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A Biz Case for Presence: Page 2 of 2

Similar functions are available from Nortel and Siemens but neither company has, um, the presence (pardon the pun) or reach of Avaya when it comes to contact centers. For now the product's release may hinge less on technology and more on marketing and pricing. Consultant Allan Sulkin points out that Avaya has had some of those capabilities for some time, but what's new is the integration of presence with Avaya's ACD capabilities.

What's also new is how Avaya prices the darn technology. Per-seat pricing won't likely fly in the greater organization and per-server pricing won't cut it either. The company is in the process of revamping its pricing design and looking at different ways of packaging its technology. Much of that work is near completion, but about half of it remains outstanding.

Sources close to the company suggested that Avaya will make an announcement by June. The company is sponsoring the WorldCup, which takes place then, so that date might make sense, although it could not be confirmed at press time. Avaya declined to comment on the release.