Software centralizes intelligent communications support.
Press Release Summary:
Avaya Integrated Management for IP Office streamlines and simplifies way headquarters companies deliver and support intelligent communications at up to 2,500 of their individual branch or store locations. Through GUI, managers can create standard configurations with which to centrally provision, administer, and monitor system for many locations. Management console displays topology view of all IP Office systems in network.
Original Press Release:
New Management Tool from Avaya Centralizes Support of Intelligent Communications Across Small Offices or Retail Chain Stores
- Avaya Integrated Management for Avaya IP Office enables centralized management for up to 2500 locations
- CCI to implement management tool, position capability with retail customers
NEW YORK, Jan. 15 -- National Retail Federation Conference and Expo, Booth #2255 -- Avaya (NYSE:AV) has introduced a new management tool designed to make it easier and more economical for headquarters companies, such as large retailers, to deliver and support Intelligent Communications at their individual branch or store locations.
The Avaya Integrated Management for IP Office is new software that streamlines and simplifies the way companies can configure and manage Avaya IP Office communication solutions in a distributed network. IP Office is a secure, easy-to-use converged voice and data system designed especially for small businesses and multi-site deployment by mid to large companies. Avaya has sold more than 85,000 IP Office systems to companies worldwide. Many of these businesses have IP Office at their headquarters and branch and store locations and now have a way to configure and manage them from a central location.
Avaya, a global leader in business communications applications, systems and services, announced the management tool at the National Retail Federation 96th Annual Conference and Expo, where the company is demonstrating the many ways retailers can use Intelligent Communications to improve customer service and boost productivity.
Avaya Integrated Management for IP Office can significantly reduce the total cost of operations by enabling businesses to centrally create commonly- used IP Office functions and apply them to groups of IP Office locations. A simple GUI interface enables IT managers to create standard configurations, or 'templates,' to centrally provision, administer and monitor the system for many locations, rather than one at a time, which is time-consuming and expensive. For example, it lets retailers with multiple sites make broad changes to communications parameters, such as holiday greetings or store hours, map sets of extensions to the pharmacy section in a store, or change dialing plans -- which describe the number and pattern of digits, such as area codes or access codes, that a user dials to reach a particular telephone number -- at selected stores.
Later this month, CCI Telecom Inc., a certified Avaya reseller based in Statesville, North Carolina, plans to implement the tool at its headquarters location. "We expect that the Avaya Integrated Management for IP Office will enable us to provide our retail and other business clients with proactive, value-added customer care," said Bobby Stewart, president, enterprise networks, CCI Telecom Inc. "For example, instead of keeping spreadsheets of systems and software installed, and scheduling upgrades manually, we'll be able to establish and deploy automatic software upgrades, and make sure our clients have the latest features and capabilities on their IP Office system, without anyone slipping through the cracks. Plus, we can enable our clients to extend common network configurations across numerous IP Office sites. As a result, not only will we be more productive and efficient in our own operation, but we can further differentiate CCI as a provider of excellent customer support."
According to John Vincent, director, retail marketing, Avaya, retail chains, in particular, normally segment their stores by size, type, brand and market, which requires customization to meet local market needs. "With the Avaya Integrated Management for IP Office, any type of business with IP Office at its branches can create a variety of different templates, each one supporting ten, hundreds or thousands of stores," he said.
"Total cost of ownership is a critical aspect of deploying large scale networks," Vincent said. "With Avaya Integrated Management for IP Office, businesses can deploy the same configurations and policies across all relevant locations without having to configure each location individually, which saves labor time, reduces the possibility for configuration errors -- and frees the IT staff to handle other aspects of running the systems."
The tool also contains a management console that displays a topology view of all IP Office systems in the network. The IT staff can use the tool to track and optimize network performance, view voice traffic, automatically upgrade software, and reboot locations remotely, which can reduce on-site maintenance visits.
"It's important for large businesses to master a single set of management tools to manage their entire network, including their smaller retail locations and their regional and national centers, such as contact centers," said Vincent. "With Avaya Integrated Management, large retailers can avoid the need for separate management tools, which, in turn, eliminates other costs, such as additional servers in the network needed to run disparate management tools, and the staff training time required to learn how to use the tools and maintain them."
Avaya Integrated Management for IP Office can be used to administer and manage the IP Office portfolio. The portfolio, which includes several models to fit any size store location, includes:
-- Avaya IP Office Small Office Edition, for up to 28 users. This system provides smaller locations with the types of business features -- such as built-in firewall for network security, Internet access, wireless connectivity, advanced messaging capabilities, and six way calling -- that are usually available only with larger, more complex systems.
-- IP Office 406, designed for up to 190 extensions.
-- IP Office 412, which supports up to 360 users.
The Avaya Integrated Management for IP Office is projected to be available in the first quarter of 2007 from certified Avaya resellers. Pricing starts at $3,950 and will vary depending upon the number of branch stores or locations for a business.
About Avaya
Avaya Inc. designs, builds and manages communications networks for more than one million businesses worldwide, including over 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500(R). Focused on businesses large to small, Avaya is a world leader in secure and reliable Internet protocol 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 web site: http://www.avaya.com/.
