We are in the middle of the fourth industrial revolution. As new technologies like 5G, IoT and cloud gain traction, networks are becoming more complex. It is becoming challenging for humans to keep up with this complexity and keep networks operating at the level prescribed by the evolving services. The potential to change how networks are operated is as dramatic as the machines of the industrial revolution changed the factory floor.
Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation and the power of data, the Ericsson Operations Engine is rewriting the rules of network operations. The solution is an end-to-end managed services operating model that reimagines network and IT operations, network design and optimization, and applications development and maintenance.
Managed services play a significant role in the service providers’ transformation initiatives taking place worldwide. Nearly 65% of service providers indicate that managed services are key in addressing their main operational concerns around customer experience – improving customer experience being the number one factor that will influence service providers’ use of managed services – revenue growth and cost efficiency.
It is also clear that advanced technologies like AI, automation and analytics represent the underlying pillars for supporting and enabling operational transformation. With the ability to rapidly solve complex challenges, AI is essential to network design, operations, and optimization.
On the other hand, automation uses technology to remove monotonous, repetitive tasks from traditional ways of working and boosting productivity. With more than 6000 automation rules, the Ericsson Operations Engine drives efficiency at every level of the organization – evolving operations from being network-centric to user experience-centric and fundamentally changing our way of operating networks from reactive to proactive, leveraging data, automation and AI.
From granular network measurements to aggregated customer experience indicators, data drives everything we do. Growth in data traffic and increased device complexity have challenged service providers on all fronts—demanding new levels of customer experience, efficiency, and innovation. Using AI and automation, the Ericsson Operations Engine processes large, complex data sets to uncover valuable insights and drive new levels of network performance, flexibility, and scalability.
Designed to help operators manage the networks of the future, the Ericsson Operations Engine has three building blocks:
Service-centric business model based on business outcomes: Using AI, automation and data insights, the Ericsson Operations Engine addresses targeted business outcomes for service providers such as enhanced customer experience, revenue growth and efficiency. With deep insights into performance and reliability, service providers are able to pivot and adapt networks to meet the growing demands of customers and enterprises.
End-to-end capabilities: Delivering on business outcomes through AI-based design, planning and optimization, data-driven operations, dynamic deployment, applications development, and collaborative innovation. To power everything from dynamic deployment to collaborative innovation, many processes use closed feedback loops to learn and optimize over time, improving operations on-the-fly.
Components: Best-in-class tools and processes that leverage data, AI and automation as well as expertise and investments in the service provider domain. Powered by next-generation tools and expertise, it enables service providers to rapidly test, deploy, and scale new products and services.
Networks are quickly becoming significantly more complex to operate as we introduce IoT and 5G at scale, and virtualize core networks, while aiming to enhance user experience at the same time. Engineered to meet the demands of increased network complexity, the Ericsson Operations Engine combines advanced components and capabilities into one powerful solution. It enables service providers to proactively manage the network and addresses service providers’ managed services complexity challenges as the industry moves to the reality of 5G and IoT.
The Engine not only enables service providers to impact existing operations, but also provides a platform to innovate and nurture new businesses. The OpenWorks lab combines people expertise with best-in-class tools like AI and analytics to rapidly test, deploy, and scale new products and services.
Driven by business outcomes and with the destination in mind, this is your ultimate Engine to transform best-in-class components into real-world capabilities to deliver powerful results with speed, efficiency, and agility.
Eva Andren, Head of Managed Services – Ericsson Middle East and Africa