Avaya's IP telephony solutions named 'Best in Test'
By Our Corporate Bureau | 20 Feb 2004
The evaluation was conducted for BCR by Miercom, an independent product test centre. The Avaya solutions tested were the S8300 Media Server and G700 Media Gateway, part of Avaya's portfolio of converged solutions serving small- and medium-sized businesses, and distributed locations of large enterprises. These systems were measured against five competing IP-PBX systems that support between 100 and 999 lines. Avaya Communication Manager, the company's flagship IP telephony software, powers all of Avaya's converged products.
Miercom ranked each company's solutions on six separate criteria categories: architecture, endpoints, management and administration, features, security and performance. Avaya performed strongly in all categories, and outperformed all competitors in both the security and features categories. Avaya placed second in the areas of architecture, endpoints and management/administration.
"Avaya's IP telephony solutions should be considered by any business that is looking to use communications to improve its performance," said Ed Mier, president of Miercom. "In addition to delivering advanced features that enhance productivity and mobility, Avaya leads the market when it comes to offering the most comprehensive security solution for IP telephony of the systems we've examined. Security is a critical element of any IP implementation, helping businesses defend their networks and protect sensitive information."
The security features of Avaya Communication Manager and supporting systems led Avaya to its first place ranking by Miercom in the security category, and contributed to its 'Best in Test' status. The authors noted that Avaya encrypts IP voice streams and temporarily locks accounts after too many failed attempts to log on. The company also provides three levels of administrative access so that each person logging into the system can be restricted from performing certain commands.
In ranking Avaya first for its advanced IP telephony features, Miercom called Avaya's 4630 IP Screenphone 'a standout'. In particular, the article cited the phone's color touch-screen, 120 speed dials, screen lock for security and smart dialing feature that eliminates the need to add prefixes such as '1' or '9'. The study also noted the usefulness of Avaya's Extension-to-Cellular capability, which allows users to route calls from their desk phone to their cell phone and stay in touch when away from the office. "This BCR 'Best in Test' reiterates Avaya's strength in IP telephony across many categories, including leadership in two areas of utmost importance to enterprises of all sizes - security and productivity-enhancing features," said Micky Tsui, vice president and general manager, Communications Systems Division, Avaya. "When small or medium-sized enterprises choose Avaya's IP telephony solutions — either through a migration of their existing network or a completely new installation — they gain access to all of the same IP telephony benefits that Avaya delivers to much larger enterprises."