Sydney, Australia – July 14, 2020 – Avaya Holdings Corp. (NYSE:AVYA) and Australian ICT distributor, VExpress, have signed a Master Agent agreement to enable channel partners to fastrack the operational recovery efforts of Australia’s midmarket organisations and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with the help of cloud communications and collaboration solutions from Avaya.
As part of the agreement, VExpress – a telecommunications, data and mobility specialist – will distribute and provide ongoing technical support, professional services and maintenance for Avaya Cloud Office™ by RingCentral®, an all-in-one solution that delivers seamless collaboration across multiple channels. VExpress will also provide Avaya open SIP, multi-platform communications devices to its network of reseller and value-added partners.
Gartner predicts that by 2023, less than one third of digital workers will choose the office as their preferred place of work, and orgnanizations require communications and collaboration solutions that can enable new ways to get things done. The partnership equips VExpress’ channel network with a solution enabling voice calls, team messaging, meetings, conferencing and file sharing in a single platform, with an open architecture to support the channel’s transition to professional services-led go-to-market strategies. Available through flexible subscription payment models, Avaya Cloud Office eliminates barriers to entry and large up-front costs so that businesses can benefit from cloud communication faster.
“While Australian midmarket companies and SMEs have been interested in cloud-based communications and workflows for the better part of a decade, most cloud strategies have either been fast-tracked or refreshed as a result of COVID-19,” said David McEwen, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director at VExpress.
“The urgent need for remote work this year demonstrated that despite the nation’s technological maturity, many companies found themselves ill-equipped for new or flexible ways of operating. In this context, midmarket companies and SMEs – which make up the bulk of our economy – are relying on channel partners to fulfil the communications requirements underpinning post-lockdown business recovery.
“We have expanded our portfolio with Avaya Cloud Office so that our partners can focus on driving long-term value rather than maintaining technology for their clients, while also creating an opportunity for them to build professional services around the platform on their journey to becoming consultants for those customers,” said McEwen.
The Master Agent agreement builds on a three-year cloud services partnership between Avaya and VExpress, preceded by an overall 11-year technology distribution relationship. In this time, VExpress has transitioned from shipping more than 3,000 telephone systems every year to successfully establishing a recurring revenue base as part of its investment into software and services, including Avaya unified communications (UC) and contact centre (CC) solutions.
Steve Williams, Channel Director Australia and New Zealand (A/NZ) at Avaya, said new working norms and budget constraints have rendered cloud communications non-negotiable for SMEs and midmarket organisations.
“Changes to the way people work have impacted organisations’ technology needs and spending habits, with emphasis on flexibility, speed and agility now seen as crucial to business continuity and recovery. Through our expanded partnership and joint investment in information and training, VExpress and Avaya will remove complexity from our partners’ businesses and supply chains, allowing them to dedicate their resources to driving better experiences for their customers with holistic services.”
