Whale Cloud's Open Platform pioneers open digital architecture

Telecom IT has long been overly bloated and expensive. Beyond mere inconvenience, an inefficient IT system can be a critical impediment, delaying time to market and stifling the ability to innovate rapidly. More than ever, Communication Service Providers (CSPs) are acutely aware of the constraints imposed by the old ways of handling IT.

Traditionally, CSPs have relied on two IT strategies. The first approach, "Best of Breed," involves cherry-picking top-tier products from specialized vendors for each function, often resulting in an inefficient patchwork of incompatible systems. Conversely, the "Best of Suite" method attempts a simpler path by purchasing a bundle of services under a single vendor. However, this approach comes with vendor lock-in and the obligation to pay whatever ongoing fees the vendor charges.

Both approaches have downsides. The lack of flexibility in both methods strips CSPs of essential business and operational agility, while incompatible systems make it difficult for companies to collaborate and integrate technology. Moreover, both strategies are really expensive. By 2020, the situation was so severe that Stéphane Richard, chairman and CEO of Orange, sounded the alarm, predicting that technical debt would consume 40% of operators' IT budgets by 2025.

Fast forward four years: much has changed, and a new approach is emerging. Enter Whale Cloud's Open Platform, a pioneering cloud-based IT architecture designed to cut through complexity and provide the flexibility essential for innovation and reducing time to market.

The platform works by integrating three key features: Open APIs, a native cloud environment, and Whale Cloud's shared development platform, DevStudio. Whale Cloud has coined this method "Best of Platform," a model it predicts will become predominant in the coming years. "The 'Best of Platform' model emphasizes the flexibility of system construction, regardless of whether it involves a single vendor or multiple vendors," said Zhengcang Xiao, CTO of Whale Cloud International.

The Open Platform stands out for its modular design, comprising compact, standardized microservices that connect seamlessly. This means CSPs can utilize a combination of Whale Cloud's microservices, their own, or those from other vendors, and the system seamlessly accommodates it all. "CSPs can leverage standardized components tailored to their strategies, allowing them to build systems that meet their specific needs," added Xiao.

For instance, a CSP could seamlessly integrate a microservice for network management from one vendor, another vendor's microservice for payment tracking, and their own in-house microservice for cybersecurity, all functioning together seamlessly. In short, it combines the simplicity of the "Best of Suite" with the specialization of "Best of Breed." However, unlike traditional approaches, it's fast. To implement a new service, all a CSP needs to do, at least in theory, is activate a new microservice.

This microservice ecosystem is made possible via TM Forum's Open APIs, which are rapidly becoming the industry standard. Whale Cloud is leading the way in TM Forum's Open API initiative, consistently ranking among the top companies for implementing Open APIs into its commercial products and real-world deployments. The company has integrated 53 TM Forum Open APIs into its products, ranking third on the Open API Certification leaderboard. In September 2023, TM Forum certified eight of Whale Cloud's business support systems as "Ready for ODA (Open Digital Architecture)."

The Open Platform's modular structure extends beyond inter-service operability. As the platform's microservices can operate independently and interact seamlessly, it can work across multi or hybrid cloud environments.

"Cloud-native IT transformation should be oriented towards creating clear business value," Xiao emphasized. "Some projects may adopt a cloud-native architecture but fail to generate actual business value. Simply migrating IT systems to the cloud using a 'lift and shift' approach is not enough."

The Open Platform's multi/hybrid cloud compatibility is crucial, mainly because of varying cloud regulations and infrastructure requirements. For instance, in sectors like e-commerce or data analytics, CSPs using the Open Platform can rely on public clouds for their wide accessibility. Meanwhile, backend operations can run on private clouds for better security.

Whale Cloud's offering also features a low-code development studio, included within the Open Platform. This integration means that CSPs do not need to depend on external vendors for microservices; they can create their own. Moreover, the studio enables CSPs to develop and customize their own microservices and modules with minimal coding. According to Whale Cloud, this shortens the learning curve for IT staff, enhances agility in market response, and speeds up product launches.

"It is becoming evident that the future IT architecture will transition from the traditional 'Best of Breed' or "Best of Suite' approach to 'Best of Platform,'" said Xiao. And with the Open Platform, the future of efficient, cost-effective, and agile IT systems for CSPs has arrived.