'Where's Santa?' Avaya Intelligent Communications Help NORAD Santa Trackers Answer Number One Question on Busiest Night of the Year
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Annual 'Track Santa' Mission on Target
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Dec. 19 -- Before children are snug in their beds on Christmas Eve -- even before cookies and milk are plated and poured -- North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will be monitoring radar for the signs that Santa Claus has left the North Pole. At Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, nearly 700 "Santa Trackers," backed by Avaya Intelligent Communications telephony and contact center applications, are on standby to answer the Number One question of their mission: "Where's Santa?" Avaya Inc. (NYSE:AV) is a leading global provider of communications applications, systems and services for businesses, organizations and government.
The 24-hour NORAD "Tracks Santa" operation center received more than 560,000 calls from children around the world last year. That number is expected to double this year as new technology expands the ability of the "Trackers" to meet substantially higher call volumes. The 1-877-HI-NORAD Santa hotline operates from 2:00 a.m. Mountain Time December 24 until 2:00 am MT December 25.
At Peterson AFB, Avaya Communication Manager telephony software runs on an Avaya S8700 Media Server, and will help ensure that those important calls get answered. Both software and server have been tested and certified by the Department of Defense Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) to ensure for security and reliability for missions such as this -- when failure is not an option.
"Several generations of children have reached out to the NORAD Tracks Santa program, which has been fielding calls for more than 50 years," said Major Stacia Reddish, NORAD Tracks Santa Project Officer. "NORAD Santa Trackers attempt to answer as many calls as possible on Christmas Eve. Avaya helps us make sure that all systems are "go" on December 24 and uphold the security and reliability this mission requires."
NORAD uses multiple means to pinpoint the exact location of Santa. Once lift-off by the Jolly Red Elf and his eight reindeer has been detected, satellites track the infrared signature given off by Rudolph's nose. Santa cams positioned around the world transmit images to the Internet. The NORAD Tracks Santa Mission began after a Sears and Roebuck store in Colorado Springs misprinted the number for a Santa hotline. CONAD (NORAD's predecessor) Chief of Operations received the first call for Santa on Christmas Eve in 1955.
"Avaya has played a critical role in many important missions and key government operations," said Mike Singer, vice president, Federal Sector Sales, Avaya. "It's great to have our intelligent communications technologies be part of NORAD's Track Santa program."
About Avaya
Avaya Inc. designs, builds and manages communications networks for more than 1 million businesses worldwide, including over 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/
FCMN Contact: klined@avaya.com
Source: Avaya Inc.
CONTACT:
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klined@avaya.com
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