Before I explain the cryptic title, I have to give thanks to Dean Bubley for another acronym. UTFP stands for “Under the Floor Provider”, better known as our current Telcos. The future for Telcos is being referred to as the plumbing and dumb pipe providers. Let’s add another acronym to the mix.
While attending the Telco 2.0 Conference in Nice, Dean posed a question about “Under the Floor Providers” implementing the “Over the Top” (OTT) services and a unified API strategy. I’m not sure he ever answered his question, as I was too busy writing down the new acronym. This question was raised during a session about APIs, the best way to monetize, deliver and standardize, [...]

Every toolset evolves. Archaeological evidence validates the historic progression of and improvements in prehistoric hunting tools over hundreds and thousands of years. Metal ore and heat were combined in ways that gave tools the ability to withstand chipping, breaking or other types of damage. Over time, toolmakers engaged in problem definition, tool creation and improvement. Evolution is a constant.
There is a parallel with communication tools used in enterprises today. As work group managers, we are constantly seeking ways to overcome communication, workflow and process problems. Once we identify a problem we run to the IT staff — the “tools craftsman” of today — to help us solve it. We explain, “I need this data in [...]