Management World: BT preps “service factory” test

ORLANDO – BT has completed a proof-of-concept prototype and is working to launch a more formal test early next year of a new approach to service creation that relies on so-called “active catalogs” deeply linked to other back-office systems to automate the creation and delivery of new services.

The idea is to create a “service factory” capability within BT for developing new services. The factory analogy works on several levels: One, it involves the creation of a reproducible “production-line” approach – such as in the original automobile assembly lines – to standardize and speed the creation of new services; and two, it nods to newer, more customizable assembly approaches – such as the Dell PC model – in which customers can have a say in configuring their own products.

At the center of the BT service factor is an active catalog that includes detailed descriptions of the component piece parts that make up a service as well as rules and a rules engine that dictate how those pieces can be put together to create a real-world service. The active catalog also features links to other BT systems, such as its Oracle-provided software delivery platform (SDP) and billing systems, that play a part in the final, assembled service, said Gary Bruce, BT’s OSS principal researcher, in an interview at the Management World show in Orlando this week.

After building its active catalog framework as a prototype, Bruce has begun working with BT Design, the carrier’s IT unit, to flesh out a potential project to further demonstrate the concept. Bruce envisions taking several core capabilities of the BT network --including a SIP network platform, virtual data center capabilities and underlying billing and service assurance capabilities – and applying the active catalog processes on top of them, Bruce said. In such a scenario, for instance, an enterprise might dynamically assemble from the catalog a customized hosting environment spanning a network service and server/storage capabilities, he said. He hopes to run a fuller test of the concept starting early next year.

“We want to focus on service creation and service delivery as well, focusing on BT-specific [service] challenges that align to our core strategy,” he said.