The world of telecommunications network management is undergoing a revolution, one that will make or break a service provider's business. This revolution, brought on by the convergence of network architectures and technologies and an increase in demand for services with new performance characteristics, demands that service providers go beyond the traditional fault management approach to performance management. Service providers must now manage their network resources to optimize the performance of the services they deliver—a fundamental change that demands an integrated performance management solution.

Sophisticated customers require complex, custom solutions. To meet these demands, service providers must utilize a multitude of technologies, including synchronous optical network (SONET), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), frame relay, time division multiplex (TDM), and Internet protocol (IP). Consequently, these converging networks can no longer be managed by autonomous silos in the network landscape. Only a truly integrated performance management system can encompass all relevant technologies from the voice and data worlds.

Unlike static TDM networks, traffic volume directly impacts the performance and output of ATM and IP networks. There is a constant need to monitor and manage traffic levels and concurrent network congestion to optimize its performance. With the ability to constantly monitor and manage traffic levels, service providers can then guarantee levels of service to their customers.