In a survey of nearly 1,000 decision-makers attending recent regional road shows, Avaya Inc. (NYSE:AV) learned that 71 percent are ready to deploy Internet protocol (IP) telephony solutions, including 55 percent who already have converged voice and data networks in place. Of those without a converged network, more than half plan to implement IP telephony within the next six to 12 months.
The survey was administered by Avaya during a recent 14-city road show in the Middle East and North Africa that introduced businesses to the benefits of converged communications and the advanced applications it enables.
A leading global provider of business communications applications, systems and services, Avaya recently fielded the largest converged communications network in the world for 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™, combining voice and data on the same infrastructure. Over a period of 31 days, the network is expected to transmit 15 trillion bytes of information, equal to more than 100 million books.
Just like FIFA, organizations in the Middle East and North Africa are discovering the benefits of converged networks and IP telephony—which can deliver significant cost savings, deliver high reliability with multiple resiliency levels, and centralize systems administration and management to reduce or eliminate the need for support at branch offices. Eleven percent of the companies who responded to the Avaya survey had between 11 and 30 branches across the region, while nine percent had more than 50.
While most companies implementing a converged IP telephony network do so for near-term reductions in costs and complexity, those who have made the transition are discovering they now can cost-effectively incorporate new productivity-building applications. Survey respondents reported a particular interest in enterprise mobility applications enabled by IP telephony. Twenty-five percent said they currently have a mobility solution in place, while more than 40 percent plan to implement mobility applications soon.
Avaya alliance partner Nokia participated in the regional road shows, and 47% of those surveyed reported they already use Nokia handsets for business. Through an alliance with Avaya, Nokia Series 60 mobile phones now interoperate with Avaya Communication Manager IP telephony software so mobile workers can access the same features and functions found on their desktop phone while away from the office.
“Working with Avaya ensures our handsets for corporate communications are powered by the world’s leading IP telephony solutions and seamlessly sync with desk phones,” said Joe Devassy, sales manager enterprise solutions, Nokia MNE. “Through our interoperability with Avaya, we contribute to the productivity of mobile workers and allow IT departments to manage security settings, corporate applications and data more effectively.”
“Nokia’s 9300i and the Eseries devices – Nokia E50, Nokia E60, Nokia E61 and Nokia E70 - combine attractive and easy-to-use designs with new underlying technologies that allow IT departments to manage security settings, corporate applications and data effectively, thus contributing to the mobility of the workforce,” he added.
Sixty-three percent of those responding to Avaya’s survey said it is critically important for multinational companies to have solutions tailored for local languages. Seminars on Avaya solutions tailored for Arabic, including Avaya one-X for Symbian mobile phones, were hotly attended during the regional road shows.
“The IT managers who participated in our survey provided information that will be critical to us as we plan for the future,” commented Nidal Abou Ltaif, managing director, Avaya Middle East. “Understanding their plans and challenges can help us continue to provide the kinds of intelligent communications solutions companies need to transform their operations.”
© 2006 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
