Avaya is a global company specializing in data communications. The company has a large portfolio of services, including VPN solutions.

Avaya concentrates its VPN offerings on enterprise-level businesses; most of its products are for companies with remote users or multiple offices.

Avaya's VPN offerings are broadly divided into two categories: VPNs and security. The security section is a wider category, primarily notable for its VPN firewall family (an integrated firewall and VPN gateway) and IPSec client. The VPN section has three components, all of which are entirely concentrated on Virtual Private Networks, rather than having the VPN being part of a larger group of features.

The first VPN component, the VPN Service Unit (VSU), is a hardware-based gateway for VPN connections. Featuring a dedicated high performance IPSec packet-processing engine and real-time data compression designed specifically to handle high-bandwidth VPN traffic, the VSU is designed to integrate easily and transparently into pre-existing enterprise networks.

The second and third parts are software components connected to the VSU. The second part, VPNmanager, allows a network administrator to control the network from a GUI-based control console, supported by a back-end LDAP directory server. The console is also de-coupled from the directory structure, so that a business or service provider can delegate authority to several network administrators.

The final component is VPNclient, a Windows-compatible client for accessing the VPN. VPNclient is specifically designed for telecommuters and remote users, allowing them to access the corporate network securely over the Internet. The GUI-based console is also designed to allow users to select profiles and access the VPN from the console alone.

Avaya can be contacted via their Web site or by telephone at 1-866-462-8292.