Avaya, Extreme Pact Leaves Cajun In Limbo

Avaya and Extreme Networks recently entered into a multimillion-dollar marketing and development alliance through which Avaya and its partners will sell

data networking gear from Extreme,a deal some industry observers said likely represents a death knell for Avaya's own Cajun networking line.

"If the partnership with Extreme does meet Avaya's expectations, I think [Avaya] will ultimately cease development of that line," said Jeff Hiebert, CEO of ROI Networks, an Avaya partner in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

The alliance will give Avaya and its solution providers access to a broader range of networking products to complement its strong IP telephony lineup, Hiebert said.

"It allows me to go after more and larger networking deals," he said.

Avaya, which is now primarily focused on developing its IP telephony solutions, has made little headway with its data networking line, holding less than a 2 percent share of the worldwide LAN switching market last year, according to Synergy Research Group.

"If the Cajun line were to be slowly 'end-of-lifed' without much fanfare, I wouldn't be surprised," said Joshua Johnson, industry analyst at Synergy Research Group.

For now, Avaya plans to continue offering the Cajun line, especially in instances where the switches are bundled as part of a converged solution, said Mickey Tsui, vice president and general manager of converged enterprise solutions at Avaya, Basking Ridge, N.J.

The vendor likely will lead with Extreme's gear when engaging with customers at the network core, he said.

However, Tsui declined to comment on Avaya's long-term plans for the Cajun line, noting only that "any product would go through its own life cycle."

While Avaya picks up a strong networking line through the deal, Extreme gains access to a much-needed sales and service channel made up of Avaya's direct-sales force, Avaya Global Services and its solution provider partners, analysts said.

"Overall, this is a huge win for Extreme. They've needed more people on the street pushing their products," Johnson said.

To help expose Avaya partners to Extreme's technology and vice versa, the companies are putting together a Fast Path training program, said Chris Todd, senior vice president of worldwide sales at Extreme, Santa Clara, Calif.