Avaya Introduces New Worldwide Channel Program

BASKING RIDGE, NJ--(Marketwire - October 14, 2009) - Avaya, a leading global provider of business communications applications, systems and services, announced Avaya Connect, a global program to drive greater profitability and growth for channel partners. Avaya Connect represents a major overhaul of the company's existing channel programs into a globally consistent framework that streamlines processes, pricing, training and certification requirements while enabling channel partners to serve customers better.

The announcement was made today from the 2010 Avaya Americas Partner Conference being held in Nashville, Tenn.

Avaya Connect will enable channel partners to grow their businesses by expanding financial benefits, enhancing technical, marketing and sales support and providing a highly effective, simplified training and certification program. The global framework also recognizes the needs of different types of partners -- from system integrators and services providers to small and mid-size business resellers -- and addresses them appropriately.

"The idea is simple. By building stronger connections with our partners and enabling them to be successful, we can reach farther to better serve customers," said Jeremy Butt, vice president, Worldwide Channels. "Avaya Connect fundamentally helps drive consideration and closure of Avaya solutions, enables our partners to engage more customers with our innovative products and services portfolio, and provides customers better choices to move their businesses forward."

Serious Rewards, Greater Simplification, More Support

The new Avaya Connect program includes a number of financial enhancements and benefits for channel partners, including tiered global discounts, new business incentive programs to help drive growth and funding to help improve vendor and partner consideration, market coverage and closure rates.

At the same time, Avaya simplified a number of critical program elements and transaction processes so partners can respond more quickly to opportunities. For example, Avaya trimmed its pricing model into a single, global price list to make it easier for customers' partners to understand and faster for partners to develop quotes. The new program transitions from using post-sales rebates to providing point of sale credits, which reduces processing time to seconds. In addition, Avaya Connect streamlines the new partner application process to allow completion in under two hours.

Partners also have access to a broader range of marketing support services and comprehensive, technical and design resources.

Training and certification

The new Avaya Connect training model saves partners both time and money while improving their ability to build technical skills in Avaya solutions and services. The new model shifts from product-based training to solutions-based training focused on Unified Communications, Contact Center and Small and Midsize Business solution lifecycles -- from design to sales, integration and maintenance. This comprehensive approach enables partners to better meet the customers' needs today and into the future.

The new training program has been streamlined from nearly 97 learning and certification tracks to 13 solutions-based tracks, significantly reducing the time and complexity needed to achieve credentials. The curriculum for each path has been both optimized and condensed to minimize participants' time away from the job. In some cases, the time commitment is decreased by up to 50 percent. In addition, under the new program, more instructor-led and virtual classes offered world-wide allow participants to study with an instructor and interact with the latest remote lab technologies without requiring major travel.

Partner Level Certifications and Specializations

Avaya Connect simplifies partner requirements and processes for Platinum, Gold, Silver and Authorized levels and makes them more consistent across international theaters to enable partners to expand globally. As channel partners increase certification and competency levels and specializations, the Avaya Connect program offers higher benefits and discounts.

Avaya is also extending its Services Expert and Small and Medium Enterprise Expert specializations globally. These specializations recognize partners that have developed a strong services or small-mid-size enterprise practice. Both designations were previously only available in North America.(1)

The new program also includes a Geographic Designation component to better support the needs of multinational customers and the partners who support them. Regional or global level designations will help these customers find the right partners for their needs, while taking advantage of centralized resources where it makes sense.

Avaya Connect will be globally operational on February 1, 2010 to enable existing partners to transition to the new program. The new global channel program will be announced in EMEA and APAC regions during their respective Partner Conferences in the coming months.

"The hallmarks of successful channel programs are consistency, simplicity and value for the channel," said Christine Tenneson, Research Director, Gartner. "Vendors who understand the needs of the channel and implement financial incentives, tools, and training programs for channel partners develop and strengthen relationships which ultimately lead to mutual success in the market."

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.

(1) Previously known as Services Delivery Specialization (SDS)

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