Avaya Unveils Roadmap for Future of Business Communications

Integration of former Nortel Enterprise Solutions portfolio accelerates company’s vision of communications powering enhanced business effectiveness


BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Avaya today unveiled its vision for the future of communications and a roadmap that integrates products and services from the recently acquired Nortel Enterprise Solutions (NES) to create a new standard for business communications.


Avaya’s vision is based on open standards, communications-enabled business systems and effective, contextual, real-time communications. Using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) organizations, large to small, can make smooth transitions to new capabilities at their own pace while protecting existing communications investments. Avaya’s communications-enabled business systems streamline business processes by injecting real-time communications where they can provide value. Users are able to be more effective by having access to information based on the context of the task at hand.

“The integrated roadmap we’re outlining today supports Avaya’s commitment to providing customers with the advanced communications capabilities they need to manage and grow their organizations,” said Alan Baratz, senior vice president and president, Global Communications Solutions, Avaya. “In developing the portfolio, our guiding principle was to deliver the most compelling and cost-effective systems and services to customers and partners.”

Roadmap Highlights

The new roadmap builds on the existing Avaya portfolio with capabilities integrated from Nortel Enterprise Solutions. The roadmap highlights include:

Unified Communications

The centerpiece of the unified communications (UC) portfolio is Avaya Aura™, a SIP-based communication platform that unifies complex communications networks. With proven abilities to reduce infrastructure costs and easily deploy centralized collaboration and customer service applications, Avaya Aura provides an upgrade path for all existing Nortel voice and UC customers. The roadmap expands the value of Avaya Aura with the addition of Avaya (formerly Nortel) Agile Communications Environment (ACE). ACE uses Service-Oriented Architecture and Web Services to facilitate the rapid development of communications enabled applications.

Contact Center

Avaya Aura is also be at the center of Avaya’s contact center portfolio. With this foundation, contact centers will move to a SIP-based, service-oriented architecture, simultaneously supporting multiple modes of communication. The new contact center solution will be based on a new and collaborative work assignment model that will connect customers, agents, and information. The new capabilities will enable businesses and organizations to stay ahead of growing customer care demands for tighter integration and lower costs. The integrated roadmap will seamlessly extend the combined Avaya and Nortel Enterprise Solutions market-leading portfolio with capabilities for agent desktop, work assignment, experience management, and analytics that will scale from mid-range to large contact centers.

Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Communications

Avaya IP Office, BCM, Norstar, PARTNER® and Integral 5 all remain for sale with a plan to converge the platforms to the company’s flagship hybrid IP offering, IP Office. Avaya will blend Nortel features, interfaces and phones with IP Office to create a richer solution with strong investment protection benefits. This approach follows the model Avaya has successfully implemented with other systems into IP Office.

The company also now offers the Avaya Software Communication System, a SIP-based offer from NES for small and medium enterprise customers who want to manage unified communications from their data center.

Data Products

As previously announced, Avaya will adopt the current roadmap of NES data products in its entirety. Avaya believes that the technology, customer base and innovative product roadmap represent a compelling value proposition for global customers. A key component of plug and play communications is the underlying, enabling network and the new Avaya data portfolio brings significant advantages of “Always-On” reliability, network efficiency and scalability to grow with customers’ business needs. Included in the Avaya data portfolio are solutions for Ethernet Switching, Routers, Wireless Networking, Access Control and Unified Management.

About Avaya
Avaya is a global leader in enterprise communications systems. The company provides unified communications, contact centers, and related services directly and through its channel partners to leading businesses and organizations around the world. Enterprises of all sizes depend on Avaya for state-of-the-art communications that improve efficiency, collaboration, customer service and competitiveness. For more information please visit www.avaya.com.

Reporter and Industry Analyst Conference Call Information

Alan Baratz, Avaya’s Senior Vice President and President, Global Communications Solutions, will host a conference call about the roadmap for reporters and industry analysts today, Jan. 19, 2010, at 11:00 am, EST.


* To access the call in Canada and the United States, please dial:

877-405-9558 Conference Code: 50160600


* To access the call from other countries, please dial:

706-902-3818 Conference Code: 50160600

Replay Information

A replay of the call will be available from 12:00 pm, EST, Jan. 19, 2010, through Feb. 2, 2010.


* To access the replay in Canada and the United States, please dial:

800-642-1687 Conference Code: 50160600


* To access the replay from other countries, please dial:

706-645-9291 Conference Code: 50160600

Following the reporter and analyst call, attend a public virtual event on Avaya’s vision

At 1:00PM US EST Avaya will host a Public Virtual Event on its vision for the future of Business Communications, the Avaya Reference Architecture and details on the new roadmap for integration. First, hear presentations and perspectives from Kevin Kennedy, Avaya CEO, Dr. Alan Baratz, SVP & President, Avaya Global Communications Solutions, Joel Hackney, SVP & President, Government and Data Solutions, Chris Formant, SVP & President, Avaya Global Services, and other Avaya leaders.

Additional information will then be available at your convenience with (10) 30-minute on-demand roadmap sessions, including: UC, Contact Center, SME, Data, Government Solutions and MORE.

To attend the virtual event, please register by visiting: http://bit.ly/NewAvaya