network resources
• Scalable data integrity framework using leading inventory products
• Improved data quality measurement and KPI Reporting Solutions
• Optimal operations support – dedicated offshore support for Inventory instances via dedicated VPN access
• Improve capacity management, COS management functionality, asset management and transmission
• Prevent removal of circuits without process control – e.g. prohibit removal of a leased facility without ceasing the lease
• Web-GUIs designed to enforce business processes

Benefits to Customers - Financial

• Demonstrated ROI and NPV
• Optimal offshore based support via remote VPN leads to quantified savings
• Increased savings through efficient ordering and fulfillment with wholesale suppliers
• New service models and processes for ordering and fulfillment, e.g. a bespoke process that helps reconciliation across workflow system, Inventory (Cramer), Finance (Finance Database) and transmission ordering.
• Demonstrated ROI in more than one area e.g. revenue leakage
• Comprehensive finance-reporting functionality