Procure in Haste

Buying network and OSS technology means living with your decisions for a long time. How to increase your chances of success.

Marry in haste, repent at leisure, people used to say. Procuring telecommunications technology for a service provider also means entering into a long term commitment. It’s easier to change a spouse than to change your network or OSS once it’s in place and serving your customers.

Choosing technology needs serious attention. IP, ATM, IP over ATM? Circuit-switched, packetswitched, optical-switched? Best-of-breed, best-of-suite, bargain basement? Middleware, EAI or what? With so many choices, how do competitive service provider companies match the technology to their real needs?

Barbara Lancaster is President of LTC International Inc.