Avaya adds IP phones, gateways, SIP
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InfoWorld - Aiming to let enterprises do more with their IP (Internet Protocol) telephony systems and keep them available when a network goes down, Avaya introduced new software, phones, and a gateway at this week&#39;s VoiceCon Spring conference.
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Epygi Technologies, manufacturer of SIP-based IP PBX phone systems for  small business, today introduced a new multifunction PSTN/VoIP gateway  that not only multiplies the number of PSTN lines available to a  business' network via ISDN, but delivers voicemail and auto attendant  operation.
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Starting in mid-October AT&amp;T, in partnership with industry-leader Linksys (a division of Cisco Systems (Quote, Chart)), will begin offering Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to home users across the country.
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Live Meeting update will add media sharing, simultaneous VOIP and landline phone access, and a new interface.
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With its latest deal, Avaya is making a play for Europe and VoIP.
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Yahoo Inc.  has added  mobile phones running Microsoft's  Windows Mobile  software to a growing list of handsets from device makers who  feature its services on their phone screens.
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Cisco this week launched an upgrade to its CallManager IP PBX platform, broadening its encryption support for IP phones and other VoIP devices, such as VoIP gateways and voicemail servers.
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(InfoWorld) - The great thing about SOA is that when you add a service, you instantly increase the potential of any application that can consume that service. Today, Avaya threw a new set of VoIP services into the enterprise SOA mix in the form of its CEBP (Communications Enabled Business Processes) solution. For most enterprises, the benefits of VoIP have been limited to the cost savings of retiring legacy phone systems and the added productivity of a few voice/data applications -- almost exclusively for call centers. CEBP exposes an array of voice communications features as Web services, which can be called upon by any number of applications from IT operations to supply chain management. Avaya sees CEBP as a way for enterprises to optimize business processes and respond swiftly to events. For example, based on certain criteria, a temporary interruption at a manufacturing plant might cause SAP R/3 to ping CEBP, which would send an automated advisory message with a return receipt to the appropriate manager via phone, e-mail, or SMS. In the event of a total meltdown, the Notify & Conference feature could be invoked, initiating voice calls to a preset list of people and dropping them all into an emergency conference call. In other instances, CEBP could merely ensure that composite workflow applications, oft cited as a big payoff of SOA, aren't stopped in their tracks by people who aren't sitting at a computer and can't respond promptly. As Avaya senior vice president Stuart Wells puts it, "by bringing our innovation in advanced and open technologies to business processes, Avaya gives organizations the unique competitive advantage that can only arise with more intelligent communications." One customer, Whirlpool, has been experimenting with a pre-release version of CEBP for more than a year. Brian Murphy, director of e-services in Whirlpool's global development division, has already applied CEBP's array of services to IT processes, shortening response times. "If a system goes down ... that's an issue we want to be able to do something about in minutes, not hours. Straightaway, we want to be in action mode," he said. Avaya is not the first vendor to provide a Web services platform for voice communications capabilities. Last September, BlueNote Networks introduced its SessionSuite SOA Edition, designed to enable developers to embed telephony capabilities in a range of applications. But Avaya's large customer base and professional services group could help jump start the use of voice-based Web services. Whirlpool's Murphy, for one, is looking at expanding the use of CEBP in a number of areas, including supply chain management and manufacturing. "We're taking a strategic look at all parts of our business," he said.
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Cordless handsets, speakerphones, and Wi-Fi devices allow you to use Skype where you want.
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(InfoWorld) - Network equipment manufacturer Avaya Inc. late Monday agreed to a $8.2 billion cash buyout by private equity firms TPG Capital LLP and Silver Lake Partners, the companies announced. This latest acquisition continues a recent trend of networking and telecommunications firms being bought by private equity firms. In late May, TPG and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s private equity arm bought mobile service provider Alltel Corp. for $27.5 billion. Bell Canada Ltd. remains a takeover target of a potential bid by Cerberus Capital Management LP. The Basking Ridge, New Jersey company's board of directors have accepted a $17.50 per share offer, which must still be approved by Avaya shareholders. The offer places a premium of around 28 percent on the firm's value over Avaya's May 25 closing price of $13.67, the last day beforeÂ rumors begun to circulateÂ that the company would likely be acquired. The deal is expected to close in the fall of this year, the companies said. The agreement allows Avaya to actively encourage bids for the company from other third parties over the next 50 days. Avaya's relatively high cash flow and low debt made it a target to go private. Along with TPG and Silver Lake, Nortel Networks Corp. was also pursuing the former AT&T telecom equipment maker. Â
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Company unveils 'WidSets' for Java-enabled phones.
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(InfoWorld) - AT&T this year will introduce new features to its VPN service and expand high-speed connections to additional countries as part of more than $750 million of investments in its global business network. The expansion comes as network demand grows worldwide, partly as a result of increasing video traffic, and as rivalÂ Verizon Communications rolls out new offeringsÂ through its Verizon Business unit. AT&T this year will let enterprises set up special VPN routing groups to help them establish extranets with partners and customers, said Bill Archer, senior vice president of product management. It will also introduce new class-of-service capabilities, which are used to distinguish different types of traffic. AT&T will also provide a more efficient access method for its MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) VPN outside the United States in the next few months. Until now, unless an overseas customer had a fat pipe of 155Mbps or more to AT&T, they had to use Frame Relay or ATMÂ to get to the VPN. Now they can use PPP, a more efficient protocol, at any speed. Because it has less overhead, PPP means better use of available bandwidth, according to AT&T. Meanwhile, AT&T will introduce billing plans that in part are based on usage rather than a flat monthly rate for a certain level of bandwidth, Archer said. Following its acquisition of BellSouth, AT&T now fully owns Cingular, the largest U.S. mobile operator by subscribers. This year it will start down a long path toward converged wired and wireless services, introducing collaborative support between the two units. If a customer reports a wireless problem to the support center for AT&T's wire-line business network, that support center will log the problem and forward the call to the wireless support group, Archer said. Evenutally, there will be one support center for both types of services. A single contract and bill for wired and wireless also will come over time, he said. The carrier will expand the reach of its high-speed networks significantly in 2007. By the end of the year, businesses will be able to reach the MPLS VPN via Ethernet in 31 countries, up fromÂ 8 at the end of 2006. DSL access will be available in 34 countries, up from 19. Satellite or private-line access, needed in more remote locations, will be available in 51 countries, up from 19. The fast-growing markets of Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Latin America will be a focus for investment this year, as well as France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Canada, AT&T said. The carrier plans MPLS network nodes in Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam, as well as three more in India. Having a node in the country lowers customers' costs, Archer said. Multinational enterprises want to be able to connect to a service provider's network the same way everywhere they do business, said Frank Dzubeck, president of the consultancy Telecommunications Network Architects in Washington, D.C. Carriers are expanding their networks to meet that need, but they are less motivated to combine wired and wireless services under one plan because they don't see a financial advantage to that, Dzubeck said.
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Enterprise network managers are implementing VoIP, but how are they managing these installations? Here are four tools to simplify the task.
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Voice over IP, online presentations, and multiparty video conferencing under consideration.
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The ISP's new software supports speed dialing, caller ID, three-way calling, hold capability and call logs.
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The IP wars continue this week with Avaya, now a privately held rather than public company, announcing Avaya Communications Manager 5.0 and new customer service solutions, including a SIP-enabled handset for CSRs (customer service representatives). Communications Manager 5.0 is a full, rather than a point, upgrade to Avaya's main telephony and communications platform. The new version takes the technology from IP to SIP and adds a number of new capabilities.
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Avaya Inc.  on Monday said it  agreed to be acquired by private equity firms TPG Capital and  Silver Lake for $8.2 billion, the latest in a string of mergers  in the telecommunications-equipment industry.