Patent ID: 8819223

Claim:
A network component management system comprising: a first network element located at a service provider location; a second network element located at a customer location and configured to communicate with the first network element over a communication network; and a computing device configured to communicate with the first network element and the second network element over the communication network, wherein the computing device includes a visibility tool configured to actively monitor the second network element and present a status of the second network element, wherein the status of the second network element indicates whether the second network element is provisioned and is able to communicate over the communication network, wherein the visibility tool is configured to present at least one service order, wherein each service order identifies a service, the customer location associated with the service, and a count of one or more network elements or network devices associated with the service, and wherein the visibility tool is configured to compare the count of one or more network elements or network devices associated with the service to an inventory and to selectively generate an alert if the count exceeds the inventory.