Avaya Invests $165M & Receives $5M Grant from Government of Ontario

December 13, 2010 // By The Telecom Reseller

Avaya Invests $165M, Receives $5M Grant From Government of Ontario for Canadian Research and Development

Ottawa, Belleville ‘Centres of Excellence’ Focused on Delivering New Business Collaboration and Communications Technologies

BASKING RIDGE, NJ–(Marketwire – December 13, 2010) – Avaya, a global leader in enterprise communications systems, software and services, today announced significant investments for research and development (R&D) activities at locations in Ontario, Canada.

Over the next three years, Avaya will invest $165 million in its global R&D facilities in Ottawa and Belleville, Ontario to develop key components of Avaya’s solutions for the enterprise and small to medium business markets. The Ontario government will contribute $5 million towards the initiative, which supports 350 skilled R&D positions working on next generation Unified Communications (UC) and collaboration technologies.

“Innovation is key to Avaya’s business and growth strategy, and Ontario is home to some of the company’s most critical R&D activities, facilities and personnel,” said Kevin Kennedy, CEO of Avaya. “This investment from the Government of Ontario reinforces our commitment to innovation in Canada and builds on the expertise of our Ottawa and Belleville R&D teams. Together, we are adding capabilities to deliver new technologies that are not only changing the way enterprises and people communicate, but are uniquely positioning Avaya as a leader in business collaboration.”

“The great minds and innovative companies in Ontario’s technology sector are essential to the province staying competitive on the world stage,” said Sandra Pupatello, Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Trade. “Through a combination of our skilled workforce, cost-effective business environment and proactive partnerships with industry, we can help companies like Avaya flourish in Ontario.”

Since acquiring Nortel Enterprise Solutions in December 2009, Avaya has increased R&D spending in Canada by 25 percent. Technologies developed in Ontario include Avaya IP Telephony and Unified Communications solutions, which the Ottawa and Belleville R&D teams have been instrumental in delivering. More specifically, Ontario R&D has delivered new marquee solutions and capabilities for Avaya including:

• Avaya Agile Communication Environment™ (ACE), Avaya’s software solution for embedding real-time communications into business applications.
• Avaya web.alive™ an online, 3D immersive virtual conferencing and collaboration environment that enables people to communicate like they are face-to-face.
• Avaya Aura® enhancements, including collaboration, messaging, and advanced business user capabilities for the recently announced Avaya Flare™ Experience line of communication devices.
• Avaya Communication Server 1000 evolution and migration capabilities that further evolve to the Avaya Aura® unified communications solution for medium and large enterprises.
• Avaya IP Office, Avaya’s flagship product in small and medium enterprises, is now capable of supporting new families of digital and IP sets.
• Avaya Software Communications System (SCS), a total unified communication solution for small businesses, was delivered to key international markets.