Introduction - Avaya 9000 Series Reference Manual

Introduction

Avaya's Ethernet Switch product line provides complete coverage, ranging from entry-level
branch office, to high-performance wiring closet and data center server aggregation,
through to network core applications.
This Quick Reference Guide is provided for the Avaya and Business Partner sales
community, providing summary information, in one consolidated document, focusing on
the strategic products from Avaya's Ethernet Switching portfolio.
Customer Drivers & Challenges
It is predicted that the Enterprise market will be shaped by a need to plan for and
incorporate key information technology drivers
• Redefining Network Intelligence – moving from 'smart pipes' to 'dumb pipes' with
intelligence defined in the software associated with application; a decoupling or
abstraction of 'service' from 'boxes'
• Investing in Fabrics – a 'Data Center Fabric' that has the ability to converge
application and storage traffic, a 'Network Fabric' that flattens and meshes the network
for fewer ties with embedded functions; the next wave of investment will be on the 'End-
to-End Fabric' that extends across the entire enterprise (e.g. Avaya's Enterprise Fabric)
• Revisiting Mobility – with consumerization of devices driving new expectations into the
enterprise (the BYOD trend), and the 'mobile' tag expands to include nomadic (Wi-Fi),
mobile (3G), and remote (i.e. Branch Office); security and policy enforcement are critical
as the network is the first and last enterprise demarcation point
With one eye on these corporate drivers, the Enterprise CIO of today is facing an evolving
set of challenges, with the top five being:
• 24x365 availability
• Business continuity and disaster recovery
• Cost reduction and/or cost management
• Demonstrating business value
• Increasing rates of change and pressure to move faster
This shows that there has been a fundamental transition to business-orientated delivery
from what was traditionally a cost-centric mindset; make no mistake, price is still a key
buying criteria, however the focus is now more in terms of strategic purchasing, future-
proofing, sound buying practices, and embedding value-for-money.
Forrester Research – private strategy briefing for Avaya, January 2012.
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