Avaya Wins PilotHouse Award as Best Overall Unified Communications Provider

BASKING RIDGE, NJ--(Marketwire - November 17, 2009) - Avaya has been named as the top overall provider of Unified Communications (UC) according to an industry analyst survey of customers using UC solutions from major vendors. As a result, Avaya has received the PilotHouse Award for Unified Communications 2009 from Nemertes Research, the firm that conducted the survey.

According to Nemertes Research, Unified Communications integrates voice, video, conferencing, messaging and presence with office and business-process applications to improve collaboration. The Nemertes PilotHouse Award recognizes vendors identified and rated by end-user organizations as their strategic partners for delivering unified products.

Avaya's selection as the PilotHouse Award winner was based on a survey of more than 1400 customers using unified communications solutions from Avaya, Cisco, IBM and Microsoft®. Vendors were ranked in five categories: value, technology, customer service, integration, and management tools. Avaya received top scores in technology, integration and management tools and ranked second in value and customer service.

"Solving complex business problems requires the ability to collaborate effectively. Avaya focuses solely on providing communications solutions that enable our customers to do just that," said Alan Baratz, president, Global Communications Solutions, Avaya. "We are extremely pleased to receive the Nemertes PilotHouse Award since it means that our customers' experience reflects the goals we set for ourselves as their trusted communications partner."

"Implementing a unified communications strategy changes the way employees work and interact," said Irwin Lazar, vice president, Communications Research, Nemertes Research. "It can increase employee productivity and revenue while lowering costs. The Nemertes PilotHouse Award recognizes that Avaya is seen as the leading strategic partner by customers to helping them move their business forward using unified communications technologies."

The goal of the Nemertes PilotHouse Awards program is to determine how well vendors perform in the eyes of their business customers. Results are entirely based on the views and experiences of actual customers of unified communications vendors. There is no vendor sponsorship of the research.

About Avaya

Avaya is a global leader in enterprise communications systems. The company provides unified communications, contact centers, and related services directly and through its channel partners to leading businesses and organizations around the world. Enterprises of all sizes depend on Avaya for state-of-the-art communications that improve efficiency, collaboration, customer service and competitiveness. For more information please visit www.avaya.com.

Contact Information: Deb Kline 908-953-6179 klined@avaya.com