A hard time for software: Vendors bring hardware expertise to the OSS

Loop management system equipment provider Turnstone Systems will step into the operations support system space this week by partnering with several key OSS software vendors. Last week, Cisco Systems announced similar partnerships as part of its service provider initiative.

Turnstone is introducing its Back Office Network Development, or BOND, program, which includes working relationships with MetaSolv Software, NightFire Software, Syndesis, Vitria and Cygent. The company also will partner with system integrators such as Business Edge and Ernst & Young.

"This is more than just a friendly announcement between vendors," said Eric Andrews, vice president of marketing for Turnstone. "This is about automating the copper loop as part of the next generation OSS."

Turnstone has its Copper CrossConnect loop management system, which automates copper provisioning for the local loop and provides front-end access to the DSL access multiplexer, installed in more than 30 customers' central offices. The BOND program ensures that loop-management functionality is integrated into back-office systems.

Turnstone has developed the CrossWorks API server platform for interconnecting its management system into its partners' various OSSs (see figure).

"Even though they facilitate themselves into the hardware side of things, they really still serve a very useful, OSS-type function," said Karl Whitelock, program director for OSS competitive strategies at Stratecast Partners. "With Syndesis doing provisioning and touching the DSL and IP worlds, it's a natural extension to pull in this physical inventory capability [of Turnstone]."

Turnstone also will connect to other OSS systems through Vitria's BusinessWare for DSL solution.

Turnstone's strategy helps its carrier customers automate DSL provisioning and puts its product in front of partners' new customers.

"Their bottom-line revenue focus is still how many more Turnstone systems can they sell, not how many more Turnstone partnerships they can convince people to engage in," Whitelock said.

Cisco's focus remains the same: selling hardware. Cisco and Tibco Software jointly announced partnerships last week with Ernst &Young, KPMG and several OSS vendors.

Cisco and Tibco will work with KPMG to automate service provisioning of multimedia services, including wireless and DSL. Their Next Generation Plug and Play for DSL will be an open OSS and business support system.

"We're not looking for as much differentiation through the software as we are through the hardware, and [we're] building more intelligence and quality of service into the equipment side and not the software side of the equation," said Todd Murray, group vice president of Cisco's communications software group.

As a message broker, Tibco will control the software side by linking Cisco's hardware and its partners' OSS solutions.

The companies will partner with Ernst & Young on solutions for the cable market. The broadband cable service management, or BCSM, solution has been under development for two years. It will be used for business and network management and to activate Internet-based video, voice and data services.

"The differences come in the underlying equipment in terms of what services can be supported within the equipment infrastructure," Murray said.

Cisco, which owns an 8% stake in Tibco, has licensed Tibco technology as the underlying software solution for use in its networking gear.

"We look at this as a long-term relationship having significant impact on our business in the telecom market," said Tugrul Firalti, vice president of networking and telecommunications solutions for Tibco.

The system integrators will drive the Cisco and Tibco solutions. Other partners include Architel, Calico Commerce, Micromuse, Portal Software and Syndesis for the plug-and-play DSL solution. The BCSM solution will include Cygent, Information + Graphics Systems, MediaOne Labs, MetaSolv, Portal and Syndesis.

"This is definitely an Ecosystem approach," Firalti said.