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Network vs IT role in Digital Transformation.

  • 1.  Network vs IT role in Digital Transformation.

    TM Forum Member
    Posted Oct 13, 2020 00:31
    Just wanted to know the opinion are there are a lot experienced people here and I am new to the forum !

    As I was browsing this article of TM forum ,  which is from 2017, it says that 

    "digital transformation is typically more closely associated with the IT organization than the network division"

    Can network transformation pave the way? - TM Forum Inform

    So my questions:
    1. What is network role in the digital transformation ? is it just network transformation to support digital transformation. But network transformation brings new systems which takes me to question 2.
    2. IT has been traditionally responsible for OSS/BSS systems. In the light of new services in networks ( for example network slicing in 5G or designing new innovative network services )  that need service orchestration/automation , is  IT  skilled enough to run systems like theses that need network knowledge also ? if not, who should own and run these systems within a CSP environment ?

    thanks ,




    #OpenDigitalArchitecture
    #General

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    Faisal
    Etihad Etisalat Mobily
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  • 2.  RE: Network vs IT role in Digital Transformation.

    Posted Oct 14, 2020 03:32
    Very interesting question Faisal. I would say neither leads on digital transformation. This is led by sales, marketing and product management. IT and network "just" need to make it happen. Question 2 raises the issue that within many telcos, purchasing decisions that previously fell to IT, such as charging, are now being made by network heads. The CIO office, if separate, is becoming more subordinate to the CTO office. If IT systems move increasingly to public cloud the CIO role will diminish further. Or perhaps they can use their spare time to add more value to S&M and save the telco industry from commoditisation after all.

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    James Crawshaw
    Omdia
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  • 3.  RE: Network vs IT role in Digital Transformation.

    TM Forum Member
    Posted Oct 15, 2020 07:57
    Thanks James, I agree with your thoughts that neither leads them. However my question was in terms of infrastructure, who owns and operationalize it , network or IT ? and if the answer is both, then what is the demarcation line between the two ?

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    Faisal khan
    Etihad Etisalat Mobily
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  • 4.  RE: Network vs IT role in Digital Transformation.

    Posted Oct 15, 2020 08:30
    The network team owns and operationalizes the network infrastructure. IT has enough on its plate with websites, CRM, order management, fulfillment, etc. 

    Fulfillment is the demarcation point I think. Service order is handed over to an orchestrator that deconstructs it and sets up the necessary network config.

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    James Crawshaw
    Omdia
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  • 5.  RE: Network vs IT role in Digital Transformation.

    TM Forum Member
    Posted Oct 15, 2020 08:42
    Hi James, thanks ! you said that  the Fulfillment is the demarcation point. Just to clarify that you are saying that fulfillment/service orchestration belongs to IT ?

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    Faisal khan
    Etihad Etisalat Mobily
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  • 6.  RE: Network vs IT role in Digital Transformation.

    Posted Oct 15, 2020 08:52
    Because it is the demarc point ownership will differ by operator, geography, line of business, etc. That is why the CTIO office concept took off. Though in practice everyone still operates in silos and tribes. If you want to know how it should be done ask Rakuten Mobile. They have started with a clean slate.

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    James Crawshaw
    Omdia
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  • 7.  RE: Network vs IT role in Digital Transformation.

    TM Forum Member
    Posted Oct 15, 2020 08:53
    I agree with James that IT should focus on customer and commercial stuff.  They need to decompose from Product to Service and pass the service order to the Network so the network orchestration level does the service to resource decomposition. This then allows for the network to be more agile and change things without impact to the IT systems. 

    Regards.... Johanne

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    Johanne Mayer
    MayerConsult Inc
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  • 8.  RE: Network vs IT role in Digital Transformation.

    TM Forum Member
    Posted Oct 14, 2020 10:53
    Hi Faisal, 

       People and organisations will use terminology the way they see it fit for their purposes. I would say that te latest Digital transformation has been associated with CSP's transforming their BSS in order to deal more with digital input.  Network as a Service (NaaS) Transformation has focused on the network domains to expose their capabilities as Network as a Services towards BSS/OSS via technology agnostic APIs (i.e. TMF Open APIs). You can look at the TMF909 NaaS API Component Suite for more information as well as the new IG1224 NaaS Service Fulfillment guidelines that provides best practices for the network engineering teams on exposing their network capabilities as NaaS. 

    In NaaS, orchestration systems are now part of the network domain and they only expose service abstraction removing the resource level knowledge out of the IT domain. This leads to more agility as the network can make changes without affecting the IT/Product layer and using TMF APIs for all network domains also reduces a lot of the SI/adapter costs that is typically involve in new product delivery.

    This makes the IT team focus on the customer and the network domain (service and resource) with the network teams.

    Regards... Johanne

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    Johanne Mayer
    MayerConsult Inc
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  • 9.  RE: Network vs IT role in Digital Transformation.

    TM Forum Member
    Posted Oct 15, 2020 07:53
    Hi Johanne, Thanks for your insights.

    you mentioned

    "In NaaS, orchestration systems are now part of the network domain and they only expose service abstraction removing the resource level knowledge out of the IT domain"

    Perhaps you mean resource orchestration here ?. My question was more on the service orchestration and who will handle it ?

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    Faisal khan
    Etihad Etisalat Mobily
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  • 10.  RE: Network vs IT role in Digital Transformation.

    TM Forum Member
    Posted Oct 15, 2020 08:46
    Hi Faisal, that is the whole point of Network as a SERVICE... the network exposes abstracted services e.g. firewall as_a_Service, AAA_as a Service, ROADM connection_as_a_Service, etc.  I guided AT&T in the Automating NaaS Lambda services catalyst where we decomposed a wavelength service into 3 atomic services (a tail service, a ROADM/OROADM connection service and a LAG service) as these were managed/orchestrated by different network domains.  But what was exposed to the product catalog was a wavelength service with no information about the atomic services.  As an order was placed for the wavelength service, the order management sent the request to the E2E domain (in the network) that orchestrated the service order which had all of the required parameters to make subsequent service orders to each atomic domain and decided if it would use OROADM or ROADM from the end point locations.   

    I encourage you to attend the Automating NaaS Lambda services catalyst session and my Layer123 SDN NFV World Congress session on Tuesday Oct 13 where I discuss the current operational challenges and the benefits of a NaaS transformation.  It is free for CSPs and you can listen to the replay https://congress.layer123.com/event/c7ecb486-321f-4812-a554-4cfbd529a159/summary 

    Regards... Johanne

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    Johanne Mayer
    MayerConsult Inc
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  • 11.  RE: Network vs IT role in Digital Transformation.

    TM Forum Member
    Posted Oct 16, 2020 14:27
    Thanks Johanne, would like to know more about the session you delivered, but since I did not register for the event, it seems currently there is no way to access the recordings...

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    Faisal khan
    Etihad Etisalat Mobily
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  • 12.  RE: Network vs IT role in Digital Transformation.

    TM Forum Member
    Posted Oct 19, 2020 03:04
    Hello Faisal,

    As a Service Provider, Mobily members can register for DTWS free of charge.

    Please click here and complete the registration form using your Mobily email address.

    Regards,

    Alan

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    Alan Pope
    Collaboration Manager
    TM Forum
    United Kingdom
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  • 13.  RE: Network vs IT role in Digital Transformation.

    TM Forum Member
    Posted Oct 19, 2020 23:28
    Thanks Alan, already registered.

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    Faisal khan
    Etihad Etisalat Mobily
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  • 14.  RE: Network vs IT role in Digital Transformation.

    TM Forum Member
    Posted Oct 19, 2020 19:59
    Hi Faisal, I have requested Layer123 to provide the replay and will send you the information.  I also offer to do the presentation live to you and your team rather than a speedy 20 min recording.

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    Johanne Mayer
    MayerConsult Inc
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  • 15.  RE: Network vs IT role in Digital Transformation.

    TM Forum Member
    Posted Oct 19, 2020 23:29
    Appreciated Johanne and you are welcome to present, let me review the recording and then I will discuss with you on this subject


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    Faisal khan
    Etihad Etisalat Mobily
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