Technical Support and Services Books

This book is a must read for anyone working in or with the field of humanitarian aid. It's a very practical, hands on guide that explores some of the real challenges aid workers in conflict zones have had to face and the creative solutions they developed. It's not a complex, academic analysis piece in any way and it serves more like a starting point for an in-depth study than THE definitive work on the subject, but it is one heck of a good starting point.

Dr. Terplan has written a book (only one of the two available in thisarea) that will be invaluable for any person involved in either development or implementation of supports systems. The author obviously expects the reader to have a high level understanding of OSS related areas to appreciate and make the most this book. This book is a "must have" for all managers and consultants in the OSS segment.

I highly recommend OSS Essentials by Dr. Kornel Terplan. The book covers an immense array of topics, explaining how they relate to each other and offering editorial that encompasses the authors many years of real-world experience. Whether you are assessing various alternatives in designing applications, or are simply trying to understand what various technologies are and how they can be used, this book will save you many hours of research. Because the author has lived through design and implementation of many advanced OSS systems, his insight will serve to guide you toward success. Chuck Reid states: "In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice; In practice, there is." This book explains both so the differences are clear.

W. Nathaniel Mills, III Chief Architect, High Volume Web Site Research and Design, IBM Research

It's the only public published book on BSS/OSS industry i can find. Reading all TMF's documents is a big challenge, and reading this book is easier. It tells almost every key concepts about TMF's NGOSS program. I strongly recommend this book to everyone seting his/her career on OSS industry.

The eight chapters in this 610 page book tie together operational support systems and how they relate to network operations, business support systems and network management. In some respects this book is less about OSS than it is about the network, which is evidenced by the structure of the book and page count given to each topic.

It starts with an encompassing overview of operations, business and marketing support systems. This is entirely focused on OSS, and has one of the best descriptions of a service delivery cycle I've seen in print. This is followed by a chapter discussing a service provider's portfolio of products and services, which sets the context for OSS. Chapter 3, however, seems out of sequence, because it breaks the flow by addressing management protocols - a topic that is peripherally related to OSS, but is not central. The author gets back on track in chapter 4 with a solid, information-packed treatment of customer care and billing processes. Thi!s is the heart of OSS and the author provides some great information, which is continued in chapter 5's discussion of provisioning and order processing. Unfortunately, the author drifts off into network operations management, which is the topic of chapter 6. This is certainly related to OSS, but does not warrant the 74 pages this topic consumes. Chapter 7, covering support, documentation and management systems is really a catalog of products, which eats another 104 pages of peripherally related material that could have better been provided on a companion web site since product-specific information is a moving target and only renders a book prematurely obsolete. The final two chapters covering workforce management and trends for service providers were valuable, especially the comprehensive tables and lists devoted to job profiles and organizational structures.

Overall this book has a lot of excellent information, most of which is not available elsewhere. However, the aut!hor wanders and drifts into too much detail on topics that are not central to the theme of this book. Since it is the only book on the market on OSS and does provide a wealth of information I decided to be lenient and award it 4 stars. I hope the next edition benefits from some good editing and focuses on OSS, and the product-specific information is moved to a companion web site the way other publishers handle this time sensitive material.

This could have been *the* definitive reference on operational support systems. The author's uneven treatment of the subject and tendency to frequently go off topic or emphasize peripheral systems while leaving large gaps in the main subject have reduced this book to merely mediocre.

The strong points: the chapter on customer care and billing processes is remarkable. Here is a list of things that caught my attention and make this chapter so valuable: (1) the customer care maturity model is well thought out and serves as an excellent benchmarking tool, (2) the customer analysis and acquisition is on the mark, and (3) the customer interface management process and associated diagram comprise an excellent model for OSS processes. I also thought the way the author covered the problem handling process represents best practices, as does the section on SLA management. This is the stuff OSS is made of and it's covered both well and contains ideas and models in which service providers will be interested. The chapter provisioning and order processing is also strong and filled with excellent information for those who are seeking OSS-specific knowledge.

Weaknesses: Not only does this book overemphasize the network operations, which is important, but not central, but the author manages to drop this information into unexpected areas throughout the book. An example: Section 4.4 is an engrossing piece on the sales process that is succinct and filled with information, including tables and a diagram that reinforce the excellent information the author is imparting. Right in the middle of all this is a diagram that shows the use of a DMZ to separate intranets and extranets - not something anyone interested in sales processes cares about and is a big distraction. This happens throughout the book. Also, I agree with the comments made by a previous reviewer about wasting page count on product-specific information. This information needs to be moved to a web site where it can be maintained in an up-to-date fashion. Ironically, the publisher does this for other books. Finally, there are some major gaps: (1) no mention of the TeleManagement Forum, which is a global non-profit organization that is devoted to OSS. This organization has a technology integration map and numerous OSS-related processes that are De Facto standards in the OSS world, yet no mention of the organization and no mention of the wealth of material available that is directly related to OSS. (2) Section 7.4, which addresses migration from an existing to new billing system, misses some key considerations, which could have been developed into a discussion of strengths and weaknesses. For example, how do you segment and migrate subscribers? By CSA? Bill cycle? Region? Price plan? As the industry consolidates this particular issue keeps cropping up and a more in-depth treatment here is warranted. (3) No mention of TL 9000, which is an encompassing quality standard for telecommunications service providers. A portion of this standard applies directly to OSS.

Overall, this book contains some of the best information about OSS that has been collected and compiled into a single book. In fact, it's the only book on the subject. What is needed to make it great is a strong editor who understands OSS and who is not reticent about removing large pieces of superfluous material from this book. More information about standards that are directly related to OSS should also be included. If you work with operational support systems you really have no choice but to buy this book - I just hope that the next edition addresses the weaknesses.

Poorly written and organized. One of the worst texts I have had for a class, it makes things more confusing instead of explaining. It covers many topics instead of explaining anything in detail.

I thought this was well organized and easy to understand for the most part. There were only a few parts (pages, really) that were sort of ho-hum. The diagrams and photos were top notch and really went well with the text. This text would be interesting to read just for the sake of it. I don't have another text to compare it to, which I imagine is a good thing. I've had other texts that were so bad that I only used them for the problem sets (Zill's diff eq text!) but the only external source I used with this book was the internet --and that was usually because something in the book sparked more curiosity.

I would have preferred more technical information (such as wave dynamics or quantative analysis) but I do understand this is an intro text and that I am a math geek.

Our instructor combined this text with the geography of the Pacific NW where I reside, and I certainly do look at the landscape quite differently after taking this course. For that, I give it a five.

Kudos to Christopherson for a well designed book.

Fun to read?! A textbook!? That's right. I'm reading this for my own edification, not for a class, and I'm enjoying it. This book is amazingly well organized. It flows from topic to topic, and learning is enhanced. With most textbooks, you know the routine. Read it, hope the teacher can explain it better, then reorganize the material in your notes into some more understandable fashion. With Geosystems, it's just "read and learn."

I used to hate geography, now I love it. For more detailed info on this book, read the excellent Amazon reviews by steele and nmatzke.

I know I bought this book for a class I'm taking and while the data is something I need to learn what I really like about this book is all the beautiful photography both in the book and in the accompaning CD have on them.

The authors wife is a professional photographer and he uses that to illustrate the concepts with asthetics.

Is the book a bit of a hard read? Yes but again it's a college level textbook so this isn't surprising but if you have to buy it for class don't despair you'll have a book full of beautiful pictures of mother nature to look at well after the college class is done.

Edit of 5 Feb 08 to add emphasis comment and links.

Coment of 5 Feb 08: This amazing professional product has pride of place in my 3000 volum library. It is the permanet owner of the teacher's lecturn, always open to chapter. I include an image aboe to emphasize this point. This book and its author, are GOLD STANDARD.

This is the only DVD I watch weekly on background, stopping my work at each song. This is an incrediblly gifted rendition and integraration of reality art, technology, and directoriaq craft. Wow, wow, wow.


I picked this gem up at the University of Colorado bookstore. I do not have the time for a third graduate degree, but if I did, it would be in Environmental Science.

Unlike most textbooks, this hardcover version is worth every penny, and the paperback is a bargain. This is a large book, 8.5 x 11, crammed with photos, extraordinarily well organized, illustrated, and presented, and it includes a CD ROM that the previous owner never opened that I find to be priceless: a series of illustrations and animations keyed to every chapter, with a non-punitive self-test. Also provided free are an online study guide. Supporting materials include a Student Study Guide and a Student Lecture Notebook that provides illustrations and diagrams to be integrated into the class binder. All are identified by ISBNs, but if you miss page xviii, which outlines "the package," you will be unaware of the other resources.

Each chapter has the base material, a focus study, a news item, and more often than not, a career link. Each chapter ends with self-study questions. My bottom line: this book, taken seriously, *is* a self-taught graduate program in Geosystems.

The only think I do not see in the book, and it may be in the study guide, is "Recommended Reading." BUT a complete array of current sources are fully cited as easily visible footnotes on most pages.

The only gap in this book, and it could probably be quickly developed as a supplementary paperback guide and CD, is the avoidance of an integrated discussion of costs and consequences. The entire study of Geosystems is irrelevant unless it can be explained to people in "true cost" terms. While the book excels, for example, at showing the severe drop in aquifers across specific places, it does not provide a guide to calculating current and future costs to society for ignoring these problems and allowing corporations and individuals to continue to externalize to the public and to future generations, the costs of being stupid and greedy today.

First rate book. One of the most serious textbooks, one of the best illustrated, explained, supported, and presented, I have every seen. For serious adults and emerging adults only--this is not a book, nor a class, for dolts just trying to meet a requirement for graduation.

Other recommended book:
High Noon 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them
The Future of Life
Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming
The Ecology of Commerce
Ecological Economics: Principles And Applications
Valuing the Earth: Economics, Ecology, Ethics
Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble
Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource
Pandora's Poison: Chlorine, Health, and a New Environmental Strategy
Resource Wars: The New Landscape of Global Conflict With a New Introduction by the Author