Avaya's top executives have acknowledged that they have
had trouble reaching IT datacentre managers and executives at
corporations to make important sales.
The challenge facing Avaya, a voice-equipment supplier, comes
largely from Cisco Systems, said Don Peterson, Avaya chief
executive officer and chairman.
Cisco sells pure IP voice products, has an installed base of
data switches and routers within IT organisations, and already has
the ear of the data managers who control the IT spending purse
strings, he said.
Peterson said Avaya has been able to reach the managers in
charge of voice systems, though they often are not in the same
group as the datacentre managers.
Avaya sells products which include IP telephony equipment, but
it also relies on traditional circuit-switched technology, known as
time division multiplexing (TDM). Avaya is in a camp of several
suppliers which sell hybrid systems of TDM and IP. Cisco sells pure
IP.
He vowed to find more ways to bring the Avaya message to
datacentre managers.
"We're going to fight it out tooth and nail," he said.
Avaya sold more than 25% of all voice-switching products in the
US last year, leading all other suppliers, including Cisco, which
sold more than 10%. Nortel Networks was second, with more than 20%
of sales, according to TEQConsult Group.
Matt Hamblen writes for Computerworld