Avaya, a global provider of business communications and collaboration systems and services, has unveiled Avaya IP Office 8.0, the new version of the company’s unified communications (UC) solution for small and medium enterprises (SME). 

The new version introduces a range of advancements for improving collaboration, including a comprehensive set of mobile capabilities that drive better team performance and keep mobile workers connected to their colleagues and customers wherever they go. 

The new mobility application called one-X Mobile Preferred for IP Office enables users to access a comprehensive set of unified communications capabilities on Android-compatible devices today, and on iPhone devices in early 2012, a statement from the company said.

Its fey features include full multi-party conference management via mobile device, integrated presence which enables users to display availability status to co-workers via mobile device, IM with voice conference capabilities lets workers easily find work colleagues via an integrated corporate directory and begin a text chat.

Other features also include ‘Geopresence’, which displays one’s location anywhere in the world, and is ideal for teams in hospitals, hotels or companies where employees need to quickly identify a co-worker’s physical location; and ‘Visual Voicemail’ which allows users to see all of their business voicemails on their mobile device with date/time information. Users can hear voicemail messages as they are being left in real-time and access a call in progress to converse.

Avaya’s new application builds on the previously-available essential mobility solution for IP Office. Essential mobility extends voice capabilities such as one number access and call control, and is currently supported on Symbian, Windows Mobile and iPhone devices (support for Android and Blackberry devices will be available in first quarter of 2012).

IP Office 8.0 also offers new “serverless” collaboration capabilities delivered through an integrated unified communications module, called the Avaya C110 unified communications module. This can eliminate the need for an external server in IP Office implementations, helping to simplify deployment for partners, reduce installation times and decrease equipment costs, the statement said.

Additionally, new desktop IP Office plug-ins embed communications into popular business productivity applications, providing a more convenient and quicker way for workers to communicate via their preferred application, it said.

Nidal Abou-Ltaif, vice president, Emerging Markets, Avaya, said: “Today’s IP Office release raises unified communications in small and mid-size enterprises to a whole new level, extending big business mobility to SME workers based anywhere, and helping SMEs gain these advanced capabilities in an accessible and cost-effective manner.” - TradeArabia News Service