INTELLIGENCE FROM THE BROADBAND ECONOMY

Without inventory, a service provider has nothing to sell. Without a good handle on it, they can't sell confidently, they can't solve problems expediently, they can't plan properly, they can't automate other process that flow through it, they can't comply with Sarbanes-Oxley requirements, they can't assess their profitability, they can't provision on demand and they can't even guess how much spare capacity they have. What can they do? They can follow through on what Lorien Pratt, program manager of OSS Competitive Strategies for Stratecast Partners, says they are starting to realize: that it's time to “finally get it right.” More than 80% of service providers view inventory as strategic to addressing operational and capital expenditures, and more than 60% viewed it as strategic to launching new services. Add new compliance requirements from Sarbanes-Oxley and the SEC and service providers have all the motivation they need to get it right.