Article | Beyond Connectivity, Open APIs, Data monetization, Privacy & trust, Internet of Things (IoT), Business Process Framework (eTOM), Open Digital Framework (ODF), Platform business, Business models, Ecosystem management

Framework 16.5: What’s new in IoE?

16 Dec 2016

Next week will see the latest release of TM Forum’s Frameworx -- version 16.5, including new toolkits, best practices, maturity models, guides and technical reports.

From July to December 2016, hundreds of individuals from a diverse range of member companies have used TM Forum’s unique collaborative environment in ten distinct projects to help all TM Forum members transform and thrive in the digital economy, working within the context of the Forum’s strategic programs: Agile Business and IT, the Internet of Everything (IoE), Open APIs and Customer Centricity & Analytics.

Here’s a round-up of the highlights from the IoE (Internet of Everything) program:

The recently published eBook “Navigating the IoE Roadmap of Challenges: Insights and opinions for digital businesses” provides a reference listing of the top 20 business, technology, and market challenges facing all companies in the digital economy. From this comprehensive and pragmatic list, TM Forum’s IoE Program is prioritizing work on Trust and Monetization as the management of IoE projects grow in complexity and the ratio of risk to reward becomes more complex.

Privacy and data protection are imperative to anyone collecting, processing, or storing data that relates to individuals. The issue is all the more relevant given the exponential increase in the volume of data generated across digital ecosystems, combined with an increased demand for privacy both from individuals (for whom it impacts their trust in an organization or service) and from governments (frequently underpinned by legislation and penalties such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation). For that reason, the Digital Services Reference Architecture (DSRA) has been enhanced with a new Privacy management service definition which, for the first time, provides privacy management support across the DSRA and introduces the Privacy Management API.

The widely successful TR211 Online B2B2X Partnering Step-by-Step Guide and TR424 B2B2X Business Scenario Template have been extended with invaluable new sections on monetization and the platform economy so that they integrate key platform concepts with the business, contractual, financial and operational models defined in these tools. Applying the best practices in these guides enhances the ability of producers and consumers in the platform economy to add value to their interactions.

Craig Bachmann, Senior Director, IoE Program, says, “We are delighted with the progress that has been made in our project workstreams and the Catalyst projects in the latest collaborative cycle. In particular, our eBook on Navigating the Roadmap of Challenges is a must-read. We also have a very clear direction to focus the efforts of our members for the next six months, working on producing practical tools and guidance to address the challenges of IoE monetization and the many issues around trust.”