Unified resource management makes network and cable infrastructure rollouts, extensions, and changes easier to plan and more efficient to execute, with significantly less manual rework. If there is a network or service issue, the operator will have access to all available information to analyze and remedy the situation. End-to-end visibility and the ability to see dependencies and impacts across all layers is critical. Unified resource management provides the required relationship and dependency information, and it takes into account essential details such as redundant links used on underlying layers. In the absence of unified resource management, where data sources are distributed and data quality is questionable, any network change will take much longer to perform and is more prone to error. 

A telco provider that implements a unified resource management strategy will benefit from:

• One central database across the traditional active telco network, including passive inside/outside plant infrastructure, plus virtualized resources based on IT server and data center resources

• A master reference database to support operational processes such as planning and engineering, service fulfillment, and service assurance

• A vendor- and technology-agnostic data repository that provides all relevant data and capacity information for use in planning rollouts and transformations and performing impact analysis of planned changes before they are implemented

• A single-source-of-truth repository providing all relevant resources required to deliver new services and enabling immediate impacted analysis in case of outages to identify all affected services and customers

Because unified resource management covers the entire spectrum of assets and resources within one integrated data model, users can navigate between the different layers and across all resource types including:

• Active telco transport network (classical telco network infrastructure such as DWDM, MPLS, Carrier Ethernet, SONET/SDH, etc.)

• Passive inside- and outside-plant infrastructure (cable infrastructures such as trenches, ducts, micro-ducts, splice enclosures and cassettes, in the field and within the building)

• Mobile RAN (antenna devices, active nodes, cells and configuration data per site)

• Virtual resources of NFVI and VNFs, including IT server, storage, and data center infrastructure

Automation in the Digital World

Not all unified resource management solutions are created equal. It is important to implement one with a single repository of resource information across all relevant telco, IT, and data center domains. It’s also important that this repository dynamically updates as changes occur. Network changes occur with varying frequencies, depending on whether the resources in question are physical, logical, or virtual. To achieve automation, the repository must expose resource information via API to other systems. Utilizing software solutions enables automation and streamlines business processes for maximum efficiency. Telco companies that implement a unified resource management solution will be able to achieve complete transparency across their telco active inventory, manage underlying cable and outside plant infrastructures more effectively, improve the effectiveness of mobile RAN configuration data and infrastructure management, and dramatically simplify hybrid resource management via a holistic view across physical, logical, and virtual resources.