Audio Conferencing Software promotes SMB collaboration.
Press Release Summary:
Able to integrate with Web conferencing and other client applications from Microsoft, IBM, and Adobe, Meeting Exchange Express helps organize and conduct conference calls on-the-fly. It can connect to Avaya Communication Manager IP telephony solution or any other communications server or PBX. In configurations that support up to 300 simultaneous audio conference participants using single server, standards-based software facilitates integration in multi-vendor networks.
Original Press Release:
Avaya Announces Meeting Exchange Express - a Conferencing and Collaboration Solution for Small and Midsize Companies
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., April 17 -- Avaya Inc. (NYSE:AV), a global leader in business communications applications, systems and services, today announced global availability of Avaya Meeting Exchange Express, an audio conferencing software solution for small and midsize companies that is well-integrated with Web conferencing and other client applications from Microsoft, IBM and Adobe. The ability to organize and conduct conference calls at a moment's notice enables businesses to quickly address changing business needs and customer requirements, using Intelligent Communications to gain competitive advantage while helping to reduce costs.
Based on analysis of more than four years of actual customer data in conjunction with industry-reported cost-per-minute service provider averages, Avaya concludes that companies spending $2,500 or more on monthly outsourced conferencing fees can realize return on investment within 10 months and can save an average of $1,400 per month by switching to Meeting Exchange Express.
Avaya Meeting Exchange Express, along with Avaya Customer Interaction Express contact center solution, also announced today, are sophisticated software applications that extend the capabilities of Avaya's portfolio for midsize businesses, which currently includes Avaya IP Office, Avaya MultiVantage Express and other Avaya Communication Manager-based offerings.
Avaya is the global leader audio conferencing port revenues*. Avaya Meeting Exchange Express is based on the same software technology in Avaya's market-leading Meeting Exchange Enterprise, a conferencing solution used by enterprises and major Service Providers worldwide.
The University of Massachusetts Medical School implemented Avaya Meeting Exchange Express to help cut conferencing costs and improve conferencing efficiency. "Collaboration is an important part of medical research, medical care and teaching," said Edward Manzello, ACIO of Telecommunications, University of Massachusetts Medical School. "With Meeting Exchange Express, we can set up conference calls as needed with a predictable cost structure and no need for pre-scheduling through an outside service provider. We were recently able to conduct a worldwide media call about a Nobel Prize win for a member of our faculty, right after the initial announcement, which helped us create awareness for this tremendous honor."
In configurations that support up to 300 simultaneous audio conference participants using a single server, Avaya Meeting Exchange Express software offers advanced functionality in a highly reliable, easy-to-implement, easy- to-manage, standards-based architecture that simplifies integration in multivendor networks. Using industry standards, such as Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) or traditional TDM, Meeting Exchange Express can connect to Avaya Communication Manager Internet Protocol (IP) telephony solution or virtually any other communications server or PBX.
"Businesses use audio conferencing to collaborate because it provides an easy, ad hoc way for people to connect using any phone, without the need for travel or specialized equipment," said Brent Kelly, Senior Analyst and Partner, Wainhouse Research. "Audio conferencing traffic with no external moderator experienced double digit growth in 2006, and we expect this trend to continue. Business of all sizes are moving forward with their migration to unified communications, and premises-based conferencing solutions will play a significant role in this market."
Avaya Meeting Exchange Express delivers the following capabilities:
-- Integration with IBM Lotus Sametime and Web Conferencing: provides workers with access to advanced enterprise communications capabilities from the familiar Lotus Sametime interface on their PC or laptop. The solution enables users to click-to-call one or more people from their IBM Lotus Sametime Connect client; access to conference functions, such as mute and un-mute, are provided via on-screen buttons. Conferencing can be launched with the click of a mouse. Web and audio conferences can be managed through on-screen functions that identify participants, mute lines, disconnect participants or dial out to additional participants.
-- Integration with Microsoft Outlook: provides a plug-in interface that supports integrated audio-conference scheduling from the user's familiar Microsoft Outlook screen. The interface also provides access to the user's conference details. On-demand or scheduled conference details are automatically inserted into meeting invitations.
-- Built-in Web-based Interface: enables administrators to monitor and manage the system easily, securely and intuitively via PCs or laptops. Management is simplified through a Light-weight Directory Access protocol (LDAP) client which can be configured by administrators via the Web user interface. End users can also access the Web user interface to schedule a conference.
-- Advanced Conference Moderator Capabilities: With simple touchtone commands, conference organizers can perform advanced functions including conference call-record; turn lecture mode on and off to accommodate question and answer sessions; mute and un-mute lines; lock and unlock conference access; play a roster of participants; and start, stop and play back conference recordings. Touchtone commands can be mapped to mirror previously used commands, easing the transition from an external service to an in-house solution.
Meeting Exchange Express expands opportunities for members of Avaya's BusinessPartners, creating a new offering for the growing midsize business market. Built on standard platforms, with repeatable deployment procedures, and functionality to meet a wide range of customer needs, Meeting Exchange Express provides Avaya authorized channel partners with a new tool to help customers take advantage of IP telephony.
"The ability to collaborate with co-workers and customers in different locations is at the heart of Intelligent Communications," said Eileen Rudden, Avaya vice president and general manager, Unified Communications Division. "With easy-to-use interfaces for instant conferencing, as well as the ability to manage complex seminar-style collaborations, Avaya Meeting Exchange software helps businesses of all sizes speed decision-making and optimize business operations."
Availability
Avaya Meeting Exchange Express is available globally now, with language support for Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian available in mid-May 2007.
More information is available at http://www.avaya.com/.
About Avaya
Avaya delivers Intelligent Communications solutions that help companies transform their businesses to achieve marketplace advantage. More than 1 million businesses worldwide, including more than 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500(R), use Avaya solutions for IP Telephony, Unified Communications, Contact Centers and Communications-Enabled Business Processes. Avaya Global Services provides comprehensive service and support for companies, small to large. For more information visit the Avaya Web site, http://www.avaya.com/.
* Frost & Sullivan, 2005 World Audio Conferencing Bridge Systems Market
