Building a solid, first-rate network (be it mobile 3.5G-4G, IP-based, transmitting VOB (Voice over Broadband) or VOIP (Voice over IP), or even analogue wireline requires a focal point, an independent and global unit with suitable binoculars to observe, oversee and constantly monitor everything going through it to make certain it runs smoothly and with no interference.
These units, often called Fraud-Prevention and/or Antifraud Department are the telco’s bodyguards. They work in the background; their role is crucial but often underestimated. They do not operate the network, yet the network cannot function without them. They do not market new products, but there would be no marketing without their supervision. They do not sell anything, but they scrupulously review the sales process at all times.
Where is this unit in the organization? Sometimes they work under the company’s CFO (for obvious reasons; after all, profitability is the bottom line and security is crucial to finance), sometimes in the Security Department.
An external OSS/BSS expert must gain access to a telco’s innermost secrets, become very intimate with it.
Going back to our road, in order to protect and secure it, you clearly need to understand what it is you are protecting, against whom and what, and where the ‘snake in the grass’ is. This is where fraud-prevention managers often find themselves, sinking in the depth of their own pond.
Networks today are mature, rich and sometimes hard to map. In this environment, network ‘guards’ must have an excellent understanding of what they are up against to maximize security. Therefore, the map they’ll seek will seldom be found in their immediate surroundings. They need the help of someone ‘who travelled these roads before’.
An external OSS/BSS expert must gain access to a telco’s innermost secrets, become very intimate with it.
Securing is the core task of these departments; in other words, making the telecom operation secure against threats, vulnerabilities, and risks. How is this security achieved? Many times OSS/BSS manufacturers work with these units and provide them with suitable tools and know-how. While having a tool is critical, it is not enough, not nearly enough.
Once this relationship is strengthened, fraud managers and their team can better map the outline of the road and its risks.
Many times, it is this very external consultant who provides these units with a path to a better day-to-day operation in a very complex mission. In other words, secure the edge and ensure it is profitable and near risk-free, just like management likes it.
Pipeline Publishing, Volume 7, Issue 4
