The Future of Avaya: A Strong Executive Team and Refreshed Products

By Jim Lundy

The Future of Avaya: A Strong Executive Team and Refreshed Products

I recently attended the Avaya Analyst Summit at Torrey Pines and had the opportunity to spend time with the existing and new leadership team and over two days got insights into their strategic direction. There is no doubt that Avaya is staffing to win. This blog summarizes and discusses the new team and the updates to the product lines.

New Leadership, Transformation Focus

The introduction of a new leadership team left no doubt that CEO Alan Masarek has big plans for Avaya. A new Chief Revenue and Customer Experience Officer Marylou (ML) Maco – sent a strong signal that customer acquisition is top of mind. CMO Josh Mueller, who has worked with Alan in the past – brings a renewed focus on driving brand messaging and pipeline building. Chief Product Officer Omar Javaid – has been building out his team and his hiring of a new CTO Soren Abildgaard signals a fresh perspective and energy at Avaya. 

 

 

These new leaders are battle tested and they can compete against any competitor. A broader focus on the transformation of the customer experience and the product/service experience is one of the key takeaways from the event.

Product Platform Approach and Customer Choice 

Avaya is positioning its product focus with a platform approach. This means customers will see an enhanced and refined Avaya Experience Platform. Their commitment to supporting flexible deployment models (Cloud, OnPremise and Hybrid) means that customers can keep their applications where they want to run them.

Zoom as the Partner  – What About RingCentral?

A new partnership with Zoom was announced and the discussion was around the need to focus on Video use cases. While the news reinforces Avaya’s commitment to delivering best-of-breed collaboration solutions, it signals a lesser focus on RingCentral – and the gradual demise of Avaya Spaces. 

By integrating with Zoom, Avaya acknowledges the changing nature of work, where seamless video communication has become essential. It is important to note that RingCentral offers world class video as well, but Avaya indicated that RingCentral will be a leading choice for Cloud Communications – meaning Voice. We would note that Avaya Aura -its Premised based Voice PBX – continues to be used in some of the largest companies globally.

Bottom line

The refreshed Avaya and its new seasoned management team –means that Avaya is shifting back to a growth mode. With crisp product roadmaps, it shows that Avaya has been listening to their customers to help them prepare for the age of modern customer experience. We expect to hear more from Avaya as the new executive team starts to move the company forward.

 

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