Avaya US to preinstall Skype trunking; UC federation in 2011H2

“The Internet gets better with age.”
— David Gurle, GM, Skype Enterprise

A deal in to phases.

1. Starting in October 2010, Avaya will preinstall and promote Skype Connect in the United States. This allows Avaya’s customers to more easily choose Skype for outbound and inbound calls.

2. Starting in the second half of 2010, many of Avaya’s unified communication (UC) systems can work with the Skype network.

• Federated directories, contacts, dialing, voice, video, IM and presence.
• Using SILK and other HD codecs used by Skype for greater fidelity.
• Administrative controls on the Avaya side will treat Skype like any other service.
• Avaya will drive customers to buy Skype Connect and set up a Skype for Business account.
• Won’t use SkypeKit; new technology roadmap is coming.
• Will use SIP stack. SIP, Simple, RTP protocols were mentioned.
• Avaya computers and stations won’t be supernodes.
• Avaya’s hosted services are out of scope for now.
• United States only.
• Not an exclusive deal.

Speculating, the deal should bring more workplace traffic to Skype. Access to Skype’s users could give traction to Avaya’s video calling products.

Skype must invent and deploy new technology to make this work since they are not building a full Skype client with SkypeKit. Skype will likely use the “thin client” model Skype mobile; Skype uses this user-experience-on-the-device-and-heavy-networking-in-a-server-farm approach for Verizon Android phones. Skype mobile runs its gateway servers in CALEA-compliant (ready for government eavesdropping) Verizon data centers to minimize latency.

The engineering of a new Skype as a Platform cloud is non-trivial. Neither is integration across the whole Avaya application suite.

From my “Phil Wolff’s 67 Reckless Predictions for 2010”

26. Avaya will make Skype for SIP the default setting for new switches they sell.

News release below the fold…

News release:

Avaya and Skype Sign Strategic Agreement for Business Communications and Collaboration Solutions

Agreement includes plans for industry-first federation between Avaya and Skype communication platforms

For Immediate Release: 29-Sep-2010

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. and LUXEMBOURG – Avaya, a global leader in enterprise communications systems, software and services, and Skype today announced a strategic agreement to deliver innovative, real-time communications and collaboration solutions to businesses of all sizes. The multi-phase deal includes both go-to-market and an industry-first, joint technology integration that seeks to enable businesses to lower costs and expand how employees, customers, partners and suppliers communicate and collaborate with greater convenience and efficiency.

In the first phase of the agreement, Avaya customers in the U.S. market will have access to Skype Connect™, a product which adds Skype calling to IP-based enterprise communications systems, providing a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) communications channel between Avaya communications systems and Skype. Customers with Avaya Aura™ Session Manager or Avaya Aura SIP Enablement Server, CS1000, Avaya IP Office, or BCM systems can use Skype Connect to place calls globally for increased reach, while aiming to save on international calling. Enterprise-level security and features such as tracking, recording, regulatory compliance, and more are provided by the Avaya system.

Skype reported 124 million average monthly connected users during the second quarter of 2010. Now, Skype users can make inbound calls to Avaya customers in the U.S. market for free or at a low cost. Calls will be treated with Avaya’s routing, conferencing, messaging, mobility and contact center capabilities, as well as other collaboration services. For example, businesses can:

• Establish Skype Click & Call buttons for inbound calling from Web sites
• Establish Skype Online Numbers for inbound calling from landline and mobile phones
• Route inbound calls from a Skype user to an enterprise extension

Avaya customers in the U.S. market who are interested in Skype Connect can speak with their Avaya sales representative or an Avaya Connect channel partner contacts beginning in October.

In the second half of 2011, Avaya and Skype plan to deliver integrated unified communications and collaboration solutions for enterprises within the U.S. The integration is intended to establish federation between Avaya Aura and Skype communications platforms and both user communities, so that an Avaya end-user and Skype user can engage and interact via presence, instant messaging, voice and video. A business, for example, could use Skype to access an Avaya-based contact center in a simple and highly integrated way to quickly and efficiently resolve customer service issues. The integrated solutions will also allow enterprise IT managers to manage and control the inter-connectivity between end users to meet their corporate IT policies.

“Avaya and Skype have been working along parallel paths to offer, innovative, scalable, low cost, SIP-based communications to our respective markets,” said Alan Baratz, senior vice president, Avaya and president, Avaya Global Communications Solutions. “Now, the two companies will work together, striving to improve collaboration and customer service by federating Avaya and Skype solutions for a common user experience that delivers unique benefits for businesses and their customers who are Skype users.”

“Our relationship with Avaya is expected to expand the footprint for Skype Connect into more enterprises in the U.S. market, while allowing us to help Avaya’s customers benefit from Skype’s cost savings and access to Skype’s global user base,” said David Gurlé, vice president and general manager of Skype for Business. “We believe our integrated solution in the second half of 2011 is expected to offer the benefits of Skype to a growing number of businesses and open up new ways for people to communicate and collaborate.”