Vertel launches service assurance division
Mediation software company Vertel Corporation Corp. has opened the doors on a new division designed to help telecommunications providers reduce operational costs and automate service assurance by managing the delivery chain more effectively. The WebResolve division is the first hosted operation to focus efforts on automated service assurance and target all communications services providers, not just traditional telecommunications service providers. By automating service assurance functions, the operation will offer a practical solution to the often manually processed, error-ridden transactions made necessary by incompatible support system interfaces.
The new division follows what has become an industry-wide move toward offering specific applications through hosted services as a means of providing the benefits of high-end software solutions without the burden of product licensing, maintenance, training, and support.
Initial offerings
Initially, WebResolve will focus on trouble ticketing—the management and maintenance of records created by communications providers to track problems. Two types of services will be among the first offered: WebResolve TicketExchange, which provides interconnect solutions between individual trading partners; and, WebResolve TicketExpress, a hosted application providing a total trouble ticketing solution. In future service offerings, Vertel expects to address alarm management and service level agreement tracking applications.
The operation's service assurance offerings are built on top of Vertel's dynamic mediation software, which provides a seamless interaction with all of the widely available interfaces.
Alliances
The company has selected and been joined by key partners and service providers in support of its WebResolve operations. Servicing the operation's critical "trouble-ticket" application will be products from Remedy Corp. The Remedy Action Request System (AR System) is already in use by a wide range of telecommunications service carriers.
Vertel has also partnered with Tivoli Systems, a subsidiary of IBM, which will address management and security features for the operation.
"Vertel's WebResolve solutions will use Tivoli's portfolio of ASP solutions to bring to market a set of revenue generating services which will improve cooperation between service providers and enable a higher quality of service," said Robert Davis, vice president and general manager of Tivoli's Service Provider Business Unit. "The industry is already demanding that ASPs prove they can deliver quality of service. In response, WebResolve makes it feasible for ASPs to incorporate higher quality standards into their offerings."
Vertel plans to announce additional partners, suppliers, and service offerings in the near future.
Future investment
"The hosted application model adopted by our new WebResolve division has tremendous upside potential and will allow Vertel to offer new and existing customers a mechanism for highly reliable reporting and tracking of downstream telecommunications interconnect problems," said Bruce Brown, executive chairman of Vertel. "We began steering a portion of the company's business efforts in this direction several quarters back in order to capitalize on a much-needed, but underserviced marketplace in the communications industry.
Vertel will approach its targeted customers for WebResolve services through both direct and indirect sales channels.
Edited by Ellen Jensen
Managing Editor, Wireless Networks Online