How to adopt cloud-native OSS/BSS solutions

Rising customer expectations are driving Communication Service Providers (CSPs) to improve and transform their entire service delivery model. Customers expect personalized experiences spread across various channels.

That prompts CSPs to bolster management infrastructure in three core areas – network services management, operations support systems (OSS), and business support systems (BSS). Despite being essential management systems for networks and telecoms, the current OSS and BSS are increasingly becoming outmatched.

The OSS and BSS systems cover multiple functions, including CRM, Order management, billing, provisioning, network operations, customer service system, and more. These OSS and BSS systems are rigid, isolated, and require esoteric skills that call for widespread human involvement. They’re poorly equipped to handle the changing standards and business relationships of the new telecom era.

Evolving Consumer Needs

The new era calls for CPS to adopt agile OSS/BSS solutions with customer management and exceptional service layer architecture. Agile and dynamic solutions allow operators to offer custom solutions that deliver a personalized customer experience. By modernizing these systems, the CSPs address the evolving market needs, including scaling ability, agility, innovation, and service velocity.

Migrating to cloud-native OSS/BSS builds a solid foundation for a successful modernization process. It allows CSPs to overcome current pressing challenges, including:

• Slow launch of new services
• Limited automation
• Service differentiation
• Service velocity

Cloud-native in this context refers to OSS/BSS systems that are built to run and harness the advantages of cloud computing. Cloud-native solutions are split into function blocks. These blocks run as microservices in containers on a dynamic infrastructure with continuous delivery workflows and agile processes.

Cloud-native applications running within containers are configured with everything they need to run efficiently in various computing environments. The containers separate and isolate the processes to create independent units that run in any environment.

Modernizing OSS and BSS systems comes with 3 main requirements:

• Cloud-native software coupled with DevOps and CI/CD
• Integration architecture
• OSS and BSS AI, analytics, and automation

Learn more about Symphonica, Intraway’s innovative cloud-native no-code platform that will modernize and streamline your operation.

A Gradual Process

The process of modernizing the OSS and BSS systems should be gradual. Trying to undertake the transformation at scale is unlikely to succeed and could result in business interruption. Typically, a network operator should start automating discrete business processes with a clear definition.

Since the OSS/BSS platforms are self-contained, they can allow CSPs to bundle their services to benefit from their unique requirements. Standard requirements include services such as voice, messaging, data, video, and hosting. Network operators may need to deliver and support these services in multiple locations such as work and home and in transit.

Such an approach guarantees results by enabling quick optimization without service interruption. It also allows operators to prove the new technology while letting employees operate in a microservice environment. API management wrappers can help network operators to enhance and containerize old systems. That results in minimal disruptions while improving scalability, reliability and reducing operational costs.

You should add new capabilities as containerized services nestled in a cloud architecture. After adding a diverse set of microservices, you should then reconfigure the management domains. Merging separate domains into a rationalized cross-domain environment optimizes the network for automation. It also ensures that you don’t duplicate your organizational structure.

Sweeping Organizational Changes

Migrating to microservices is not an isolated occurrence and, therefore, should be accompanied by sweeping changes. Building microservices amounts to creating a distributed system. Careful organizational changes underpin successful adoption. Most operators have successfully migrated front-end systems such as mobile apps, chatbots, and websites. Their end goal is to create an IT ecosystem that allows them to move their core operations to the cloud.

To reap maximum benefits of a distributed microservice environment, CSPs should:

• Adopt DevOps principles
• Incentivize collaboration
• Prioritize organizational capabilities that support continuous development
• Continuously test their operation
• Offer continuous delivery

Moving monolithic OSS and BSS systems to the cloud is an excellent way to future-proof a telecommunications company. Cloud-native OSS/BSS running on micro applications makes for an agile and dynamic telco. It creates room for innovation while allowing personalized customer experiences resulting in higher revenue and improved customer retention.

Migrating to a cloud-native OSS and BSS environment is a gradual process, but the benefits offer excellent ROI. Gradual adoption leaves CSPs operating in a hybrid environment to avoid service disruption before migrating full functionality to the cloud.

Learn more about Symphonica, Intraway’s innovative cloud-native no-code platform that will modernize and streamline your operation.