Enterprise Communications Analyst | Protagonist | Specializing in Storytelling & Reputation Management for good brands.
One of the surprises I covered out of #EnterpriseConnect earlier this year, was the Avaya - Zoom partnership. Zoom promised to launch a version of Zoom Workspace for Avaya customers. The solution is now available (from both Zoom and Avaya). The delivery of this application is a significant milestone. A decade or so ago, this integration was possible but unlikely. Pure cloud companies were sure that premises-based solutions would be gone by now, and premises-based providers assumed that they would become dominant as SaaS providers. Well, it's (about) 2025, and more than half of contact center agents are still connected to premises-based/private cloud systems, and very few of the PBX vendors are leaders in UCaaS or CCaaS. The emerging #HybridCloud is exactly what Goldilocks ordered. A hybrid solution combines the benefits of premises-based or private cloud with cloud-delivered services. An Avaya #UC or #ContactCenter customer can now make and receive calls on their Avaya Aura infrastructure from the Zoom Workplace suite. It’s a big win for both companies. Avaya sits in many large organizations serving a variety of personas. While some customers need the Avaya desktop tools, some may spend the day with other tools, such as Zoom Workplace. It allows Avaya customers to choose the best desktop solution while still leveraging their investment and infrastructure. Avaya customers that use Zoom Chat or Meetings (and more) can now do so with less app switching. Zoom expands from its pure cloud heritage into Hybrid Cloud with a fast path into many large, global customers. One question I’ve received is why these integrations take so long (it was announced in March). The short answer is everything takes longer than it seems. The longer answer is that both companies have been making LOTs of changes. Zoom has been focused on AI (the Zoom AI Companion is now integrated across its suite). Avaya has gone through significant leadership and organizational changes. More significantly, there’s more to an integration than just the technical interface: Zoom and Avaya integrate the billing and admin experience and prepared their GTM channels. Regardless, it’s here now and represents a significant benefit for their joint customers. This is the first integration. Both companies have announced more are coming.I expect Zoom-Mitel next.
Steve Forcum
4d
Didn't Zoom and Mitel announce a similar partnership already? Or do you think there's more to come from theirs?
Jeff P.
3d
I see the win for whichever CCaaS provider is delivering to the on premise customer but less certain of the medium term positive impact for the premise provider that is clearly creating an easy migration path to the CCaaS’s UC solution…….
Absolutely fascinating update! The integration between Avaya and Zoom sounds like a game-changer for the hybrid cloud space, balancing the best of both worlds. The operational and strategic shifts both companies have undergone to achieve this milestone are impressive. Looking forward to seeing how future integrations unfold!
That is informative…. Collaboration with Co-existence is the way going forward with converging market place I think.
Great writeup Dave Michels. Definitely some positive news for Avaya. Happy to see it.
Enterprise Communications Analyst | Protagonist | Specializing in Storytelling & Reputation Management for good brands.
4dRelated Links: The original post covering the partnership: https://www.nojitter.com/unified-communications-collaboration/avaya-and-zoom-strike-gtm-uc-alliance. The Zoom Solution: https://www.zoom.com/en/products/collaboration-tools/features/avaya-integration/