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Author: Richard Westlund

Should You Implement a Cybersecurity Mesh Strategy?

February 16, 2021 Richard Westlund Leave a comment

When data centers were housing in a secure, on-premise location and the computer network had a clear boundary, IT organizations…

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Posted in: Business Strategies

A Look at the State of the Industry

February 9, 2021 Richard Westlund Leave a comment

Communications technology is always changing, but there are some clear trends that will be shaping this sector in 2021, according…

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Posted in: Miscellaneous Filed under: emerging technology, industry updates

Will 5G be a Game Changer – or Not?

January 19, 2021 Richard Westlund Leave a comment

If you watch television, it’s hard to escape the advertisements from AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile about their high-speed 5G networks.…

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Posted in: Solutions Portfolio

Building Your Digital Leadership Skills

January 12, 2021 Richard Westlund Leave a comment

As an IT professional, you understand the importance of staying current with technology. That might mean tracking new Avaya solutions,…

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Posted in: Business Strategies, Leadership Filed under: Professional Development

Strategies for Living in a Bot World

January 5, 2021 Richard Westlund Leave a comment

If you work in telecommunications, you are already living in a bot world. With new developments in machine learning, artificial…

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Posted in: Business Strategies

What Are Your Budget Priorities for 2021?

December 16, 2020 Richard Westlund Leave a comment

When setting budget priorities for 2021, communications professionals shouldn’t focus all their attention on technology.  Along with considering new IT…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: budget

Balancing Remote and Office Work

December 8, 2020 Richard Westlund 1 Comment

As IT professionals look to the year ahead, one timely issue is delivering the right level of support to enhance…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Remote Work

How the COVID Crisis Shifted UC&C Priorities

December 1, 2020 Richard Westlund 1 Comment

For enterprise IT professionals, the COVID-19 crisis created opportunities as well as challenges.  In many cases, it accelerated the deployment…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Security

Best Practices to Improve UC&C Security

November 24, 2020 Richard Westlund Leave a comment

Have you confirmed the identity of everyone participating in your virtual conference session?  If you are transcribing or recording the…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Security

Moving the Needle on Diversity in the Workforce

November 18, 2020 Richard Westlund 2 Comments

A diverse workforce can help spur innovation in the IT department. It can lead to greater productivity throughout the organization, resulting…

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Posted in: Business Strategies, Leadership Filed under: Diversity

10 Tips for Getting the Most from Your Meeting Rooms

November 10, 2020 Richard Westlund 2 Comments

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, enterprises around the world are rethinking how to use their on-premise meeting rooms. How do…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Avaya Solutions, COVID-19, Remote Work, Virtual

Diving into Avaya OneCloud™ CCaaS

November 3, 2020 Richard Westlund 1 Comment

What if you could empower customers to interact effortlessly across touchpoints, fully engage employees, maximize limited resources, and gain the…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Avaya OneCloud, CCaaS

Developing Leadership Skills for Women in IT

October 20, 2020 Richard Westlund Leave a comment

As technology becomes a strategic driver for enterprises around the world, leadership skills are increasingly important for IT professionals.   Today’s…

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Posted in: Business Strategies, Leadership Filed under: Women in Tech

Avaya Celebrates 20 Years of Service

October 13, 2020 Richard Westlund Leave a comment

Twenty years ago, Avaya began its journey to global leadership in the communications, collaboration, and contact center markets.  While there…

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Posted in: Miscellaneous Filed under: Avaya

Best Practices to Improve UC&C Security

September 30, 2020 Richard Westlund Leave a comment

Have you confirmed the identity of everyone participating in your virtual conference session?  If you are transcribing or recording the…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Security

Creating Career Opportunities for Women in IT

September 23, 2020 Richard Westlund 1 Comment

Based on demographics, there should be as many women as men in today’s IT organizations.  But gender parity is still…

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Posted in: Leadership Filed under: Career, Professional Development, Women in Tech

The Future of Video Looks Bright!

September 10, 2020 Richard Westlund 4 Comments

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, video was a solution looking for a problem. Now, it is a solution with an almost…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Collaboration, Remote Work, video, Virtual

Building Scenarios Can Help Your Post-Pandemic Planning

September 2, 2020 Richard Westlund 1 Comment

If you are wondering what the business world will look like in 2021 and beyond, you are certainly not alone.…

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Posted in: Miscellaneous

How the Pandemic Is Reshaping IT Priorities

August 26, 2020 Richard Westlund Leave a comment

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, IT professionals are assessing their priorities, particularly in collaboration and contact center implementations.  With the…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: CCaaS, Contact Center, CX

Navigating the Multi-Cloud Maze

August 12, 2020 Richard Westlund Leave a comment

Driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, enterprises around the world are deploying multi-cloud solutions to support remote workers. When done carefully,…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Cloud, Multi-Cloud

Avaya Cloud Office™ Provides Foundation for the ‘New Normal’

July 28, 2020 Richard Westlund Leave a comment

Throughout the world, organizations are deploying cloud-based UC solutions to support their workforces. After launching Avaya Cloud Office™ by RingCentral…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Avaya Solutions, Cloud, Cloud Office, RingCentral, UCaaS

Keep Robocalls Out of Your Enterprise!

July 21, 2020 Richard Westlund Leave a comment

Almost everyone has been plagued by robocalls on a home or mobile phone. Last year, there were 58.5 billion robocalls,…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Robocalls, Vishing

Are You Looking for a Flexible Contact Center Solution?

July 14, 2020 Richard Westlund 1 Comment

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down global economies, many enterprises scrambled to find work-around solutions to keep their contact centers…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Contact Center

Best Practices for Monitoring Telephony Performance

July 7, 2020 Richard Westlund 1 Comment

Voice is enjoying a resurgence these days. Traditional phone calls are vital for real-time conversations and collaborations in an office…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Avaya ENGAGE, SIP, Voice

Avaya’s Smart IoT Solution Turns Data into Action

June 30, 2020 Richard Westlund 1 Comment

Today there are billions of sensors, wearables and other devices around the world feeding data into the Internet of Things…

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Posted in: Case Studies Filed under: Avaya ENGAGE, CRM, IoT

Guiding First Responders to Emergency Locations

June 23, 2020 Richard Westlund 1 Comment

It’s not easy to construct an E-911 system for a single building, and the issues multiply when trying to cover…

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Posted in: Case Studies Filed under: 911, Contact Center, Innovation

Succeeding in the ‘Multiexperience’ Economy

June 16, 2020 Richard Westlund 5 Comments

It’s no longer enough to pay attention only to the customer experience (CX).  To be effective in serving your market,…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Avaya Solutions, Customer Experience

Practical Tips on Avaya Solutions from IAUG Leaders

June 9, 2020 Richard Westlund 1 Comment

If you’ve been wondering about the value of an IAUG membership, consider the practical, expert advice available from Avaya professionals…

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Posted in: Solutions Portfolio Filed under: Avaya Solutions

Avaya Unveils Solution Roadmaps for 2021

May 26, 2020 Richard Westlund 1 Comment

Avaya is planning new features and availability for its cloud, collaboration and contact center solutions in 2021. “Our goal is…

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Posted in: Solutions Portfolio Filed under: Avaya Solutions

Will Going to the Cloud Work for You?

May 19, 2020 Richard Westlund 1 Comment

While it’s easy to deploy cloud-based applications, moving the communications infrastructure to the cloud is a much bigger decision.  Since…

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Posted in: Business Strategies

The Future of the Digital Customer Experience

May 12, 2020 Richard Westlund 1 Comment

Domino’s Pizza, Comcast and BMW are delivering an engaging digital customer experience (DCX). Their investments in people, processes and technology…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Customer Experience, Digital Transformation

Video Collaboration Security: Do You Have All the Bases Covered?

May 5, 2020 Richard Westlund 2 Comments

In today’s work-from-home environment, video collaboration security has never been more important. IT professionals must provide the right tools, training…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Digital Transformation, Innovation

Using Outbound to Manage Crisis Situations

April 28, 2020 Richard Westlund 3 Comments

In times of crisis, almost everyone has an urgent need for information – employees, customers, community members – causing businesses,…

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Posted in: Solutions Portfolio Filed under: Partner Solutions

Plan Ahead for the COVID-19 Rebound

April 21, 2020 Richard Westlund 2 Comments

Many IT professionals have been in a rapid response mode since the COVID-19 pandemic led to business shutdowns and shelter-in-place…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Customer Experience, Digital Transformation

Avaya IX Workplace Boosts Collaboration for Care Teams

April 14, 2020 Richard Westlund 2 Comments

Collaboration among hospital care teams is essential for positive patient outcomes. Doctors, nurses, laboratory techs and pharmacists all need to…

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Posted in: Solutions Portfolio Filed under: Avaya Solutions, Healthcare

Augmented Humans: A New Cybersecurity Challenge

April 7, 2020 Richard Westlund 1 Comment

Your enterprise may have strict access and authentication policies to reduce the risk of a security breach by an insider. …

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity

Setting Short- and Long-Term IT Priorities in the Coronavirus Outbreak

March 31, 2020 Richard Westlund 1 Comment

In the short term, CIOs and other communication leaders have been hard-pressed to meet organizational demands in response to the…

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Posted in: Leadership Filed under: Community, Digital Transformation, Innovation, Team Building

Arkansas Health System Takes a Journey to the Cloud

March 10, 2020 Richard Westlund 1 Comment

An in-depth planning process provided the foundation for Arkansas Children’s Hospital to migrate its communications infrastructure to the cloud.  “If…

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Posted in: Case Studies Filed under: Cloud, Digital Transformation, Healthcare

A User’s Perspective on Avaya Mobile Experience

March 4, 2020 Richard Westlund Leave a comment

Avaya Mobile Experience can help businesses improve their customer interactions, and offer potential cost savings, according to Dustin Fails, telecommunication…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Contact Center, Customer Experience, Digital Transformation

Transforming a Bank’s Traditional Call Center

February 25, 2020 Richard Westlund Leave a comment

Community banks, like other financial service providers face a number of challenges in providing a distinctive customer experience and delivering…

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Posted in: Case Studies Filed under: Contact Center, Customer Experience

Avaya Helps Control Spread of COVID-19 in China

February 21, 2020 Richard Westlund

While Supporting Business Operations Avaya and its business partners have responded quickly to the unexpected outbreak of COVID-19, donating remote…

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Posted in: Business Strategies, Miscellaneous

What the Rise of the Remote Workforce Means for IT

January 14, 2020 Richard Westlund

IT professionals around the world are wrestling with the challenges associated with supporting a remote workforce; ensuring security, providing training,…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Avaya ENGAGE, Multi-Generational Workforce, Team Building

5 Sessions You Can’t Miss at Avaya ENGAGE

January 7, 2020 Richard Westlund

Avaya ENGAGE is one of the best places for telecom IT professionals to make new connections with peers and hear…

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Posted in: Miscellaneous Filed under: Avaya ENGAGE

Digital Disruptions and the Art of the Possible

December 31, 2019 Richard Westlund

Consumer preferences are changing faster and faster, disrupting traditional service patterns and challenging organizations to keep up. It takes careful…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Customer Experience, Digital Transformation

What CEOs Need to Know About Cybersecurity

December 3, 2019 Richard Westlund

IT professionals know that defending against cyberattacks is a complex task with no guarantees of 100 percent protection.  But many…

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Posted in: Leadership Filed under: Cybersecurity

How Work Environments and Employee Age Affect Desktop Communication Choices

November 19, 2019 Richard Westlund

Deskphones, softphones and mobile phones – in today’s workforce, there’s no one size fits all for communication choices. In fact,…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Digital Transformation, Innovation, Multi-Generational Workforce

Key Trends Shaping the Analytics Sector

November 5, 2019 Richard Westlund

Business leaders rely on analytics to measure the performance of units, teams and individuals. Avaya’s contact center solutions, for instance,…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Artificial Intelligence, Data Management, Digital Transformation

Why AI is the New Frontier in Cybersecurity

October 22, 2019 Richard Westlund

With breach attempts and cyberattacks increasing, many enterprises are looking at artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to identify and thwart incoming…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity

Work Flow Strategies Can Help Enterprises Address the Digital Talent Gap

October 15, 2019 Richard Westlund

Many enterprises today are facing a digital talent gap.  It can be difficult for IT managers to find enough qualified…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Digital Transformation, Multi-Generational Workforce

Issues to Consider Before Deploying Kiosks as Consumer Touchpoints

October 8, 2019 Richard Westlund

Building brand awareness, engaging prospective customers and adding easily accessible consumer touchpoints are three reasons many enterprises are adding video…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Digital Transformation, Innovation

Making Smart CC/CRM Choices

October 1, 2019 Richard Westlund

Veteran IAUG members know that love affair between contact centers and CRM began back in the 1990s, as enterprises realized…

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Posted in: Case Studies Filed under: CRM, Customer Experience, Digital Transformation

‘Eternal Vigilance’ Needed to Counter Cyberattacks

September 17, 2019 Richard Westlund

It’s no surprise to IT professionals that cyberattacks are on the rise.  In recent months, hackers have taken over municipal…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Cybersecurity, Data Management

Overcoming the Human Factor in UC Deployments

August 28, 2019 Richard Westlund

Unified communication (UC) solutions can promote collaboration regardless of time zone or geographic distance. IT professionals need to simplify the use of these tools and address the other concerns of users for them to be adopted within the organization,.

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Artificial Intelligence, Customer Experience

How Are Enterprises Planning for Constant Change?

August 7, 2019 Richard Westlund

Simplifying communications, improving the user experience, and creating excitement about change are top priorities for leading enterprise IT professionals.

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Digital Transformation

How UCC Is Enabling the Multi-Generational Workforce

July 31, 2019 Richard Westlund

In 2019, five generations are sharing the North American workforce: the older Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and the young Gen Z workers. With their different personal experiences, communication styles, and comfort levels with technology, how can today’s IT leaders set them all up for success?

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Posted in: Leadership Filed under: Team Building

How Enterprises Can Evaluate UCaaS Providers

July 10, 2019 Richard Westlund

When considering a Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) solution from a provider, pay attention to the user experience, along…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Customer Experience

Best Practices for Digital Transformation Metrics

June 26, 2019 Richard Westlund

If your organization is embarking on a digital transformation imitative, it’s essential to set clear and measurable business goals. You should also think about how you will measure your progress and determine if the project has been successful.

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Digital Transformation

Texas Tech Improves Campus Safety with E911

May 29, 2019 Richard Westlund

Like many educational institutions, campus safety is a top priority for Texas Tech University. That’s why the university’s IT team, supported by IR Prognosis and Path Insight, recently rolled out a new E911 system to provide alerts and accelerated responses to emergencies.

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Posted in: Case Studies Filed under: 911

Mastering Avaya Endpoints for Your Contact Center

May 8, 2019 Richard Westlund

Digital transformation is occurring in banking, healthcare, media, logistics, retail, utilities, and many other sectors. As a result, the contact…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Avaya ENGAGE, Avaya Solutions, Customer Experience

How Can AI and UC Help Your Organization?

May 1, 2019 Richard Westlund

Artificial intelligence (AI) can play an important role in helping organizations improve their unified communications (UC) infrastructure. However, you have…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Avaya Solutions

Become a Communications Champion in Your Organization

April 17, 2019 Richard Westlund

What must you do to become the go-to person for driving digital transformation in your organization?

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Posted in: Leadership Filed under: Digital Transformation

Integrating Emerging Technologies into Today’s Platforms

April 4, 2019 Richard Westlund

Artificial intelligence (AI), cloud-based platforms and the Internet of Things (IoT) are changing the communications landscape and driving digital transformation.…

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Artificial Intelligence, Cloud, IoT

Deploying AI for Customer Service

March 7, 2019 Richard Westlund

Artificial intelligence (AI) has great potential for improving customer service, according to Dr. Val Matula, vice president and CTO, Emerging Products & Technology, Avaya.

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Posted in: Business Strategies Filed under: Artificial Intelligence, Customer Experience

A Roadmap for Avaya OneCloud

February 21, 2019 Richard Westlund

It’s a sunny day for businesses considering shifting their unified communication (UC) and contact center (CC) operations to the cloud.…

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Posted in: Solutions Portfolio Filed under: Avaya Solutions, Cloud

Three Users Outline Their Customer Experience Journeys

January 30, 2019 Richard Westlund

Implementing a digital customer experience can lead to higher satisfaction scores, and increases in new business, while reducing operational costs,…

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Posted in: Case Studies Filed under: Avaya ENGAGE, Avaya Solutions, Partner Solutions

Avaya Customer Success with the Modern LAN

January 22, 2019 Richard Westlund

Adapted from NVT Phybridge case studies A U.S. school district, government agency and university are among the many Avaya customers who have…

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Posted in: Case Studies Filed under: Avaya Solutions

What’s Next for Your CS1000?

January 14, 2019 Richard Westlund

If you have a CS1000 or Communication Manager (CM), you’re probably still satisfied with its reliability.  But at the same…

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Posted in: Solutions Portfolio Filed under: Avaya Solutions
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