OSS service - IT Software Info
Operations Support Systems are systems using by telecommunications service providers. They support processes: maintaining network inventory, provisioning services, configuring network components, managing faults. The "OSS" usually describes network systems dealing with a telecom network itself. There is also term Business Support Systems which is newer and refers to business systems dealing with customers and they support proceses like taking orders, bills, payments. The improtant information is that term OSS was historically used to include both network and business systems and it may cause some confusion.
History of OSS solutions begins about 1970 when many OSS system activities were performed by manual administrative processes. In short time this activity was replaced by computers that appear in telecommunication services. Telephone companies have created many OSS softwares which automated much of the activity. Then the focus for the next years was on OSS integration - creating automated interfaces between many different OSS aplications. Good and simple OSS integration is a major goal of most telecom companies.
During the 1990s International Telecommunication Union and its Telecommunication Management Network done a new OSS architecture definition that established a new four layers within an OSS: Business Management Level, Service Management Level, Network Management Level and Element Management Level.