The Perfection Trap: Challenges of Network Automation for CSPs
Network and service automation promise significant benefits for communication service providers (CSPs) managing complex multi-domain networks. Key components for successful implementation of automated processes include a service orchestrator and a modern network inventory. However, CSPs often face substantial challenges when embarking on this journey.
Importance of Network Inventory
A comprehensive and up-to-date network inventory is crucial for effective service orchestration. It tracks all sites, devices, cables and services in a provider’s network, providing visibility into the network’s physical, logical, and virtual assets and enabling efficient management and automation. An accurate and optimized network inventory makes it possible for a network operator to efficiently provide high-quality and resilient services to customers at lower operational costs.
Many CSPs fall into the trap of striving for 100% network coverage and accuracy before moving forward with automation. Such a ”big bang” approach, while seemingly logical, can significantly delay the benefits of automation. Typically, CSPs spend 36–48 months focusing on perfecting their fully consolidated inventory, which postpones the implementation of service orchestration. Taking an incremental approach to automation is more advantageous, because it enables CSPs to bring value to their customers and realize the real benefits from automation much sooner.
Balancing Accuracy and Efficiency
To avoid unnecessary delays, CSPs should rethink their approach and address the most critical areas of the network for inventory accuracy in the short term and gradually expand their efforts. Using an incremental approach to automation, CSPs can bring value to their customers much sooner and reap the real benefits from automation within 6 months.
The Incremental Approach
- Sharpening of the scope: Service orchestration and network inventory teams must work closely on defining a specific scope for a solution increment, which works as a closed loop.
- Initial data population to inventory: Reconciliation of a limited inventory dataset from one or two network domains to reflect the as-is network state.
- Implementation of the service orchestrator: Use of the orchestrator to “design-and-assign” resources and services in the inventory, thus supporting inventory data accuracy
- Solution acceptance, field trials and go-live: Verification of the final implementation, conduction of field trials, and go-live with the scope.
The challenges of network automation primarily revolve around the balance between achieving perfect network inventory accuracy and the timely implementation of service orchestration. By avoiding the trap of striving for 100% inventory coverage upfront, CSPs can expedite the automation process and start reaping its benefits sooner.
Improved efficiency and reduced operational costs are realized earlier, providing a competitive edge in the fast-paced telecommunications market.
Learn more about the incremental approach to network automation and the combination of a unified inventory and service orchestration in the Whitepaper of FNT and Inmanta.
