Santa Clara, Calif. – November 1, 2017 – Avaya today announced tighter focus on enabling Avaya Edge channel partners to offer unified communications and contact center applications as a cloud-based service (UCaaS, CCaaS) to business customers. A key part of the 2018 Avaya Edge program strategy is enabling cloud delivery, integration and management. This means partners will be ready to take advantage of the growing demand for UCaaS and CCaaS by developing their cloud competency and benefitting from the rewards.
The expanded program adds Cloud Integrator to the existing partner tracks, which indicates the highest level of commitment to Avaya’s Cloud business. This new track makes it possible for channel partners to achieve Emerald, Sapphire or Diamond status as revenue streams become more OPEX-driven, and access the benefits associated with each of the gem levels.
The program also offers three types of market-differentiating specializations to traditional partners and distributors transitioning from largely CAPEX or premises-based models to OPEX and cloud: Cloud Specialist, Avaya Delivery Partner or Cloud Wholesaler. In addition, the Avaya Edge channel program enhances existing benefits and adds new ones, such as cloud loyalty rebates, new customer registration and strategic development funds to support partner success in a fast-changing market.
Avaya channel partners embracing the program’s cloud tracks and specializations will be among the industry’s best equipped to help customers take a hybrid approach to cloud migration, and to deliver the value added services required for tightly integrating communications and collaboration services with other applications and business processes. Avaya has a number of cloud-based platforms and applications offered through channel partners. This includes the recently announced Avaya Equinox Meetings Online, a cloud-based video conferencing and collaboration service is available globally exclusively through Avaya Edge channel partners.
Quotes
“The demand for Avaya Engagement Solutions as a Service continues to skyrocket, and channel partners must play a critical role in sales, integration and delivery. The 2018 Avaya Edge program focus on partner cloud enablement and rewards perfectly aligns with our overall strategy to help customers move to the cloud model at the pace that is right for their business, and to help ensure partners remain profitable and thrive throughout the transition.”
Gary Levy, vice president, US Channels, Avaya
“Few collaboration and communications vendors offer much besides discounted licenses through their channel partner programs. The market is changing, and vendors need to drive changes in behavior by incentivizing their channels accordingly. Avaya is taking an alternative perspective by redesigning its program, expanding its partner participation and rewarding growth and loyalty with new benefits. Consequently, this motivates channels to drive growth in Avaya’s UCaaS and CCaaS business.”
Tim Banting, principal analyst, GlobalData
“We’re extremely excited to see the heightened focus on Cloud in the Avaya Edge Channel program. With incentives that are aligned with the market demand, it should help drive Avaya’s key partners and others to get on board.”
Bryan Dancer, president and CEO, Allegiant Technology
“Expanding the Avaya Edge program demonstrates Avaya’s commitment to providing the channel community the best tools to capitalize on growing market demands for cloud solutions empowering customers to easily integrate cloud services in a way that best meets their strategic objectives. The new cloud tracks and specializations along with the associated benefits helps us move our business from a CAPEX model to OPEX by reducing many of the gaps that would otherwise exist in the transition. We’re excited about the numerous market opportunities and look forward to continue working with Avaya.”
Scott Clark, vice president, Marketing, ConvergeOne
“I am very excited about Avaya’s aggressive approach to their Cloud offers and solutions relative to their FY 2018 Avaya Edge program. My partner and I made the decision about a year ago to take our company into the Cloud arena, and this program lines up perfectly.”
Jim Britton, COO, Lantana Communications
“With the 2018 updates to the Avaya Edge program, Telanet is happy to see that Avaya is rewarding partners who drive recurring cloud based revenues. Avaya Edge is ahead of the game in rewarding partners who have made or will make move to transition to a recurring revenue model. Recurring revenue will be the baseline model for anyone in this business.”
Daniel Silverman, president, Telanet
About Avaya
Avaya enables the mission critical, real-time communication applications of the world’s most important operations. As the global leader in delivering superior communications experiences, Avaya provides the most complete portfolio of software and services for contact center and unified communications— offered on premises, in the cloud, or a hybrid. Today’s digital world requires outstanding communications enablement, and no other company is better positioned to do this than Avaya. For more information, please visit www.avaya.com.
