sioning applications. For example, provisioning plans for Chapter 9 - The Future of OSS each product must still be configured into the provisioning system, and these configurations must be maintained as the product catalog changes. Product catalog integration and maintenance is likely to continue to be a challenge and source of frustration for any OSS implementation. OSS SPENDING All signs point to per customer spending increases for OSS in the coming years. The dollars spent, as we have discussed throughout, are dollars invested in service delivery, efficiency, eBusiness and customer care. There is a growing realization among IICs that OSS is more than a budget-line item. It is now more often recognized for its strategic importance, and more money is budgeted for OSS. Rich capital markets, and many start-ups ramping up their OSS platforms in anticipation of future business, have driven OSS spending to this point. With the economy slowing, and capital markets tightening, the bottom line will be under more scrutiny. IICs will have to be cautious and creative in the way they spend and invest money. Many IICs have used a "build it and they will come" philosophy in the past, but may not be able to afford it anymore. They must scrutinize how they will differentiate, how they will profit, how their business processes affect their bottom line and where they will invest. Wise IICs will recognize OSS as an investment and competitive advantage, not as a budget item to slash. THE EFFECT OF GLOBALIZATION ON OSS One factor that will drive OSS costs is IIC globalization. Plans for expansion into international markets compose a growing trend among IICs. Ideally, they'd like to clone their OSS platforms, or better yet, run their global operations from a central point. This ideal may be difficult to achieve because of disparities in taxes, in naming conventions for services and network components, in standards, in products and in ordering processes. Package vendors are beginning to take on these challenges, however, as they look 