Avaya Completes $3.7 Million Upgrade for West Point Academy

March 4, 2002 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Avaya Inc. (avaya.com), a leading global provider of voice and data networks for business and government, announced on Monday that it has completed a $3.7 million communications upgrade for the US Military Academy at West Point.

Established in 1802, West Point is known as the premier military leadership school in the world, says the company. The upgrade means the facility will enter its bicentennial year with new voice and data capabilities across its campus in upstate New York, which draws thousands of visitors each year.

``We're pleased that Avaya's DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server (ECS) is now providing the new communications backbone for West Point's historic campus, supporting 7,000 users across a 16,000-acre site,'' said Robert Fortna president of Avaya's Government Solutions business. ``The server supports a variety of transmission protocols and gives the Academy a platform for adopting emerging technologies, including converged voice and data applications, voice over IP and voice over ATM.''

Installing the 21st century communications technology at a 200-year-old location presented certain challenges, says Avaya. Many of the buildings at the facility are historic, and cannot be modified. In addition, space was at a premium. The telecommunications room was filled to capacity, making the higher port density and decreased power demands of the new system a plus.

The DEFINITY ECS features a 99.999 percent reliability record and simple system management tools that will allow the academy to monitor traffic, run repots and gather insight for systems administration.

The West Point upgrade was conducted under the US Army Digital Switched Systems Modernization Program, a contract for the replacement and upgrade of army switches worldwide. The Avaya DEFINITY ECS solution has been certified by the Department of Defense’s Joint Interoperability Test Center at Ft. Huachua, Arizona, and offers MultiLevel Precedence and Preemtion, designed to allow key personnel to override other systems during emergencies.