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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jonathan Varman
Avaya
908.953.6432
Patricia J. Schreiber
Miercom
609.490.0200
Avaya's Internet Protocol (IP) telephony solutions named "Best-in-Test" by Business Communications Review
Avaya's large-scale IP-PBX solutions ranks first among products supporting 1000 or more users; advanced capabilities and innovation raise Avaya above competitors
BASKING RIDGE, NJ - January 29, 2003 - Avaya (NYSE:AV), a leading global provider of communications networks and services for businesses, today announced that its IP telephony solutions - Enterprise Class Internet Protocol Solutions (ECLIPS) powered by Avaya MultiVantage Software - were ranked "Best-in-Test" among large-scale IP-PBXs in a January report from Business Communications Review (BCR) magazine (www.bcr.com), the premier magazine for enterprise telecom and network managers and IT professionals.
The evaluation was conducted for BCR magazine by Miercom, an independent networking consultancy and product test center located in Princeton Junction, NJ. In the testing, the Avaya IP Telephony solution - composed of the Avaya S8700 Media Server and G600 Media Gateway - was measured against four competing IP-PBX systems that support 1,000 or more station clients. The report ranked basic and advanced features, management and performance/availability, finding that Avaya outperformed the competition in advanced features, and scored well in every other category, leading to the magazine's "Best-in-Test" award.
"Avaya delivers impressive IP Telephony solutions for enterprises seeking communications that improve business performance," said Robert J. Smithers, president, Miercom. "In addition to high performance and reliability, Avaya demonstrated significant competitive advantages when it comes to offering innovative features and capabilities that enhance mobility for employees, and foster seamless, continuous communications throughout an enterprise."
To evaluate advanced features, Miercom tested a wide range of capabilities, with a focus on applications that enhanced productivity and were easy to use. The Avaya applications, devices and capabilities that were tested for this category included:
» Avaya 4630 IP Screenphone
The authors stated that the 4630 was the first color screenphone they've seen, and was "the most dramatic example of phone-to-PC morphing." The Avaya 4630 - which is geared toward use in kiosks and other areas that enable public use - features an innovative touch-screen that lets users access HTML pages using their fingers or a stylus.
» Avaya IP Softphone for Pocket PC
This software-based feature allows handheld device users to make and receive phone calls and control their IP desk phones remotely. According to the report, this feature demonstrated the ability to carry conversations with "remarkably clear voice quality," and its value in managing the features of one's station/desktop phone was highlighted as well.
» Media encryption to protect active IP phone calls
While "packet sniffing" tools make IP-based phone calls vulnerable to hackers, the BCR report noted that with Avaya media encryption, only white noise is heard if packets are captured and replayed. Quality media encryption is important in helping to keep information protected and secure.
"Businesses that are evolving to IP Telephony to reduce costs and simplify network administration will find that they will also gain advanced capabilities that can vastly improve business performance and productivity for mobile and distributed environments," said Micky Tsui, vice president and general manager, Converged Systems Division, Avaya. "Miercom's test results - and the Best-in-Test award from BCR - are a result of Avaya's commitment to providing businesses with innovative IP telephony applications, systems, phones and client interfaces that reflect the needs of demanding enterprises."
In its report, Miercom also added that across the board, vendors such as Avaya who have deep experience in traditional communications are now overcoming newer IP PBX vendors on quality features. According to the authors, "In what could amount to an arms race of sorts, traditional PBX vendors are showing increasingly broad varieties of home-grown, end-point hardware and software, while their VoIP-only counterparts are lagging behind them."
Avaya's excellence in IP Telephony solutions went beyond advanced features to other categories measured, including management, performance and availability. For example, in the area of management, Avaya Site Administration - which enables easier management for network administrators - was cited as a "slight cut above its colleagues from the TDM world." In the availability category, the redundancy capabilities of Avaya's S8700 Media Servers were singled out as "the most innovative single feature of any kind under review." A key availability feature that impressed reviewers included Avaya's convenient and seamless support for off-net call server backup.
Overview
For the BCR report, Miercom tested components from Avaya's ECLIPS portfolio, which brings the functionality, scalability and reliability of voice communications to Internet Protocol (IP) networks. They include: field-proven Avaya MultiVantage Software, based on an open-standards, multi-vendor environment; S8700 Media Server with G600 Media Gateway; the IP Softphone for Pocket PC; Extension-to-Cellular; and the Avaya 4630 IP Screenphone and 4620 IP Telephone.
A complete copy of the BCR Best-in-Test article ranking large-scale PBX systems is available at www.bcr.com/voicecon/ippbx-test.asp. For more information on Avaya IP Telephony Solutions, visit: www.avaya.com/eclips.
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 website: www.avaya.com.
About Miercom
Miercom, founded in 1988, is an independent networking consultancy and product test center located in Princeton Junction, NJ. The company pioneered the comparative assessment of networking hardware and software, having developed methodologies for testing products from ATM switches to voice-over-IP equipment.
Miercom is the Business Communications Review preferred lab for "Best-in-Test" reviews, and is a proud member of the Network World Test Alliance. Miercom is the undisputed leader in the independent networking validation industry, and sets the standard for credible, competent, unbiased, and realistic testing. Additional information on Miercom's business continuance services and custom private testing services can be found at www.miercom.com.
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