Avaya (News - Alert) recently introduced new unified communications (UC) solutions for remote workers and branch offices. The new solutions are customer-focused and aim to support today’s distributed work environment with employees who often work outside a main location, either on the road or at a branch or home office.

 

Avaya believes that its new UC solutions solve key issues for today’s businesses related to economics (shorter return on investment) and complexity (packaged solutions, simple pricing, services included). Avaya cites research that shows one of its new solutions, Unified Communications (News - Alert) for Teleworkers (which includes video capabilties), costs less than 15 cents per day per employee when costs are spread over a period of three years. 

 

Avaya introduced six new, packaged solutions that combine hardware and software technologies, services (planning, design, multi-vendor implementation, software support, upgrades) and partner collaboration. Four solutions are based on specific worker roles (teleworkers, mobile workers, home agents and small business) and two solutions address branch offices of specific vertical industries (retail stores and banking) with options for centralized, distributed or extended deployments. The new offerings are titled: 

 

The company will also roll out two new products in the coming months (second quarter 2008), including Avaya one-X Communicator and Avaya Intelligent Presence Server. Avaya one-X Communicator is a client application that combines all communications on one client: telephony features, desktop video, visual voicemail, presence, e-mail and instant messaging, conference bridge integration, directories, and contact history. This single desktop application supports both H.323 and SIP protocols so that employees with equipment running either protocol can participate in voice and video calls or sessions.

 

The multi-vendor, multi-protocol compatibility is made possible by the new Avaya Intelligent Presence Server that aggregates presence information from many sources (Avaya and third parties such as Microsoft and IBM (News - Alert)) and varying industry standard protocols (SIP/SIMPLE and XMPP) and presents this to multiple devices. Avaya Intelligent Presence will integrate with Microsoft (News - Alert) Office Communicator in second quarter 2008, followed by IBM Lotus Sametime and Microsoft Exchange later in 2008.

 

Additional products will be updated in second quarter 2008, including Avaya one-X Portal 1.1 with additional language and operating system support; Avaya one-X Mobile with more platforms (iPhone and WM5/6) and 13 languages; Avaya one-X Deskphone with UC phone applications, Outlook integration, and USB authentication for security; and Avaya Distributed Office R1.2 with application integration, more platforms and additional languages. www.avaya.com

 

TelecomTactics Takeaway: Avaya addresses workforce productivity and UC implementation from start to finish. The company announces six new UC solutions for remote workers and branch offices, as well as two new products (Avaya one-X Communicator and Avaya Intelligent Presence Server) and several updated products that demonstrate Avaya’s commitment to leadership in the UC arena. Complementary to these new products are new UC services that include in-house consulting dedicated to UC, a broadening of the partner program to incorporate multi-vendor UC and new Solutions Labs, as well as a Unified Communications Readiness Model that includes planning, design, integration and implementation to ensure a smooth installation in a multi-vendor environment. Avaya also offers Software Support Plus Upgrades, a three year subscription to major UC solution releases. www.telecomtactics.com