For Immediate Release: 08-Jan-2003
GUILDFORD, UKAvaya Inc. (NYSE:AV), a leading global provider of
communications networks and services for businesses, today
announced Avaya Unified Communication Center. The product is an
integrated suite of software and hardware that delivers wireless,
Web and speech-enabled access to applications including messaging,
communications and collaboration tools. From phones, cellular
phones, PCs or wireless handheld devices, workers can easily manage
email, voice mail and fax messages, in addition to accessing
critical business communication applications such as calling,
conferencing, company directories, desktop calendar and task
functions. The Labour Force Survey, National Statistics department,
highlighted that in 2001 2.2 million people in the UK 7.4 per
cent of the employed population were remote workers, an increase
of 65 per cent since 1997. Avaya Unified Communication Center will
help companies meet the needs of the increasingly mobile global
workforce by extending the functionality of current messaging
systems. Avaya is the worldwide leader in unified messaging and voice
messaging systems, with more than 100 million mailboxes currently
deployed in small, medium and large enterprises globally. GoAmerica Inc. (NASDAQ: GOAM), a leading wireless data services
provider is already using Avaya Unified Communication Center to
make the most of its existing Avaya INTUITY AUDIX® and Microsoft
Outlook investments. GoAmerica employees now use a single point to
access their voice mail, email and fax messages, contact
directories, calls and conferencing. Using wireless handheld
devices, employees can upload messages, manage voice mail features
and control incoming and outgoing calls. On the web, GoAmerica
employees use Avaya Unified Communication Center to access
corporate directories and set up conference calls with team members
across multiple locations. "At GoAmerica, we have many remote and mobile employees," said
Liz Roth, director of Business Development for GoAmerica. "Upon
introducing Avaya Unified Communication Center to the staff, we saw
the immediate value of accessing all important communications tools
from a single access point. By integrating the product with
wireless devices and the Web, our employees benefit from the
convenience of accessing Avaya Unified Communication Center
wherever they travel for business." "Because employees today are so dependent on their desktop
applications for day-to-day functions, it is extremely important
that mobile workers have access to their calendar information,
company directory and tasks lists," said Joe Gagan, senior analyst,
The Yankee Group. "Avaya Unified Communications Center allows the
mobile worker easy access to this vital organisational information
via a of variety devices. We believe that this type of solution
will prove to be very well adopted. Avaya is one of the leaders in
unified messaging deployments and should do very well with this
product." Avaya Unified Communication Center encompasses four categories
that are the building blocks of Unified Communication: - Message Management uses voice to control email, voice
mail and fax for quicker response to customers, colleagues and
partners.
- Calling and Conferencing Management supports instant
"any media" conferencing and collaboration with a full suite of
services, including calling, voice conferencing, data sharing,
video conferencing and web casting applications.
- Contact and Information Management offers integrated
access to directories and databases, including calendars and
corporate information stores, to speed customer response
activities, transactions and workflow.
- Personal Efficiency Management tools, such as find
me/reach me/hide me, remote location establishment and automatic
message sorting, are rules-based functions that allow the user to
customise communications for higher productivity and better
responsiveness.
"Companies are looking for ways to protect and extend the value
of their network investments," said Richard Jenner, product manager
for Avaya's Unified Communication Centre in Europe, the Middle East
and Africa. "Avaya Unified Communication Center offers a practical
way to deliver the virtual desktop without re-inventing the wheel.
This allows businesses to meet evolving communications needs
quickly and cost-effectively." Richard Keatinge, CEO from Avaya's business partner, Connect
Communications Group commented: "We are very excited about the
business opportunities for speech access with Unified Communication
Center especially with existing system sales and as an
application to build on IP telephony networks. Customers who have
already been given a preview of the product have been blown away by
the ease with which they can respond to messages, make calls, and
get access to information. Also, we believe there is an excellent
return on investment for customers where typically the system will
pay for itself within six months." The first release of Avaya Unified Communication Center will be
available in February 2003 in the UK and Ireland direct from Avaya
and through its network of existing business partners. Prices for
Avaya Unified Communication Center will range from about £260 to
£390 per user, depending on network configurations and the number
of users. Currently, Avaya Unified Communication Center integration
software operates with Avaya message servers, including INTUITY
AUDIX®, Octel® 200/300, Octel 250. Also, the systems operate with
Avaya Enterprise Class IP Solutions (ECLIPS) portfolio of Avaya
Media Servers and Avaya Media Gateways, using Avaya MultiVantage
Software, which provides the full capabilities of traditional phone
systems on an IP converged network. To help more companies extend
the value of their existing communications networks, Avaya plans to
make available Avaya Unified Communication Center for multi-vendor
message and communication systems later this year. 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 Web site: http://www.avaya.com About Connect Communications Group
Connect Communications Group is EMEA's leading independent
provider of managed messaging services, with offices in London,
Frankfurt, Paris and Kuala Lumpur. From start-up in 1992, Connect
has grown rapidly to serve users in 35 countries worldwide. Clients
include some of the world's largest corporations. They chose
Connect because it is platform-independent, focusing exclusively on
messaging technology with innovative, flexible services, which
include consulting, managed service, system implementation, and
training (www.connectcomms.com). | 
