•Avaya updates data networking portfolio with new additions to ERS 4000 series of stackable, collaboration-ready Ethernet switches

•New models bring additional functionality including PoE+, flexible SFP+ uplinks and integrated field replaceable power supplies

•Avaya ERS 4800 switches deliver future-ready support for advanced Avaya VENA technologies like network virtualisation and wireless integration

Guildford, UK, November 16, 2011 – Avaya, a global provider of business collaboration and communications solutions and services, today announced an updated portfolio of future-ready Ethernet switches that will bring the capabilities of Avaya’s Virtual Enterprise Network Architecture (VENA) to the edge of the campus network.

Designed for collaboration, performance and energy efficiency
The new additions to the Avaya Ethernet Routing Switch (ERS) 4000 portfolio are designed to help enterprises optimise networks for communication and collaboration, and simplify the convergence of voice, video and data communications. They offer:

•True plug and play capabilities for IP phones;

•More power and faster data rates, through support for standard and enhanced Power over Ethernet (PoE and PoE+) and small form-factor pluggable (SFP/SFP+); and

•Centralised authentication for all users and devices on the network—including support for “bring your own device” (BYOD) strategies - when used in conjunction with Avaya Identity Engines;

The ERS 4000 Series can handle up to five times more traffic, consumes up to 50 percent less energy, and provides a total cost of ownership that is up to 50 percent lower than competing solutions.[1] Avaya Energy Saver functionality offers an additional 25 percent power savings by ‘dimming’ the network during off-peak hours. Avaya ERS 4000 switches feature high-performance Stackable Chassis technology, which delivers up to 384Gbps of virtual backplane throughput as the stack grows and new units are added. They also offer a virtual hot-swap capability that enables units to be replaced quickly and easily without impacting live traffic - simplifying edge operations and ensuring that the network always stays on.

Future-ready switching
The new Avaya ERS 4800 switches are designed to support future services needed for next-generation campus edge solutions, including advanced Avaya VENA capabilities such as network virtualisation and wireless integration.

Avaya’s Virtual Services Fabric extends the reach of virtualised services from the data centre to the campus edge, simplifying the network and making it more adaptive and reliable than what is available today. Highly efficient interconnections across the network allow enterprises to better meet the growing peer-to-peer traffic demands of collaborative applications like video. They also help ensure optimal performance for tasks like delivering data centre-based desktop applications transparently to end users.

Wireless network performance is critical as enterprises increasingly shift from wired to wireless access and high-definition video applications become commonplace. Avaya’s Wireless Split-Plane technology decouples the control and data traffic, ensuring that wireless data takes the most optimal path across the network. This innovative technology can be embedded directly into the Ethernet switching infrastructure, reducing latency and increasing capacity and performance. Operating costs can be further reduced since it allows the reuse of common hardware, requires fewer network components, and optimises scalability.