IG1141A Onboarding Automation: Package ID, Software Assets and License Management Support R18.0.1

The key issue this document addresses is how virtualization in Service Providers networks and associated resources and services will impact the licensing models.

The flexible usage model allowed by virtualization of network resources also implies a need for flexible commercial licensing of software associated with the virtualized network functions designed, tested, certified and made available by Suppliers or Marketplaces as Products.
Service Providers procure and purchase those products, onboard them as Resources in their catalogs, and then compose them into various Network Services and make them available as Product Offerings to their customers within a DevOps, CI/CD process.

The operationalization of Network Resources as simple software components is creating a major shift in the procurement and licensing process throughout the telecoms industry.

Service Providers are now facing challenges in license acquisition and deployment processes for multi-vendor and multi-technology cloud ecosystems. To overcome these challenges, there is an urgent need for standardization of information relating to the acquisition of software usage rights (known as Product Usage Rights or PUR) and software deployment in the Service Providers environment. Automation of the license management and license utilization processes depends on standardization of the terms, business objects, and metrics used in Software Asset Management (SAM).

This document lays the foundations of solutions to this problem, and provides recommendations to guide the industry.