The ETSI ZSM Industry Specification Group aims to establish a future-proof, horizontal and vertical framework for fully automated, zero-touch management of 5G and future network generations. This initiative targets the automation of all operational processes, including delivery, deployment, configuration, assurance, and optimization, to address the exponential complexity of programmable, software-driven architectures. By defining necessary management architectures and interfaces for multi-vendor environments, the group seeks to enable agile service orchestration across cross-domain and cross-layer aspects using enablers like NFV, SDN, and MEC. The group will also coordinate with other standardization bodies and open source projects to ensure industry-wide alignment on these critical management requirements.
Keywords: zero-touch management, network slicing, NFV, SDN, MEC