the-art OSSs that are designed to work in integrated, multi-provider environments. In other words, OSSs come in all shapes and sizes. Various systems play roles in tracking activities for network deployment, managing orders, tracking network faults, managing inventory, activating services, billing customers and interconnecting with partners. Without these systems and the process efficiency they can provide, IICs will rely on over-burdened, error-prone, and costly manual processes that will prevent them from competing. In the next chapter, we will take a close look at the range of functions OSSs provide and how different applications interact to fulfill specific business roles. Chapter 2 A Detailed Look at OSS OSSs are traditionally categorized into specific functional areas, each representing various steps in an IICs business, service delivery and service management processes. As more integrated packages come to market, and tighter integration is achieved in IIC front and back offices, the boundaries between these functional areas break down. OSSs, though often developed and marketed as separate functional components, must be integrated to form a seamless, unified platform constructed from many smaller pieces. As we will discuss in Chapter 5, no single OSS vendor has been able to provide a complete OSS package in which every component can be considered "best of breed." Similarly, few IICs choose to develop OSS platforms entirely from scratch. As a result, IICs seek to integrate those components best suited to their business, which they believe can provide them a competitive advantage. To understand the entire OSS picture, it is necessary to examine each functional area separately, noting how each interacts with the others. We will take a top down approach to examining these functional areas, beginning with ordering and customer interaction processes and working our way down to the network itself. OSS FUNCTIONALITY 1.1 A Little History To understand the current OSS landscape and its strengths and weaknesses, it's 