Avaya Inc. is a privately held telecommunications company which specializes in enterprise
telephonyIn telecommunication, telephony encompasses the general use of equipment to provide voice communication over distances, specifically by connecting telephones to each other....
and call center technology. Formerly the Business Communications unit of
Lucent TechnologiesLucent Technologies was a technology company composed of what was formerly AT&T Technologies, which included Western Electric and Bell Labs. It was spun off from AT&T on September 30, 1996....
, it was
spun offA spin-off is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one, such as television series based on a pre-existing one, or a new company formed from a university research group or business incubator...
on October 1, 2000 with 34,000 employees.
Since the spin-off, Avaya has sold its manufacturing and connectivity businesses and acquired several companies to support its current product set - Vista, VPNet.
Avaya Inc. is a privately held telecommunications company which specializes in enterprise
telephonyIn telecommunication, telephony encompasses the general use of equipment to provide voice communication over distances, specifically by connecting telephones to each other....
and call center technology. Formerly the Business Communications unit of
Lucent TechnologiesLucent Technologies was a technology company composed of what was formerly AT&T Technologies, which included Western Electric and Bell Labs. It was spun off from AT&T on September 30, 1996....
, it was
spun offA spin-off is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one, such as television series based on a pre-existing one, or a new company formed from a university research group or business incubator...
on October 1, 2000 with 34,000 employees.
Since the spin-off, Avaya has sold its manufacturing and connectivity businesses and acquired several companies to support its current product set - Vista, VPNet. Quintus, Routescience, Nimcat Networks, Spectel, Ubiquity Software and Traverse Networks. Sales through channels have grown from 98% direct to 50% alternative channels.
Avaya has also expanded in Europe through the acquisition of
TenovisTranslated from the German Wikipedia site:Tenovis was a large German telecommunications company with a staff force of more than 4,000 employees. It maintains a presence in Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands...
and in Asia through a majority interest in Tata Telecom (now Avaya Global Connect).
It has approximately 17,500 employees as of 2008, 40% of whom are located outside the US. The Avaya global headquarters is located in
Basking Ridge, New JerseyBasking Ridge is an unincorporated area located within Bernards Township in the Somerset Hills region of Somerset County, New Jersey.The area was settled during colonial times. It is home to the old AT&T Headquarters, now owned by Verizon...
.
Kevin J. KennedyKevin J. Kennedy - B.S. engineering - Lehigh University, Pennsylvania; MS and PhD. engineering - Rutgers University. Kevin Kennedy serves as President and CEO of Avaya Inc. from January 2009 to Present.-External links:...
is the CEO.
Avaya was the official Converged Communication Provider for the
2006 FIFA World CupThe 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000...
. It also provided the communications networks for the
2002 FIFA World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 17th staging of the World Cup, was held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. The two countries were chosen as hosts by FIFA in May 1996 and was the first tournament in its history to be hosted by two countries. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia...
and the
FIFA Women's World CupThe FIFA Women's World Cup is recognized as the most important International competition in women's football and is played amongst women's national football teams of the member states of FIFA, the sport's global governing body...
in 2003.
On October 26, 2007 Avaya was acquired by two private equity firms, TPG Capital and
Silver Lake PartnersSilver Lake is an US-based private equity firm focused on leveraged buyout and growth capital investments in technology, technology-enabled and related industries...
, for $8.2 billion. As a result of this transaction Avaya became a
privately held companyThe term privately held company refers to the ownership of a business company in two different ways: first, referring to ownership by non-governmental organizations; and second, referring to ownership of the company's stock by a relatively small number of holders who do not trade the stock publicly...
, no longer traded on any stock market. On November 9, 2007, the firms completed their buy-out and Avaya shareholders received $17.50 per share of owned common stock.
On Sep 14, 2009, Avaya was announced as the winner for the
NortelNortel Networks Corporation , formerly known as Northern Telecom Limited and sometimes known simply as Nortel, is a multinational telecommunications equipment manufacturer headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
Enterprise Division sale. Avaya successfully bid Nortel Enterprise for $900M which effectively recombines root companies Northern Electric and
Western ElectricWestern Electric Company was an American electrical engineering company, the manufacturing arm of AT&T from 1881 to 1995. It was the scene of a number of technological innovations and also some seminal developments in industrial management...
, which were split in 1949, back into one entity.
Western Electric roots
Since Avaya is a company spun off from
Lucent TechnologiesLucent Technologies was a technology company composed of what was formerly AT&T Technologies, which included Western Electric and Bell Labs. It was spun off from AT&T on September 30, 1996....
, itself a spinoff of
AT&TAT&T Corporation, originally the American Telephone & Telegraph Company, is an American telecommunications company that provides voice, video, data, and Internet telecommunications and professional services to businesses, consumers, and government agencies...
, Avaya continues to sell and support well-known telephone models for businesses that were made popular in the heyday of the
Bell SystemThe Bell System was the AT&T monopoly that provided telephone service in the United States from 1877 to 1984 when it was broken up into separate companies by a Federal mandate....
, including the 2554 wall phone, and the 2500 series desk phone, both popular
Western ElectricWestern Electric Company was an American electrical engineering company, the manufacturing arm of AT&T from 1881 to 1995. It was the scene of a number of technological innovations and also some seminal developments in industrial management...
models.
Avaya telephone production at the Shreveport Works, a former Western Electric pay phone plant, ceased in 2001. All of Avaya's telephones are made outside the
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by contract manufacturers such as
CelesticaCelestica Inc. is a multinational electronics manufacturing services company headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Celestica operates a global manufacturing network with operations in Asia, Europe and the Americas, providing a broad range of integrated services and solutions to leading OEMs .-...
.
Much of Avaya's product and customer set today can be traced back to its
AT&TAT&T Inc. is the largest provider of local, long distance telephone services in the United States, and also serves digital subscriber line Internet access. AT&T is the second largest provider of wireless service in the United States, with over 77 million wireless customers, and more than 150...
legacy where it formed part of AT&T Network Systems.
Products
- Definity
- A call management
In telecommunications, call management is the process of designing and implementing rules and parameters governing the routing of inbound telephone calls through a network. These rules can specify how calls are distributed according to the time and/or date of the call as well as the location of the...
product
New Products acquired from Nortel:
| Telephone Systems |
Telephone sets and terminals |
LAN A local area network is a computer network covering a small physical area, like a home, office, or small group of buildings, such as a school, or an airport...
and MANA metropolitan area network is a large computer network that usually spans a city or a large campus. A MAN usually interconnects a number of local area networks using a high-capacity backbone technology, such as fiber-optical links, and provides up-link services to wide area networks and the...
equipment |
Application Server 5200 and Application Server 5300 (AS5300)The Application Server 5300 or AS5300 in telecommunication and computer networking is a secure Unified Communications system designed and manufactured by Nortel {now acquired by Avaya)...
|
Nortel IP Phone 1140ENortel IP Phone 1140E in telecommunications is a desktop IP client manufactured by Nortel for Unified communications. The 1140E can operate on the SIP or UNIStim protocols. The SIP Firmware supports presence selection and notification along with secure instant messaging...
|
Baystack and ERS (Ethernet Routing Switch), managed network switches for EthernetEthernet is a family of frame-based computer networking technologies for local area networks . The name comes from the physical concept of the ether...
; ERS-8600Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8600 or ERS 8600, previously known as the Passport 8600, is a modular chassis combination hardware router and switch used in computer networking, designed and manufactured by Nortel now acquired by Avaya....
, ERS-8300, ERS-5600, ERS-5500Ethernet Routing Switch 5500 system or in computer networking are stackable layer 3 switches designed and manufactured by Nortel capable of stacking 8 switches in a 640-Gbit/s Nortel FAST Stacking configuration...
, ERS-4500, ERS-2500 |
Meridian 1 (SL-1) medium-to-large-scale PBXA private branch exchange is a telephone exchange that serves a particular business or office, as opposed to one that a common carrier or telephone company operates for many businesses or for the general public...
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Metro Ethernet Routing Switch 8600Metro Ethernet Routing Switch 8600 or MERS 8600 is a modular chassis router and/or switch manufactured by Nortel now acquired by Avaya. The MERS 8600 supports the Provider Backbone Bridges , Provider Backbone Transport technologies and carrier class Operations Administration & Maintenance ...
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Nortel Secure Network AccessNortel Secure Network Access in computer network is a Network Access Control system designed by Nortel to guarantee endpoint security policy compliance and remediation Nortel Secure Network Access (Nortel-SNA or NSNA) in computer network is a Network Access Control system designed by Nortel to...
(switch and software) |
| Nortel Communication Servers The Nortel Communication Servers is a series of products that Nortel manufactures for telephony communications. The equipment can support TDM and VoIP services for 150 users to more than 200,000 users...
, medium-to-large-scale VoIP PBX Systems; CS2100, CS1500, CS1000 |
Nortel IP Phone 1120E |
|
| Routers |
Software |
Other WAN equipment |
| Secure Router 1000 Systems; SR1004, SR1002, SR1001S, SR1001 |
Visualization Performance & Fault Manager (VPFM) Nortel Visualization Performance and Fault Manager in computer networking is the name of a GUI software programs created by Nortel a network management application that discovers and manages network attached devices...
|
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| Secure Router 3120 |
Nortel Enterprise Switch ManagerEnterprise Switch Manager in computer networking is the name of a GUI software program created by Nortel for configuration and management of Nortel enterprise products. The older versions of the software was named Optivity Switch Manager...
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| Secure Router 4134 The Nortel Secure Router 4134 in telecommunications and computer networking technologies is a device manufactured by Nortel that combines the functions of WAN Routing, stateful firewall security, Ethernet switching, IP telephony, and Microsoft mediation into one device.-Operational Deployment:The...
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Nortel File and Inventory ManagerNortel File and Inventory Manager in computer networking is the name of a Java Network Management Application sold by Nortel. The application has two primary functions:* File Management* Inventory Management...
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| Secure Router 8000 Systems; SR8002, SR8004, SR8008, SR8012 |
Nortel Multi-link Trunking ManagerNortel Multi-link Trunking Manager in computer networking is the name of a Java Network Management Application designed by Nortel to centrally manage and configure MLT, SMLT and Link aggregation information. The application allows a manager to globally discover, view, and configure trunking and...
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| VPN Routers; 1750, 2700, 2750, 5000 |
Nortel Multicast Manager Nortel Multicast Manager in computer networking is the name of a Java Network Management Application sold by Nortel used to centrally manage and configure multicast information. The application allows managers to globally discover, view, and configure multicast information on individual or...
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Nortel Speech Server The Nortel Speech Server in telecommunications is a speech processing system manufactured by Nortel...
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Nortel Routing ManagerRouting Manager in computer networking is the name of a Java Network Management Application sold by Nortel. With Routing Manager, you can configure routing parameters for devices across a network discovered by ESM...
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Nortel Security ManagerNortel Security Manager in computer networking is the name of a Java Network Management Application sold by Nortel used to centrally manage access to device and network management functions on Ethernet Routing Switch 8000 series, Ethernet Routing Switch 55xx/35xx/45xx/25xx, Ethernet Switch, and...
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Nortel VLAN manager Nortel VLAN Manager in computer networking is the name of a Java Network Management Application sold by Nortel used to centrally manage and configure VLAN information. The application allows a manager to globally discover, view, and configure VLAN information on individual or multiple switches...
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Unified Communications Management Nortel Unified Communications Management in computer networking is the name of a collection of GUI software programs created by Nortel utilizing a Service-oriented architecture...
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Agile Communication Environment Agile Communication Environment is a Nortel software solution that leverages a Service Oriented Architecture and web services to integrate Unified Communications capabilities with business applications and processes.-Development History:In the autumn of 2005 a small team of engineers from...
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Technologies acquired from Nortel:
- Auto Detection Auto Configuration
The Auto Detection/Auto Configuration in computer networking is a networking protocol designed by Nortel to automatically configure Nortel switches to support and prioritize traffic for Nortel IP Phone traffic...
- Auto Unit Replacement
Nortel Auto Unit Replacement is a computer networking feature within networking equipment manufactured by Nortel that allows maintainers of the equipment to hot swap switches regardless of the configuration or software loaded on the equipment...
- FAST Stacking
Nortel FAST Stacking or Flexible Advanced Stacking Technology , is a Nortel switch technology that allows eight Nortel ERS 5500 series switches to operate as one 640-Gbit/s switch....
- Nortel Discovery Protocol
The Nortel Discovery Protocol is a Data Link Layer network protocol for discovery of Nortel devices. The device and topology information is graphically displayed by the Nortel Enterprise Switch Manager software....
- MLT
Multi-Link Trunking is a link aggregation or IEEE 802.3ad port trunking technology designed by Nortel. It allows grouping several physical Ethernet links into one logical Ethernet link to provide fault-tolerance and high-speed links between routers, switches, and servers...
- DMLT
Distributed Multi-Link Trunking or Distributed MLT is a computer networking protocol designed by Nortel used to load balance the network traffic across connections and also across multiple switches or modules in a chassis...
- SMLT
- DSMLT
Distributed Split Multi-Link Trunking or Distributed SMLT is a computer networking technology designed by Nortel to enhance the Split Multi-Link Trunking protocol...
- RSMLT
Routed-SMLT is a computer networking protocol designed by Nortel as an enhancement to SMLT enabling the exchange of Layer 3 information between peer nodes in a Switch Cluster for unparalleled resiliency and simplicity for both L3 and L2....
- IST
InterSwitch Trunk is one or more parallel point-to-point links that connect two switches together to create a single logical switch...
- Simple Loop Prevention Protocol
Nortel Simple Loop Prevention Protocol in computer networking is a layer 2 protocol invented by Nortel to protect against network loops. SLPP uses a small hello packet to detect a network loops. The SLPP protocol checks packets from the originating switch and the peer switch in a SMLT configuration...
- PBT
- PBB
- UNIStim
UNIStim is a Telecommunications protocol developed by Nortel for IP Phone and IP PBX communications....
- VLACP
External links