In November 2018, Avaya debuted a new line of 17 platform agnostic open SIP devices. Today, Avaya announces a raft of enhancements. These include a new line of professional-grade communication headsets, expanded BroadSoft UC feature support, enhancements to its Essential Experience J100 Series and the availability of Device Enrolment Service 2.0. Ard Verboon, Senior Director of Product Management, Avaya gives us his thoughts on the success since the launch of the open SIP devices and spoke about the adoption of Avaya devices on competitor platforms.
Partner enablement
“Now our partners can now sell our devices to customers running on a range of UCaaS platforms. We entered the open SIP market in 2017 with just a couple of devices, but now the range includes the third generation of our flagship Avaya Vantage device, our conferencing devices, wireless handsets, as well as the complete J100 Series Phone portfolio”.
UC synergy
Commenting on the synergy between hardware and software in UC solutions, Ard said “The hardware in our portfolio is supportive to the software and services mission of Avaya. We see our hardware devices as a portal to the cloud. And coupled with a deep understanding of the cloud and intuitive user interfaces, our hardware simply has a right of existence if it succeeds in creating that competitive advantage”.
Device innovation
On why Avaya is investing in device innovation today, Ard said “I genuinely believe that Avaya Vantage, our award-winning range of multimedia devices, will keep the company competitive in the enterprise desktop hardware market for many years to come. Our devices strategy is based on innovation – it’s a long-term play that will stand the company in good stead in the future”.
On competition within the UC community, Ard commented “Initially, competitors denied the allure of such a device, but there is truly something here – we now see similar devices now popping up around the market. Imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery”.
Essential Experience J100 Series
Speaking about the new hardware introduced to the range, Ard concluded:
“With good software, you can sell good hardware; with good hardware, you can sell good software”.
The J100 series headsets enable unique AcousticEdge™ technology to provide the maximum audio experience while protecting employees from long-term headset usage issues. These headsets are engineered to work particularly well for Contact Centre agents, with an innovative, quick-disconnect option and supervisor listen-in capabilities. Currently available wired, the Avaya roadmap includes a wireless option for users that like to stretch their legs.
BroadSoft development
Recognising the current and potential power that BroadSoft – acquired by Cisco last year – has in the cloud voice market, Avaya has deepened development relationships. The output of this is further enablement of UCaaS service providers to add Avaya Open SIP to their UCaaS offerings on a broad scale. As BroadSoft begins its journey under the Cisco Webex brand, getting close to the BroadSoft community is a wise move for Avaya.
On the 17th January, Avaya is hosting a webinar to discuss the open SIP market. Alaa Saayed, Frost & Sullivan ICT Industry Director & Fellow and Karen Hong, Avaya Senior Product Manager, Devices will discuss the Open SIP devices ecosystem and opportunities for UCaaS Service Providers in 2019 . To learn how to leapfrog the competition by leveraging Avaya Desktop Experience, you can sign up for the webinar here.
