As if in response to Nortel Networks' recent news regarding work with IBM Corp., Cisco Systems Inc. has announced a service-management system for carriers that combines "active network abstraction" technology and IBM's Tivoli software. Dubbed the Cisco Assurance Management Solution, it will help service providers change network configurations without changing service management and operations support system applications, according to a Cisco press release. This should make it simpler for carriers to manage IP-based services, the San Jose network equipment maker said. Cisco also pointed out that it has a long-standing alliance with IBM. Nortel touted its own stalwart relationship with IBM earlier this week, announcing an IBM server infused with Nortel VoIP capabilities.