Avaya Selected by Leading Investment Management Firm for Global IP Telephony Network

31-May-2006

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Avaya Inc. (NYSE:AV), a leading global provider of business communications applications, systems and services, today announced that it has been selected by Vanguard, the second largest mutual fund firm in the U.S., for IP Telephony networking, applications and more than 18,000 IP endpoints around the world. The contract also includes project design, implementation and management, plus five years of maintenance services provided by Avaya Global Services.

Avaya will design and build a centralized, IP Telephony–based architecture that will enable Vanguard to reduce costs by more than $1-million annually. The savings will come by consolidating communications servers by nearly 90 percent. From the core of the network, Avaya MultiVantage® Communications Applications will extend from key locations over Vanguard’s corporate WAN to all of the company’s locations, including its headquarters, contact centers, operational centers, and regional offices. Employees in all of the company’s locations will benefit by having access to consistent business communications features and functionality.

“Vanguard is continually looking to reduce costs and increase collaboration with our clients. IP telephony promises to fulfill both of these objectives, and we are excited to work with Avaya, a trusted partner for more than a decade, to make it happen,” said Vanguard Chief Information Officer Tim Buckley.

The Avaya IP Telephony network will enable Vanguard to quickly adapt to business growth and changing strategies by providing expanded scalability and flexibility, resulting in a lower total cost of ownership for the company. Better business continuity will be gained through server redundancy at the top of the network and survivable gateways on the local level.

Avaya’s IP Telephony network and solutions lay the groundwork for Vanguard to refocus IT operations from a largely tactical approach to a more strategic one which suggests or leads revenue-generating initiatives or produces greater competitive advantage. With applications and systems built on open industry standards, Vanguard is better positioned to develop and deploy IP-based applications that integrate voice into their business processes.

“Vanguard recognizes the potential of intelligent communications as a strategy to serve its investors,” said Lou D’Ambrosio, senior vice president and president, Global Sales and Marketing, Avaya. “Avaya is pleased to continue our long-standing relationship and commitment to Vanguard as we work together to design the company’s communications future.”

Avaya Global Services will provide design, project management, implementation and ongoing maintenance services for Vanguard. Avaya Global Services represents more than 7,000 professional consultants, engineers, technicians and support staff, serving customers around the globe.

About Avaya
Avaya Inc. designs, builds and manages communications networks for more than 1 million businesses worldwide, including 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500®. Focused on businesses large to small, Avaya is a world leader in secure and reliable Internet Protocol (IP) telephony systems and communications software applications and services.

Driving the convergence of voice and data communications with business applications – and distinguished by comprehensive worldwide services – Avaya helps customers leverage existing and new networks to achieve superior business results. For more information visit the Avaya website: http://www.avaya.com.

About Vanguard
The Vanguard Group, headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, is the nation’s second-largest mutual fund firm and a leading provider of company-sponsored retirement plan services. Vanguard manages more than $995 billion in U.S. mutual fund assets, including more than $275 billion in employer-sponsored retirement plans. Vanguard offers more than 131 funds to U.S. investors and more than 40 additional funds in foreign markets.

Contact Information

Deb Kline

Media Relations

Avaya

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