chnologies advancing constantly, the speed of change increases as well. Service providers can do more with the technology at hand, but have to learn how on the fly. With the Internet infrastructure industry changing constantly, a service provider's greatest challenge may be to manage change at industry speed. Managing change means far more than keeping up with the latest network technologies. It means having the flexibility to shift an entire business to meet changing demands. Network technologies change, certainly, but it's a service provider's abilities to flex to new customer demands, redefine its processes, manage and exploit fresh customer data and alter its product strategy that will allow it to differentiate. At the core of these capabilities are a service provider's operations support systems (OSSs). Service providers can't afford to overlook their OSSs as they venture into brutally competitive markets. These systems, once an afterthought, have become undeniable strategic weapons. OSSs are the proverbial man behind the curtain. They are the applications and processes that allow Internet infrastructure companies to run their networks and do business with their customers. OSSs provide the glue among networks, technology domains and end users. They sustain the foundation on which the business-to-business Internet, an automated communications industry supply chain and eBusiness for all industries will be built. They require discipline, knowledge, and skill to develop and implement. They represent a long-term investment in strategic differentiation, not a line item The Ultimate Guide to Building and Delivering OSS/BSS expense. They provide the Internet infrastructure community with the ability to communicate, innovate and deliver multi-faceted services. For a company like Concert, a $7 billion global venture of AT&T and BT, an integrated OSS infrastructure is absolutely critical to success. Managing both retail and wholesale sales models, providing multi-national frame relay, high-speed IP, and voice networks,