TSSG joins International Standards Forum

The TSSG has recently been accepted as a member of the internationally recognised TeleManagement Forum [1] (TM Forum). The TM Forum was founded in 1988 as the Open Systems Interconnection/Network Management Forum with the goal of accelerating the availability of interoperable network management products. Founding members included AT&T, BT, Northern Telecom and Hewlett-Packard. By early 1989 it had approved its first Protocol Specification and by 1990 it had 85 members from 13 countries. The Forum has continued to adapt as the technological and business landscape has developed. Today, the TM Forum has more than 400 members, runs the industry's leading Operating Support Systems / Business Support Systems Conference and Exposition, and its standards are being adopted by the United Nations body, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

One of TM Forum's regular events is the Team Action Week, which brings together the best and most enthusiastic members to advance the Forum's critical technical work, and also creates a valuable opportunity for TM Forum teams to liaise with other industry groups. The most recent Team Action Week, held in Montreal recently, attracted more than 120 attendees from 50 different companies. Over 20 teams met for the week to progress all aspects of the TM Forum technical program. Along with meetings of leading TM Forum teams, there were a series of joint meetings involving multiple industry bodies. Three members of the TSSG; Dr Sven van der Meer, Principal Investigator, Mícheál Ó Foghlú, Research Director and Keara Barrett, Phd Candidate, participated in the Montreal event.

"The requirement for accepted standards for Network Management is obvious," commented Dr van der Meer. "Without clear, comprehensive and industry supported specifications there is a strong risk of poor or little interoperability, and in the long run the user loses out. Joining the Forum provides us with the opportunity to participate in the creation of these specifications."

This year's Team Action Week has been one of the most successful to date and certainly the largest in recent years. According to Martin Creaner, TM Forum Chief Technical Officer & Vice President, Technical Programs, "this reflects the continuing growth of the TM Forum technical program and the industry uptake of TM Forum standards."

[1] http://www.tmforum.org