FineGrain Networks, Inc.
FGN’s Service Ecosystem accelerates the creation, deployment, and performance of network resident software. It is a network resident regenerative GRID platform for hosting internet mobile services and creating such services via micro-service components.
NGOSS
Dispensing with traditional application segmentation in OSS which follows a 3-decade old ITU FCAPS architecture, FGN applied business processing engineering to re-invent how OSS is done. Using the Service Ecosystem, FGN will market two new platforms for OSS business processes: looking down – the Network Control Service and looking up – the Cooperative Work component. Together these two components, as they implement externalized micro eTOM business processes and context specific policy statements, automate and replace most existing OSS product lines including: element managers, network management consoles, manager-of-managers, network and service provisioning systems, SLAs, trouble tickets, dispatch, and billing collection. The Network Control Service implements a virtual model generalized for all network resources (such as a router or SIP server) and then implements a feedback communications loop with the resource; interactions of goal-directed policy and near-real-time state at the virtual layer are implemented as transactional changes in the resources. The Cooperative Work component monitors for patterns of events and state and then automatically applies responsive processes; for example selecting the correct team for resolving an issue, bridging them into a shared, common virtual work space, and attaching all the tools and processes needed for intervention. Solutions are created as 100% NGOSS compliant – supporting: NGOSS contracts, NGOSS TNA platform components, security requirements, the eTOM business process model, and the SID data model.
SDP
The Service Ecosystem accelerates the creation, deployment, and performance of network resident software: where any software service is available on demand, pay-by-use, interacting with any device, over any network, at every location in the world. FGN uses the Service Ecosystem to create a fully automated, Next Generation Service Delivery Platform (NG-SDP) for delivering mobile software services that are resident inside the network on a service grid. We bridge the gap and interlink IMS, web services, and CSF connection & multimedia services. FGN shelters developers from the complex concerns of distributed computing by providing FGN utility services that provide the “grid plumbing” and reusable business components. Pre-built components for rapid service development, smart agents, information aggregation, collaborative work, integration, and service virtualization will power continuous product releases. Incremental releases include:
- SIP and other internet middleware applications are
re-engineered as distributed, inter-working, network resident
software services – with embedded management of secure,
government-friendly VoIP.
- UDDI-like directory services provide a soft-service “yellow
pages”.
- NGOSS, eTOM, SID management services eliminate most
needs for 3rd party management products.
- Utility computing: service billing is real-time, pay-by-use thru Micropayment technology.
Telecom will experience significant new efficiencies as the Service Ecosystem accelerates development, reduces operational costs, embeds automated management, and eliminates the integration tax: IT total lifetime costs are reduced by two magnitudes.
Structured Collaboration of People and Resources
FGN’s Service Ecosystem (SE) is a runtime collection of reusable infrastructure services and standard-based architectural elements that provide an autonomic SOA Fabric (convergent with Oasis, WS-I, GGF, & NGOSS), that deploys onto server hosting centers, grids and wide area networks. SE provides a rich development environment for composite SOAs. Further, specific runtime businesses services, components and development templates streamline development of, and autonomic management of, solutions for collaboration.
Avatar-agents: a software model of an individual or a resource that resides in the network, maintaining a feedback loop to the user/resource while continuously communicating with other services. Resource avatars are soft robotic embodiments of state data, policy and business goals. User avatars are an autonomous, personal assistant for the user, containing schedule, contact means, and presence. Avatars are extensible with user polices that drive actions, seek stabilities and control access to data via policy (allowing open and hidden information). Further, avatars proxy authentication information allowing simple sign-on to complex security environments. Avatars retain portal customizations and info streams which are of interest to the user. Heuristic principles let Avatars continuously adapt and improve their representation of users.
Collaborative Commons: The commons
provides an environment for avatars, policy, information services,
and control processes to continuously interact. When users request
action, autonomic watchers determine SLAs are crossed, or other
threshold events occur, Collaboration Spaces are launched and remain
resident to coordinate the group interactions and process flow The
commons calls upon SE services as needed, such as heritage
application gateways and dynamic persistence. The Commons utilizes
extensive communications services to set up conversations betweens
users and to link users to resources.
Embedded communications services: Interface
services will link to most modern communications technologies,
including messaging, presence, email, SMS, portals, & web services.
Additional, linkages to VoIP, SIP signaling and IMS technology will
provide close integration with future communications facilities.
Once built and then externally configured with policies for
deployment, QoS, security & management, these SOA solutions are self
managing, surviving as long as they are authorized access to
virtualized IT resources.
