o-point since the number of integration points is relatively small. Keep in mind that a point-to-point architecture will have flexibility limitations as the OSS platform's requirements and functions change. Chapter 6 Integrating the OSS Platform Building an integrated architecture that allows processes and data to flow seamlessly from one system to another is perhaps the greatest challenge IICs face when constructing an OSS platform. Beyond seamless processes and data exchange, an ideal architecture should also allow for systems to be altered, added and removed without requiring massive rewrites and conversions. A company's integration technology and strategy decisions will ultimately determine the success of its OSS implementation, and thus its ability to compete effectively. There are many different approaches to systems integration, as well as a range of technologies designed to aid in the process. Technology can be an enabler, but as we will see in this chapter, integration presents as significant an analysis and testing challenge as it does a development tour-de-force. COMMON INTEGRATION OBJECTIVES Many organizational goals, such as achieving operational efficiency via process flow-through, or improving customer intimacy - knowing what a customer has ordered, what problems he has - require application integration. Without application integration, customer information might well be scattered across three or more applications. This scattering places a burden on users by requiring them to access multiple applications individually when trying to derive a composite view of the customer's status and history. Further, without application integration, service provisioning might require manual re-keying of information among multiple applications. In many cases, application integration follows an initial round of package or application implementation. In other cases, integration is factored into the first phase of package implementation. This is typical of emerging IICs whose first priority is to establish a core set 