Mobility is increasingly becoming a critical component of the business communications environment. Regardless of their specific business area, organizations across the globe are looking for ways to keep their mobile workforces connected in an effort to raise productivity and lower costs.

 

In order to enable the greater mobility these organizations seek, Avaya (News - Alert) has introduced its latest mobility solution, Avaya one-X Mobile Dual Mode, an extension of Avaya’s one-X and mobile solutions. The solution is designed specifically for users of Nokia’s (News - Alert) Eseries devices to enable single number and single device access for both inbound and outbound calls. Nokia, of course, is the global market share leader in mobile devices and, as such, it certainly is a logical starting point for a dual mode solution. 

 

With the solution from Avaya, business users need not worry about which device they use or where they can use it. With the Nokia Eseries, they can place and receive calls while in the office via the WLAN, from off-site locations via WiFi hot spots, or while traveling via cellular networks. In fact, they also need not worry about ending calls when they need to leave the office, since the solution provides the capability to transfer a VoIP call to the cellular network at the touch of a single button.

 

With its ability to adapt to changing network environments, Avaya one-X Mobile Dual Mode brings the essence of fixed/mobile convergence to businesses.  Calls placed to office phones can be answered on the Nokia E60, E61, or E70, and likewise, calls can be placed through the office IP PBX from the same devices. Combined with the cellular capabilities of the devices, these features ensure that employees can maintain continual communications wherever the travel. 

 

When within range of the corporate WiFi network, the solution receives and places calls using the company’s phone system, and when the device moves out of WiFi range, the call can be handed off to the cellular network by pressing a single key on the handset, allowing the conversation to continue. Not only does this create a more effective communications system, it also reduces cellular costs, as countless cellular minutes are typically used while within an enterprise WiFi environment simply to retain a level of mobility.

 

“Embedding Avaya mobility applications with Nokia dual mode technology represents a core part of Avaya’s vision of delivering Intelligent Communications to every worker, regardless of the network they’re on,” said Geoffrey Baird, Avaya vice president and general manager of Appliances, Mobile and Small Systems Division. “This unifies a business’ voice applications, devices and networks to simplify communications for enterprise users wherever they go. Greater productivity and savings are just the beginning of the benefits gained with dual mode mobility.”

 

With the combination of Avaya’s one-X Mobile Dual Mode solution and Nokia’s Eseries devices, businesses can drive greater convenience and efficiency in their communications process, without sacrificing functionality or security. All of the common business telephony features are available with the Nokia devices — conferencing, transfer, extension dialing, etc. — which have been designed with business productivity in mind. With the ability to authenticate each device on the corporate PBX (News - Alert), businesses have the control they need to ensure only authorized users can access network resources.

 

Among the organizations already reaping the benefits of Avaya’s FMC solution is George Washington University in Washington, D.C., which has deployed the system to enable its staff to retain communications capabilities across campus as well as off-site. The school’s basketball coaches, for instance, make use of the single number access while on the road for games and recruiting visits. For them, maintaining a high level of availability is critical to the success of the program.

 

“I see dual mode communications as the logical evolution of mobility,” says Bret Jones, The George Washington University’s managing director of technology operations and engineering.  “We have the same challenges of a corporation, dealing with a highly mobile workforce across three campus locations.  Enabling employees to use one device to consistently handle communications across public and private wireless networks is a big benefit.”

 

As the importance of mobile communications continues to climb — and as businesses realize understand the benefits of dual mode solutions like Avaya’s — George Washington University will be just one on countless organizations that leverage advanced communications solutions to enhance their overall communications effectiveness to drive productivity.

 

“We’re finding that more and more businesses are using mobile devices in their telephony evolution cycle to deal with an increasingly virtual workforce,” said Nathan Dyer, Yankee Group (News - Alert) senior analyst, Enterprise Mobility.  “Apart from cost-savings, integrated WiFi and cellular devices enable simplified management and greater enterprise control over wireless voice devices.”