The Avaya Engage 2018 conference was a celebration of transformative announcements and powerful business strategies this year, as the company celebrated their exit from Chapter 11. While we heard about many interesting new things from Chirico and the team, the launch of the new “Avaya Equinox” strategy was one of the most appealing announcements from a product innovation perspective.
As Avaya move towards a future with more cloud-focused, software-enhanced products, the new signature solution “Equinox” is designed to deliver customers a fully unified communications experience that provides the same stunning features from every device, whether it’s a smartphone, desktop, or room-based system.
To learn more about Equinox and where it’s going in the year ahead, I spoke to the Director of Solutions Marketing at Avaya, Mike Kuch.
What is the Product Plan Around Equinox?
Avaya is pushing towards a product portfolio that’s simpler, more streamlined, and more customised for their end-users. They’ve embraced the concept of digital transformation (DX), and now they’re delivering a range of services that fit into the changing work environment. The “Equinox” strategy was designed as a natural, convenient, and engaging way for people to respond to and share information. For Avaya, it’s about putting UC into the applications that people are using every day.
“Equinox is the unified face of our clients. It was first introduced on the Aurora platform in 2016, and it started off as nothing more than a basic mobile platform. Now, we’re expanding that concept onto every platform you can imagine. Equinox is a single user interface that looks and acts the same regardless of where you access it.”
Equinox is a strategy for the customer-focused, and agile business world. It’s about helping mobile users, and agents with increasing demands stay on top of flexible and intuitive workflows. Because all of the communication services you need access to are linked together on the same space, professionals can instantly see all of their messages, meetings, and communications history, and take action with a single touch.
How Does the Pay as You Go Cloud Model Work?
In Avaya’s new product roadmap, the path to simplicity isn’t just about giving customers a more unified experience with their communications devices, it’s also about delivering more customer choices, and better OpEX models too.
Avaya is delivering the Equinox system on a pay-as-you-go model that’s perfect for SMEs that might not have a great deal of budget to spend when moving to the cloud. It offers unlimited use of virtual meeting environments, and it means that you don’t have to invest in brand-new infrastructure items to support your communications strategy.
“In the small business space, there are two ways to get involved with Equinox right now. There’s the simple on-premises solution, and then there’s the cloud option. We have our IP office power play and the Avaya Cloud with IP Office behind that. As soon as Equinox becomes available on IP Office, that will all be rolled out into the cloud.”
What is the New Equinox Attendant?
Another significant update to the Equinox flagship for Avaya is the arrival of an “Attendant” console, a PC-focused software solution that provides receptionists and attendants with the resources they need to manage inbound calls faster and more efficiently than ever. Kuch told me:
“The Equinox attendant is brand-new. It provides admins and receptionists with everything they need to manage multiple line appearances in the Equinox environment. While Aurora has had this option for decades, we’re now bringing it into the Equinox world too.”
In the past, a receptionist would struggle to run between Equinox systems and attendant systems on different screens, but thanks to Avaya’s new update, everything they need can be hosted in the same space.
Updates to Meetings Online
With the arrival of the new Equinox portfolio, Avaya will also be making changes to their Meetings Online strategy, with expansion out to WebRTC. Avaya has implemented a brand-new, no-download option for the client through WebRTC, which means that any user can access the video and web conferencing solutions they need through their browser with support on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.
Additionally, Mike also noted that Avaya is expanding the footprint of Meetings Online too. It used to be a US-only function, but now they have plans to take it into potentially dozens of new countries.
How is the Endpoint Portfolio Changing?
Despite their obvious focus on the cloud and software, Avaya will also be refreshing their endpoint portfolio with a range of newly improved desk phone enhancements and tweaks. For instance, there’s a new UC series coming into the mix in the coming months, including the CU-360 collaboration device designed specifically for the huddle room.
“You’re going to see Equinox on our Vantage phones, that’s a primary feature. Customers can also build their own interface on the phone to design the product they need for their business. One of our customers adapted their phone so that they could control lights, order drinks and more from touching one button.”
While it’s easy to wonder why Avaya would still be focusing on desk phones when the world is making an active shift towards the cloud, Mike noted that the company still has a huge market for endpoints.
“Phone endpoints help to sell systems. We’re bringing Equinox to the endpoints and designing hardware that helps to make the whole service seem “sexier” to the end user.”
“At the end of the day, we’re still customer driven and our customers and partners are still looking for bigger and better endpoint solutions.”
Delivering a Customer-First Roadmap
Avaya’s Equinox portfolio and their strategy for the future seems to be clearly focused around the concept of DX and the drive towards the cloud, but that doesn’t mean that they’re going to stop giving people what they need. Avaya has always had a passion for innovation, and their new line of Vantage phones and the countless other announcements to emerge at Engage are an example of this.
For Avaya, the endpoint has become more than just a phone – it’s a UC strategy that helps to enhance experience and performance from the business. It will be exciting to see where the Equinox strategy takes them next.
