Avaya has figured out how to pack “core” Aura functionality onto a single enterprise server. The result is a package of software (Avaya Aura 6.1), to be generally available later this year, that brings full-blown collaboration and “unified communications” features to businesses with 250-to-1,000 employees. In a related story, Avaya will extend these features to company branch offices or retail stores through its new B5800 Branch Gateway. Both ship in easy to configure packages that support popular applications (such as conferencing, messaging or contact center).

Because the package of software uses the same core logic as full-blown Aura implementations, Communications Manager is the call handling resource and all of the other Avaya-branded resources support presence management, system management and reporting, resiliency and fail-over. Sales people and channel partners require no special training to sell it and, by Avaya’s calculation, solutions carry a retail price that is 15%-22% less than competing products.

This is a low-cost, starter package designed to run on a single HP server, or to be virtualized and put on a shared server. That means it automatically ships with Avaya Aura® Session Manager, Avaya Aura® System Manager, Avaya Aura® Presence Services, Avaya Aura® Session Border Controller (in April), Avaya Aura® Application Enablement Services, Communication Manager Utility Services, Avaya Aura® Communication Manager and Communication Manager Messaging. It also fits with Avaya’s Agile Communications Environment (ACE) to enable quick and easy integration through “connectors to “connectors” for Cisco, Avaya (including the vestiges of the Nortel CMS line), Tandberg (video endpoints), IBM SameTime, and Microsoft Lync.

In an analyst pre-briefing, Avaya cited a few beta customers (under NDA) who are deploying configurations that include multiple contact centers, video and the “FLARE Experience,” referring to the AJAX-dependent, dynamic desktop (if not Avaya’s own enterprise tablet).

The branch or retail gateway is a cost-effective way to extend Aura functionality to sites with no more than 384 users. This architecture provides for centralization of system management and applications while supporting popular local functions, like auto-attendant, voice mail or clients for Aura-based apps. This gateway is set to ship “in March.”

Avaya is starting its marketing push for Aura Midsized Edition (Aura ME) today, with general availability for “greenfield” implementations (as well as “bolt on” for selected versions of Communications Manager and Communications Server 1000) in April. Programs to support “easy migration to SIP” from Aura ME 5.2.1 and older CS implementations scheduled for “the first half” of 2011. The same for implementation of the Contact Center package in “greenfield” envirnoments.

Categories: Articles

Tags: Avaya, Contact Center, Collaboration, IP-based telephony