At the heart of the solution is the latest version of the Avaya Notification Solution (ANS), which provides integrated, automated real-time notification, response and collaboration to transmit critical information and instructions in multiple formats. By combining ANS with Avaya’s conferencing solutions -- Avaya Aura Conferencing 7.0, Radvision Scopia videoconferencing or Avaya Meeting Exchange -- organisations and businesses can quickly bring widely dispersed teams together to preserve business continuity, security and public safety.
Highly scalable and flexible, Avaya Notification Solution supports small, targeted teams or massive groups, and can meet the requirements of nearly any size business or communications environment. Using ANS, organisations can:
Prepare for multiple scenarios in advance, including appropriate messages, lists, instructions and chain of escalations.
Send messages to virtually any endpoint, anywhere: Alerts can be audio to any phone or integrated broadcast system; or text through SMS, email, instant messaging or digital signage.
Trigger automated messages through a web portal, phone call or email, or third party system.
Update social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, Internet and intranet web sites.
Commandeer Avaya IP Phones to behave as broadcast speakers and configure messages to “barge in” to active conversations if necessary.
Poll or prompt recipients for response, such as condition or availability.
Target special messages to sub-segments of larger groups and enable instant collaboration capabilities.
Instant collaboration can be facilitated through the “on board,” integrated Meet-me conferencing and collaboration capabilities, or by integrating with Avaya Aura Conferencing 7.0, Avaya Meeting Exchange and/or Radvision Scopia. Avaya Aura Conferencing 7.0 enables secure, session-based unified audio and web collaboration using desktop Macs or PCs, tablets and smartphones. Avaya Meeting Exchange bridges legacy to SIP communications environments for audio and web collaboration for mid-to-large enterprises and Service Providers. Radvision Scopia provides standards-based video conferencing and desktop sharing from participants using a broad range of video-enabled devices, including mobile, tablets, PCs/MACs, dedicated and telepresence systems.
Open web services APIs enable easy integration with third party applications that can trigger notifications and to provide more information within the notification. For example, GeoComm, an Avaya DevConnect member, provides geographic information that can be built into ANS notifications to targeted groups or to alert one or more end users when a geographically sensitive boundary has been traversed. Enterprises can integrate ANS with supply-chain management, inventory control or security systems to help mitigate risk from business-impacting events.
Jeff Chandler, senior telephony manager, Samaritan’s Purse commented “As a world-wide relief organization, we need to minister to those who have been affected, as well as ensure the safety or our staff and keep them available to respond. Weather-related emergencies could require coordination and mobilization of disaster response teams into a wide geographic area some distance away. The Avaya Notification Solution is a great tool for efficient crisis management communications and collaboration that we can use to reach and notify several hundred staff and volunteers as well as a handful of key personnel.”
“During the Colorado wildfires earlier this year, we were very concerned about how our area employees were personally being affected and also needed to keep them informed about access to our local facilities. We used Avaya Notification Solution to reach more than 1200 employees, poll them to see if they needed aid and assistance, and provide them with information and instructions. This entire process took about 90 minutes – a significant reduction in time from just a year earlier when a similar event took nearly three days.” added Bill Parkin, director, Security and Business Continuity, Avaya.