6533b7cefe1ef96bd1256fb9

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Vertical Integration due to Software Systems' Modularity

subject

description

In their product portfolio, OSS/BSS software vendors make products pre-integrated with each other as well as with other related OSS/BSS products. Prior to the full-scale development and integration, it is vital for these vendors to assess which products are reasonable to integrate. Such integration of software may be aimed at achieving different goals, such as: Reducing software integration efforts. Software vendors aim at maximizing their profits, whereas their customers (i.e., CSPs) aim at minimizing their costs by avoiding the integration job. As a result, to approach a win–win scenario, vendors provide already integrated products or subsystems (pre-integrated modules). Sharing similar knowledge base. When reusing earlier experience in implementing new products or subsystems, the vendors strengthen the quality of the implementation, as compared with the software implemented from the scratch. Other goals, such as sharing the same contact (e.g., technical evaluator) in the customer organization, or the like.