Buy versus\u00a0 build\u00a0 is a false dichotomy.<\/p>\n
A best of breed \/ best of suite oriented technology model, the idea that a software product commodity ( appliance),\u00a0 at the center of operations, with an associated long term, ROI based pricing model,and technology lock-in,\u00a0 does not always\u00a0 “stack” up.<\/p>\n
There are insufficient grounds for excluding alternatives,\u00a0 given that a typical increasingly relevant , open source system, has hundreds of\u00a0 programmers working on it, and is often better managed than an equivalent vendor supplied product.<\/p>\n
Programming is the commodity, not the box, and given software availability, and good programmers, its a matter of structuring and managing product, and disciplining delivery\u00a0 from a software engineering perspective. Respective\u00a0 costs between a vendor offering ROI, and\u00a0 an equivalent accelerated development set-up based on open-source may be quantified and compared, although much of the medium term gains are not immediately apparent.<\/p>\n
Saving hundreds of thousands in the process, and gaining competitive advantage through on-demand innovation is an objective worthy of pursuit.<\/p>\n
Investing in skills and capability may be an outlier\u00a0 for operators and business in general, but it is a powerful and efficient way of working, if managed well. Not long ago it was business as usual for Service providers, who brought in R&D\u00a0 in-house while leveraging development partners.They retained an intimate knowledge of the business and worked closely with partners through the development cycle.<\/p>\n
An\u00a0 equivalent\u00a0 approach of building on\u00a0 increasingly relevant\u00a0 community efforts ( ECOMP, TIP), and creating own capability makes sense, and is a step up from having to reinvent the wheel.<\/p>\n
Why are major service providers\u00a0 as AT&T, Deutsche Telecom, Telefonica,\u00a0 and OTT players engaging in these initiatives\u00a0 with a view of gaining control and flexibility\u00a0 over innovation (in creating revenue),\u00a0 and reducing their costs?<\/p>\n