Avaya Communication Manager Selected as Morgan Stanley's Strategic Voice Platform

Our Corporate Bureau
29 April 2004

Through the introduction of Avaya's MultiVantage Communications Applications, Avaya will support Morgan Stanley's Institutional Securities Group in over twenty countries including Chennai, Mumbai, Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo. Discover Financial Services in the US, and Morgan Stanley's credit card business in the UK.

In addition, a new model agreement designates Avaya Global Services as the single point-of-contact for all of Morgan Stanley's global Avaya Communication Manager installation, maintenance and monitoring requirements. The project will be implemented over a three-year period.

The implementation of Avaya's new voice platform for Morgan Stanley marks a shift from the traditional site-based telephone PBX to a distributed, IP-enabled architecture. The Avaya solutions should provide Morgan Stanley with the flexibility to introduce IP-based voice functions and features, where and when appropriate. Avaya's open, standards-based applications should also enable Morgan Stanley to more readily develop or purchase customised solutions that increase productivity and enhance customer service.

"We're thrilled about the advantages of Avaya's cutting-edge communications technology and believe that this relationship will deliver great benefits," said Steve Ruegnitz, managing director, Institutional Securities Group, Morgan Stanley.

Avaya IP Softphone, a complete desktop telephone extension integrated into a computer, will now provide employees with the flexibility to access all calls and capabilities formerly only found in their office phones, anywhere they are able to connect to the corporate network. In addition, through Avaya Extension to Cellular, employees now have the ability to have their desktop calls transparently delivered to their cell phones.

"The implementation of Avaya's Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) platform affords us the opportunity to simplify our voice infrastructure environment by reducing the ACD's across the enterprise," said Diane Offereins, Executive vice president and CIO of Discover Financial Services. "We have invested in very reliable technology, which enables Discover to deliver superior customer service while opening up opportunities in new markets."