Global Industry Association Hailed for Its Pragmatic Approach and Collaborative Efforts, Helping Service Providers Adapt to the New Virtual, Software-Defined World
MORRISTOWN, NJ—March 12, 2015—TM Forum, the global industry association that connects the digital ecosystem, has been named as one of the top ‘10 to Watch’ organizations for 2015 by industry analyst firm Stratecast | Frost & Sullivan, in its new report, “Innovation in an Industry in Flux – Global Operations & Monetization 10 to Watch in 2015.” This recognition is awarded to organizations that show significant levels of innovation to help digital and communications service providers address rising business and operational challenges.
TM Forum was highlighted in this important report for its acknowledgement of the change on the horizon for digital and communications service providers, as network functions virtualization (NFV), software-defined networking (SDN) and public cloud infiltrate the industry. While Stratecast typically does not include industry associations in its annual 10 to Watch report, the analyst firm took notice of the Forum’s active collaboration with leading industry players and standards bodies to develop practical best practices and standards for the future, and to help service providers understand how to adapt to this new market landscape.
“The industry is anxious to move to more flexible and programmable networks that will support innovative services and creative business models,” said Tim McElligott, senior consulting analyst at Stratecast | Frost & Sullivan. “TM Forum recognizes the scope of change required for such transformation and has embraced the role it can play in moving the industry forward. With so much focus on IT technologies and processes, it is important to consider the hard lessons learned through decades of developing telecom best practices and apply those to the development of next-generation guidelines.”
Stratecast specifically recognized TM Forum’s Zero-touch Orchestration, Operations and Management (ZOOM) program, which is leading the charge to define best practices and create the industry’s first blueprint for the end-to-end orchestration and management of virtualized services, including NFV and SDN. Hundreds of professionals in more than 100 companies – including Alcatel-Lucent, AT&T, Ciena, Cisco, Ericsson, HP, Huawei, NTT, Oracle, Orange, Sprint and Turkcell – are participating and collaborating in this program. A suite of 20 deliverables, including eBooks, white papers, reference architectures, use cases, information models and API definitions, was recently released after just four months of member collaboration.
“I am incredibly proud of what TM Forum has done and continues to do to transform itself, and to bring significant value to members and the wider marketplace,” said Peter Sany, president & CEO, TM Forum. “Not only will tomorrow’s service providers require a new model for running their digital businesses, they’ll also require a common vocabulary, and a set of operating models and use cases that allow them to determine what needs to change and how. We’re pleased to see the industry’s support as we endeavor to lead this important charge, and look forward to what our members are able to achieve as a result.”
About Stratecast | Frost & Sullivan
Stratecast collaborates with our clients to reach smart business decisions in the rapidly evolving and hyper-competitive Information and Communications Technology markets. Leveraging a mix of action-oriented subscription research and customized consulting engagements, Stratecast delivers knowledge and perspective that is only attainable through years of real-world experience in an industry where customers are collaborators; today’s partners are tomorrow’s competitors; and agility and innovation are essential elements for success.
About TM Forum
TM Forum is a non-profit global industry association which helps its members transform and succeed in the digital economy. The collective experience and interests of our member community comprised of tens-of-thousands of professionals within hundreds of market-leading global enterprises, service providers and technology suppliers drives everything we do, from thought-provoking research and publications, to practical guidance, collaboration programs, tools and best practices, hands-on events, and training for business and IT leaders.
Through three key programs – Agile Business and IT, Open Digital Ecosystem, and Customer Centricity – we provide a unique platform for our members to connect and collaborate with individuals and groups from around the world to solve key challenges and rapidly innovate to deliver new services, improve business agility, partner for success, reduce cost and risk, and enhance customer value and loyalty. To learn more about the Forum and join our digital journey as a valued member and collaborator, please visit TM Forum.org.
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