BASKING RIDGE, NJ--(Marketwire - Nov 16, 2011) -

• Avaya updates data networking portfolio with new additions to ERS 4000 series of stackable, collaboration-ready Ethernet switches
• New models bring additional functionality including PoE+, flexible SFP+ uplinks and integrated field replaceable power supplies
• Avaya ERS 4800 switches deliver future-ready support for advanced Avaya VENA technologies like network virtualization and wireless integration

Avaya, a global provider of business collaboration and communications solutions and services, today announced an updated portfolio of future-ready Ethernet switches that will bring the capabilities of Avaya's Virtual Enterprise Network Architecture (VENA) to the edge of the campus network.

Designed for collaboration, performance and energy efficiency
The new additions to the Avaya Ethernet Routing Switch (ERS) 4000 portfolio are designed to help enterprises optimize networks for communication and collaboration, and simplify the convergence of voice, video and data communications. They offer:

• True plug and play capabilities for IP phones;
• More power and faster data rates, through support for standard and enhanced Power over Ethernet (PoE and PoE+) and small form-factor pluggable (SFP/SFP+); and
• Centralized authentication for all users and devices on the network -- including support for "bring your own device" (BYOD) strategies -- when used in conjunction with Avaya Identity Engines;

The ERS 4000 Series can handle up to five times more traffic, consumes up to 50 percent less energy, and provides a total cost of ownership that is up to 50 percent lower than competing solutions.¹ Avaya Energy Saver functionality offers an additional 25 percent power savings by 'dimming' the network during off-peak hours. Avaya ERS 4000 switches feature high-performance Stackable Chassis technology, which delivers up to 384Gbps of virtual backplane throughput as the stack grows and new units are added. They also offer a virtual hot-swap capability that enables units to be replaced quickly and easily without impacting live traffic -- simplifying edge operations and ensuring that the network always stays on.

Future-ready switching
The new Avaya ERS 4800 switches are designed to support future services needed for next-generation campus edge solutions, including advanced Avaya VENA capabilities such as network virtualization and wireless integration.

Avaya's Virtual Services Fabric extends the reach of virtualized services from the data center to the campus edge, simplifying the network and making it more adaptive and reliable than what is available today. Highly efficient interconnections across the network allow enterprises to better meet the growing peer-to-peer traffic demands of collaborative applications like video. They also help ensure optimal performance for tasks like delivering data center-based desktop applications transparently to end users.

Wireless network performance is critical as enterprises increasingly shift from wired to wireless access and high-definition video applications become commonplace. Avaya's Wireless Split-Plane technology decouples the control and data traffic, ensuring that wireless data takes the most optimal path across the network. This innovative technology can be embedded directly into the Ethernet switching infrastructure, reducing latency and increasing capacity and performance. Operating costs can be further reduced since it allows the reuse of common hardware, requires fewer network components, and optimizes scalability.

Quotes
"The new Avaya ERS 4800 switches offer a number of features that we have been looking for, from PoE+ and full EAPoL (Extensible Authentication Protocol over LAN) configurability, to redundant swappable power supplies and 10GbE capabilities. The green design and power saving features are icing on the cake. They fit our VoIP needs exactly."
-- Jeff Hardy, network and systems administrator, State University of New York at Potsdam

"We are delighted by Avaya's continued investments across their networking portfolio, from high-end data center switches to feature-rich branch office access switches. The new additions to the very popular ERS 4000 range bring valuable hardware features and a wealth of software enhancements that allow us to continue to design cost-effective, feature-rich solutions for our enterprise customers."
-- Roberto Casula, technical director, Proximity Communications

"Avaya has managed to improve upon perfection in the ERS 4000 family. The new 4800 models provide superior performance, functionality and upgradeability, for a longer product life that helps cover my bottom line. And with the VENA features, I do not have to worry about being forced into a forklift upgrade. InfoBunker has been leveraging aspects of Avaya's VENA architecture for years to deliver a robust and scalable solution for our customers while reducing network complexity. Unlike with switches from some other vendors, I know that the ERS 4800 will be able to support my network needs for the foreseeable future."
-- Jason McGinnis, president, InfoBunker

"The network has become the most scalable delivery platform for real-time applications and services such as video, VoIP and desktop virtualization. Delivering a consistent user experience to all users, no matter where they are in the corporation, puts new demands on the network to enable a seamless experience. Avaya's latest VENA announcement enables this network transformation by extending the network fabric from the data center all the way to the campus edge. The new additions to the ERS 4000 series compliment the ERS 8800 and VSP 9000 to be the building blocks of an enterprise wide network fabric."
-- Zeus Kerravala, principal analyst, ZK Research

"Enterprises want data networking solutions that they can forget about. Solutions that make it effortless for them to connect new IP phones, secure new devices and users, and add more capacity. Avaya's collaboration-ready ERS 4800 switches deliver these features to enterprises today. They also provide support for advanced Avaya VENA capabilities like network virtualization and wireless integration that will allow enterprises to simplify their networks and the deployment of next-generation applications and services in the future."
-- Steve Bandrowczak, vice president and general manager, Avaya Networking

Additional Resources

• Website: Avaya Ethernet Routing Switch 4000 Series
• Website: Avaya Virtual Enterprise Network Architecture
• Fact sheet: Avaya Ethernet Routing Switch 4000 Series (PDF)
• Fact sheet: Avaya Stackable Chassis (PDF)
• Report: Miercom Report, Plug and Play Switches (PDF)
• Photos: Avaya Ethernet Routing Switch 4000 Series

Tags
avaya, ers 4000, ers 48000, vena, switches, campus, miercom, virtual services fabric, wireless split-plane

About Avaya
Avaya is a global provider of business collaboration and communications solutions, providing unified communications, contact centers, data solutions and related services to companies of all sizes around the world. For more information please visit www.avaya.com.

Certain statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "potential," "predict," "should" or "will" or other similar terminology. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While we believe these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. These and other important factors may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. For a list and description of such risks and uncertainties, please refer to Avaya's filings with the SEC that are available at www.sec.gov. Avaya disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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(1) Miercom (Report 110829), August 2011. This independent study was commissioned by Avaya and conducted by Miercom.