Avaya IP Office increases cloud security

Avaya has announced the latest version of its market-leading unified communications solution for small and midsize businesses.
Avaya IP Office release 10 adds a number benefits for businesses in terms of security, resiliency and end-user experience, as well as for the channel partners who serve them.
Among several enhancements, the latest version of the Avaya IP Office Platform increases security and resiliency. Now, built-in signaling and media encryption for endpoints and UC clients helps preserve privacy and data integrity — critical in any deployment, but especially in those delivered through pure or hybrid cloud services.
This feature in Avaya IP Office is provided at no extra cost or added complexity, unlike many other over-the-top, pure cloud UC vendor offerings available today that only provide encryption as an optional line item – if at all.
This increase in security is especially significant to the midmarket: According to a 2015 global survey report, the number of attacks reported by midsize companies increased 64% between 2013 and 2014, from 2 581 to 4 227. The increase in attacks on this segment comes partly due to cybercriminals turning to midsize businesses in hopes of easy access.
Beyond other pure cloud deployments, the latest version of IP Office takes a unique approach to resilience, providing system failover cloud to cloud, cloud to premises, premises to cloud and premises to premises. Whatever the approach, the system stays active and users maintain connectivity throughout the outage.
To meet the rising expectations of end-users for a richer, more streamlined experience, the Avaya IP Office Platform introduces the H175 video phone, with a 7-inch high-definition touchscreen display that is suitable for the personal, executive desk or a small conference room. In addition, IP Office R10 opens a number of APIs to make it easier for developers to create WebRTC based clients to simplify configuration and deployment for partners. Finally, virtual meeting functions have been streamlined and strengthened with WebRTC audio and richer collaboration capabilities.
For midsize companies with contact centers, Avaya announced in June a new workforce optimization solution that provides midsize companies with the operational intelligence needed to enhance contact center performance and drive a high-quality customer experience. Highly affordable, simple to deploy and intuitive to use, Avaya Workforce Optimization Select enables a wide range of insights into the customer experience, allowing midsize businesses to create the most value through every customer interaction.
The Avaya IP Office Platform is available through authorized channel partners in three deployment options: premises-based, hybrid or pure cloud solution. With more than half a million systems shipped globally, Avaya IP Office is one of the most widely sold unified communications solutions for small and midsize businesses available in the market today.
Gary Barnett, senior vice-president and GM of Avaya Engagement Solutions, says: “The challenge of keeping up with growing, ever-changing cybersecurity threats is daunting – especially for small and midsize businesses with budget and resource constraints.
“It’s these very constraints that increase the inclination to choose cloud-based services; however, it’s also not a given fact that security is or will be provided by their cloud vendor.
“That’s why we believe security should be built into the solution as opposed to bolted on. It’s essential, and a core component of our Avaya IP Office Platform.”