, trend develop- ment, and planning only when the performance levels are consistent. Performance data analysis and report generation: All performance manage- ment applications have data collection, data analysis, and report generation. Multiple reports are generated as graphs and plots of the performance data. Data analysis would also involve creating correlations and finding corre- lated output on threshold data. In addition to graphical representation, there are also features in management applications that permit export of data for later analysis by third-party applications. Inventory and capacity planning: Performance data is used as input for inven- tory planning on deciding what network elements need to be replaced or monitored and for capacity planning on deciding the routing path of trunks, how much traffic to route, and SO on. Performance data is usually collected as: 1. Bulk download from the NE: In this method PM data are generated and stored in a predetermined folder on the NE. The management applications collect the data at regular intervals of time. 2. Send from the NE on generation: The network element contains code to send the data to the management application using a predefined protocol and the management applications keeps listening for data from NE. 3. Queried from NE database: The network element can contain a man- agement information base (MIB) where performance data is stored and Fundamentals of EMS, NMS and OSS/BSS dynamic attributes of performance updated at real-time. In this method, the management application collects data from the MIB. 3.6 Security Management Security management deals with creating a protected environment for core resources and for managing the network. In telecom, security is a key concern. Monitoring and tracking for potential attacks need to be performed as part of security management. The basic functional- ity in security is to create a secure environment. This can be done by using AAA to authenticate, authorize, and account for user actions. Protocols like RADIUS 