The same goes for provisioning. You should buy your provisioning software the same way you would your apple pastries. There are hardware vendors out there that throw in “free” provisioning software, but there’s almost always a catch. I’ve seen instances where the software will only work with that one device, or the vendor promotes open source software that isn’t licensed or doesn’t have support. When choosing a provisioning solution, look for an expert that is willing to stake their reputation on their product and go beyond the expected to keep you satisfied.
Here at Incognito, provisioning is what we do. That’s all we do. We’re focused on solving MSO/carrier problems and that’s our bread and butter. We don’t sell routers or cable modems. We spend 24/7/365 breathing, thinking, and eating provisioning. Why is this important? It’s like the dessert scenario. If you complain to McDonald’s about their apple turnover, they’ll give you your money back and perhaps say they are sorry that you didn’t like it. But if you complain to the baker, she may change her recipe for you, or create a new flavor just for you that other customers might like too. This is because if you stop visiting the baker, she’s out of business, whereas McDonald’s won’t go broke if you don’t like their apple dessert. If Incognito ran a bakery, we would stock the flavors you want because we want you to come back. And we wouldn’t want to start selling burgers to go with our apple turnovers…