Why Network Services Need Automation

AI apps and workloads require distributed computing and data storage resources. As such, enterprises find they must often work with multiple providers to connect the various service offerings. The problem is that ordering, monitoring, and managing those engagements can be quite complex. That is driving a need for providers to support more automation.

Recently, the Mplify Enterprise Leadership Council (ELC) took action. The ELC includes senior executives (CxOs) from mid- to large-sized enterprises for which the network is critical. Last month, the group issued an industry manifesto titled Accelerating Enterprise Connectivity and Automation through Mplify LSO APIs, which serves as a call to action for service providers to adopt standardized Lifecycle Service Orchestration (LSO) APIs.

The manifesto lays out a strategic blueprint to address the longstanding automation gap between enterprise IT systems and service provider networks, as digital complexity rapidly increases.

Signatories of the manifesto include CIOs and heads of network architecture from organizations such as Bloomberg LP, Siemens Healthineers, Morgan Stanley, Accenture, UPMC, Williams-Sonoma, and others.

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The Context: Automation Challenges in the Modern Enterprise

Enterprises today are grappling with surging AI workloads, geographically distributed user bases, and an expanding array of cybersecurity threats. While internal systems increasingly leverage automation and real-time orchestration, external interactions with service providers remain fragmented, manual, and slow.

Processes such as quoting, service ordering, inventory tracking, troubleshooting, and performance monitoring often rely on human intervention, ad hoc emails, and non-standardized tools that introduce latency and operational risk. The ELC manifesto characterizes this reality as an “automation gap” that consumes enterprise resources and impedes agility.

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Why LSO APIs Matter in the Move to Automation

At the heart of the manifesto is a strategic endorsement of standardized LSO APIs as the linchpin for transforming enterprise-provider integration. According to the document, Mplify’s LSO APIs enable machine-readable, automated interactions across both business and operational domains.

The effort focuses on two types of APIs. There are Business APIs that automate functions such as quoting, ordering, inventory management, billing, ticketing, and address validation. And there are Operational APIs that provide real-time service performance data, testing, fault isolation, and impairment reporting.

By eliminating manual touchpoints and proprietary integrations, standardized APIs offer enterprises the ability to:

• Close automation gaps by removing dependence on spreadsheets, PDFs, and emails.
• Accelerate procurement and scaling of connectivity services globally.
• Strengthen service management through real-time visibility and responsiveness.
• Support AI-driven orchestration across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

So, LSO APIs are positioned as foundational enablers of an automated Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) ecosystem aligned with enterprise business imperatives.

Imperatives for Service Providers

The manifesto lays out clear directives for service providers to help close the enterprise-provider automation gap:

• Adopt Mplify Business APIs for enterprise-centric functions, including quoting, ordering, billing, inventory, settlement, and address validation.
• Deploy Operational APIs covering trouble ticketing, circuit maintenance, performance monitoring, and cybersecurity alerts.
• Support the full NaaS Payload suite to automate workflows from the enterprise edge, across diverse provider networks, and into cloud environments.
• Participate in Mplify’s API certification programs to validate interoperability and lifecycle support.
• Engage with the enterprise community to ensure standards reflect real-world operational requirements.

These imperatives signal a coordinated push toward interoperability and automation that transcends individual vendor offerings, laying the groundwork for seamless lifecycle orchestration across today’s heterogeneous provider landscape.

A Milestone: CIM Service API Standardization

Coinciding with the manifesto’s publication, the ELC announced the approval of Mplify’s Circuit Impairment & Maintenance (CIM) Service API as a global standard. This API delivers real-time visibility into network faults, enabling quicker isolation, remediation, and reliability improvements across multi-provider environments.

For enterprises with hybrid and distributed networks, access to standardized fault and maintenance data represents a significant operational advantage. Real-time performance insights, coupled with automated notifications, can materially reduce mean time to resolution (MTTR) and elevate service assurance.

Looking Forward: Real-Time, API-Driven Connectivity

As enterprises continue their digital transformation initiatives and rapidly adopt AI, the integration gap between internal platforms and external service provider systems remains a persistent operational drag. The ELC manifesto’s emphasis on standardized LSO APIs offers a path toward automated, data-driven connectivity that aligns with modern enterprise expectations.

In summary, the ELC’s manifesto is a strategic signal, inviting industry stakeholders to coalesce around a standard API framework that promises to redefine enterprise-provider collaboration in the digital age. By embracing common standards and certification, both enterprises and service providers can unlock more agile, resilient, and secure network services.