Avaya has announced the availability of a new version of its Unified Communications (UC) solution for SMBs, Avaya IP Office 8.1, which now scales up to a thousand users in a single location (up from 384).
Avaya IP Office 8.1—which can serve companies with as few as five employees— adds mobility, management and security features—as well as custom-built services—to help SMBs take advantage of BYOD environments and advanced mobility.
IP Office 8.1 introduces Avaya Flare Communicator, a mobility app previously only available to large enterprises is now available on iPads or Windows laptops. It enables mobile access to collaboration capabilities such as business-class calling, presence, company directory search, and management of two simultaneous calls while mobile.
Avaya one-X Mobile Preferred for IP Office is now available for iPhone devices (previously announced for Android devices).
Centralized Management and licensing capabilities eliminate the complexity of overseeing communications for multi-site environments by enabling effective management of several sites from one location.
Enhanced Security Options for Avaya IP Office adds protection against toll fraud, denial of service attacks, and other threats through use of a new SMB version of Avaya Session Border Controller—a solution delivering a protective SIP-based firewall. Availability is anticipated in late 3Q ’12.
IP Office Support Service, the first support service from Avaya for SMBs, provides fast resolution, technical support from experts, and secure remote access. Embedded SSL-VPN capabilities help ensure the secure delivery of upgrades, patches and Web-based services.
IP Office 8.1 can be paired with Avaya’s recently introduced ERS 3500 switches to automate network set-up. One simple command automatically configures the switches and enables IP phones on Avaya IP Office.
Interoperability between Radvision SCOPIA endpoints and IP Office is expected at the end of 2012.
Avaya IP Office is sold exclusively through Avaya’s channel partners.
“Avaya has done a phenomenal job by bringing high scalability to IP Office in its newest release of IP Office 8.1. The new version is built to address the needs of different user segments, including user-based licenses which empower businesses to adopt the most appropriate license structure for their needs. Among the most important new features of release 8.1, my personal favorite is the inclusion of UC applications such as mobility and video collaboration. These applications enable small to mid-size businesses to have access to similar capabilities as larger enterprises, facilitating a more even competitive playing field with large-size competitors,” said Shailendra Soni, Industry Principal, APAC Enterprise Communications, Frost & Sullivan.
“Along with the new functionality, Avaya also brings to the table the plug and play Ethernet Routing Switches 3500 and 4000 series, making it easier for SMBs to adopt a complete, integrated enterprise communications solution. The addition of new SME support services simplifies the deployment and maintenance of a highly scalable UC solution, paving the way for SMBs to focus on their core business activity,” he added.