Two new European IP telephony wins for Avaya

Avaya, a global leader in business communications solutions and services, recently announced two new customer implementations that demonstrate the success of its multi-faceted approach to building IP telephony systems. These installations are with the systems integrator, MasterBit, based in Germany and LAN communications specialist, LAN-Anlyst from the Netherlands.

Avaya`s IP strategy is based upon delivering highly reliable, fully-functional IP telephony, either by installing a whole new local area network-based (LAN-based) voice-over-IP (VoIP) system, or by scaling up IP from an existing Avaya PBX voice communications infrastructure. This is achieved through Avaya`s Enterprise Class IP Solutions (ECLIPS) portfolio which shares common Avaya call processing features with Avaya`s DEFINITY enterprise communications servers, as well as through Avaya`s IP solutions for its INDeX and Alchemy products.

Commenting on the two new implementations, Patrick Lelorieux, Avaya`s President for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: " We believe it is no longer a question of whether companies will move to IP telephony, but when they will adopt and how they will do it."

Building IP from the ground up in Germany

MasterBit knows about the importance of accessing applications at anytime from anywhere. A company that prides itself on helping other companies to make maximum use of the latest technology, MasterBit helps its customers integrate various application service provider (ASP) offerings into their existing IT infrastructures. In doing so, MasterBit ensures its customers are able to integrate and access its mission critical applications across the entire enterprise.

This imperative of accessing an integrated series of business applications at anytime, anywhere is the driving force behind MasterBit`s new IP telephony installation. Voice and data applications will be converged onto a single network, carried through MasterBit`s newly installed IP-only communications network powered by an Avaya ECLIPS IP600 Internet Protocol Communication Server. With more than 50 people connected through a series of 50 IP softphones and 20 hardphones, employees need only to plug their laptops into the company`s LAN to have complete data access as well as fully functional voice communications.

Built into this installation will be a series of enterprise-wide communications functions, which go beyond simply voice telephony. With mobility also high on MasterBit`s agenda, the company will also be using enhanced IP telephony functionality such as Avaya`s Unified Messenger. By plugging Avaya`s Unified Messenger into MasterBit`s IP telephony system, employees have immediate access to all their voice, fax and e-mail messages at anytime, anywhere.

"Our promise to customers is to provide them with the best possible IT solution to help them achieve their business goals. We couldn`t deliver on this if we didn`t use the best possible technology to expand our own business," said Thomas M"uller, CEO and founder of MasterBit. "Avaya`s VoIP technology is clearly the best available on the market today. We even recommend it to our clients looking to install a voice-over-IP solution themselves."

The Avaya IP600 is being installed at MasterBit`s headquarters in Kloster Arnsburg with plans to connect it to its branches in Nuremburg and Munich via an IP virtual private network (VPN).

Building IP on top of a solid foundation in the Netherlands Based in Sassenheim, the Netherlands, LAN-Alyst is a company of over 700 people, which specialises in developing and implementing LANs for a broad range of companies. With the company currently in a rapid state of expansion, there is an increasing demand on communications network resources. To best meet this demand, make more efficient use of the bandwidth on its networks and streamline its voice and data communications, LAN-Alyst turned to Avaya to build IP capability into its existing pervasive voice networks.

The first phase of the IP telephony roll-out was to upgrade the voice communications network for more than 100 of LAN-Alyst`s employees at two branches located in Sassenheim and Capelle aan Ijssel. Rather than dispose of its existing Avaya DEFINITY communications server, LAN-Alyst decided to scale up and add the IP functionality it needed to expand its existing voice communications infrastructure.

"Obviously we looked at a number of solutions, but Avaya`s stood head and shoulders above the rest. Not only because it has the lead in technology, but also because Avaya`s implementation can be carried out with the minimum of disruption to the existing environment," said Addy Wormgoor, deputy director for LAN-Alyst. "On top of that, Avaya has the proven expertise in providing the reliability and functionality in voice communications we expect for such a mission-critical application."

Reliability is an absolute key factor for LAN-Alyst. It needed the upgrade to IP telephony to be seamless. If voice communications experienced downtime during and after the migration, the installation would disrupt LAN-Alyst`s business rather than support it. "With data communication, we expect some downtime, whereas with voice communications, any downtime is disastrous. Voice systems must have continuous availability and work without a glitch. That is what we expected from our old voice system and that is what we expect with our new voice-over-IP system," Wormgoor added.