Avaya, Siemens Showcase IP Telephony Products At VoiceCon

Avaya Monday unveiled 10 products in its Enterprise Class Internet Protocol Solutions (ECLIPS) software and hardware product line, including three Linux-based media servers, two media gateways and a management software suite.

Avaya's next-generation ECLIPS products, built on a new modular, open architecture, provide increased performance, redundancy and security, said Jorge Blanco, director of strategy at Avaya, Basking Ridge, N.J.

"This is an architecture for all sizes so we can deliver upward and downward scalability," Blanco said.

MultiVantage, Avaya's new call processing software platform, includes the functionality of its predecessor, Definity, but adds improved performance, call conferencing capabilities and encryption. It runs on multiple operating systems, such as Linux, Microsoft Windows 2000 and Avaya's Definity version of Unix.

Avaya's VisAbility Management Suite provides tools to manage voice and data communications through a common Web-based user interface.

Other products include a new release of IP Softphone that can run on Microsoft Pocket PC-based handheld devices, an attendant console application and a messaging application.

Avaya plans to update its channel certification programs in conjunction with the new products, he said.

"We recognize the levels of sophistication this new architecture will require for the channel, and we continue to improve our certification programs and enhance them for this space," Blanco said.

The bulk of the ECLIPS products are scheduled to ship in May, starting at $600 per user.

Also at VoiceCon, Reston, Va.-based Siemens Enterprise Networks, a subsidiary of Siemens AG, unveiled the HiPath MetaManagement management suite for converged networks.

The software enables Web-based network administration, managing infrastructure and applications for networks ranging from 200 to 200,000 ports, the company said.

The suite includes two components: HiPath Fault Management, which monitors circuit-switched and IP network components for faults, provides help for resolving problems and notifies network administrators when they occur; and HiPath Accounting Management, software that multiple administrators can use concurrently to gather statistics on voice, data and Web traffic.