By http://www.telecomreseller.com/
Unified Communications and Contact Center Leader Joins Alliance as Part of Initiative to Stem Software Piracy, Increase Customer Protection
LOS GATOS, CA–(Marketwire – 10/14/10) – The Alliance for Gray Market and Counterfeit Abatement (AGMA) today announced that it has officially added Avaya Inc., a global leader in enterprise communications systems, software and services, to its member roster. AGMA is a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing gray market, counterfeiting and warranty and service abuse of branded goods around the globe. Avaya’s membership in the alliance is part of the company’s broader effort to stem software piracy and protect customers who inadvertently enter into relationships with unauthorized maintenance providers.
“Avaya provides its maintenance services both directly and through a network of authorized Avaya partners who are certified to support Avaya solutions,” said Joe Heel, president of Avaya Global Services. “Becoming a member of AGMA enables Avaya to share intellectual property protection best practices, while also focusing on the reduction of gray market and product counterfeiting with others in the communications industry. We will continue to pursue those engaged in software piracy, and maintain our focus on serving customers and protecting the Avaya brand,” added Heel.
Safeguarding intellectual property — including software patches and updates — is critical for the health of business systems. In order to reinforce its commitment to protecting customers, Avaya is implementing intellectual property audits of customers on a global scale, and making investments in product architecture to implement a “lock and key” licensing technology that further protects intellectual property.
Companies without Avaya support coverage provided directly through Avaya or one of its authorized partners can be at risk of victimization by unauthorized maintenance providers that apply pirated maintenance software patches and upgrades. Avaya helps ensure that customers have access to legitimate product licenses and software downloads, and offers an external website dedicated to educating customers and its authorized partners on the policies and actions to protect intellectual property.
AGMA and its member companies strive to make engaging in gray market, counterfeit and warranty and service abuse more difficult, undesirable and unprofitable for perpetrators. AGMA membership provides access to collaborative strategies, programs and processes to address the issues surrounding gray marketing in the IT sector.
“Avaya has taken important steps to help ensure that its customers are protected from unauthorized maintenance companies billing themselves as Avaya authorized partners,” said AGMA President Ram Manchi. “The success of AGMA’s mission is dependent upon our member companies. Education, awareness and the sharing of best practices are the keys to fighting a winning battle against these issues.”
AGMA provides a platform for sharing collaborative strategies in the technology sector. AGMA facilitates a forum for information sharing on a variety of topics, including brand protection programs and processes to address the threat of counterfeiting, gray market fraud and service and warranty abuse. Its members seek to limit the gray marketing of their products to protect their brands and legitimate partner ecosystems — as well as end users.
To learn more about AGMA’s initiatives or to become a member, please visit www.agmaglobal.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment