Modular platform vision and strategy

A platform is a set of hardware, software, and process building blocks that can form the basis of many different products. The goals of platforms are to reuse and/or share assets wherever possible, to save on development costs, to spread fixed development and production costs across the largest volumes, and to offer highly integrated solutions, all while maintaining critical differentiation of products. Using platforms correctly can produce substantial life-cycle cost benefits and can lead to enhanced supplier management and customer satisfaction. This paper will begin by describing the general concept of platforms. It will then consider their economic benefits to development teams, suppliers, and customers. Next, it will discuss the role of industry standards in forming the basis of a platform offer. It will consider the changing architectures of telecommunications networks, along with the contribution of platforms to these changes. Finally, the paper will outline an example set of platform building blocks and their requirements, along with some case studies of how to combine these building blocks into products.