Avaya Solution Helps Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases Ensure the Continuity of Mission-Critical Operations

BASKING RIDGE, NJ--(Marketwire - October 15, 2008) - A U.S. government-certified IP telephony solution from Avaya Inc., a leading global provider of business communications applications, systems and services, is helping both Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases ensure communications continuity for mission-critical operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other hotspots around the globe.

Nellis Air Force Base is home of the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center, which is responsible for advanced combat training, tactics development and operational testing to support troops in the field. Approximately 50 miles away, Creech Air Force Base is home of the "Predator" Umanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Project -- a remotely piloted reconnaissance plane routinely used in combat settings. Reflecting the importance of their mission, Creech AFB has a significant number of construction projects underway to support the UAV mission and has seen a population that has soared to more than 2,000 in the past four years. Both sites are now linked by a survivable Avaya communication network.

"Our objective was to move to a communications network that would support continued growth at both locations and eliminate any single point of failure," said Capt. Mike Rood, Operations Flight Commander for the 99th Communications Squadron. "It was especially important for us to have an alternate communication route between the two bases to support mission-critical traffic."

The Avaya solution for Nellis and Creech is based on Avaya Communication Manager IP telephony software running on a series of high-reliability Avaya servers and gateways. All software and hardware implemented in the solution has been certified for security and interoperability by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC). The JITC is the DoD's facility for evaluating the interoperability and information assurance of National Security Systems (NSS) and Information Technology (IT) systems. The JITC conducts testing of information, communications, and intelligence hardware and software systems and components to ensure products meet requirements as mandated by DoD regulations.

With Avaya Communication Manager, the bases have converged voice and data transmission trunks and can take advantage of the software's automatic failover features. In the event of a disruption in the main transmission line, Avaya's software instantly and automatically re-routes calls without disrupting conversations. In addition, an Avaya gateway provides Creech Air Force Base with "survivability" so it continues to have access to communications in the event of a failure in the network or the host systems housed at Nellis.

"We've already had to exercise the failover capabilities and they worked as advertised," Rood said. "Within two months of our initial installation, a cable was cut by a construction crew working in the area, and no one at Creech knew. Voice traffic was rerouted instantly across our microwave link."

For maximum security, Avaya's software not only encrypts voice conversations, but also interoperates with secure telephone equipment used by government organizations.

Rood said implementation of Avaya's software and the use of IP trunking are the first steps in an evolution to a fully converged voice and data infrastructure -- reducing hardware and maintenance costs, simplifying administration and providing a powerful new platform for enterprise applications.

"Having a flexible communications network gives us an easy way to support ongoing growth and change and opens the door to new smart applications," Rood said. "For example, we now can explore adding new call center capabilities at the base hospital for improved service to Airman and their families."

The work at Creech and Nellis Air Force Bases was performed by Avaya as a subcontractor to Lockheed-Martin, prime contractor for logistics and support of the Predator project.

Background on the Government-Certified Avaya IP Telephony Software Used by Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases

The Avaya Communication Manager (Release 4.0) IP telephony software used by Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases is certified by the Defense Information Systems Agency's Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) to meet standards established in the PBX2, PBX1 and the more rigorous "Small End Office" (SMEO) categories. These government classifications refer to specific military and security functions required by most U.S. military sites. To support critical command and control missions, the SMEO category requires 99.999 percent reliability, duplicate processors and no single point of failure.

Avaya received its first certification for Communication Manager IP telephony software in 2004 -- the first IP telephony solution in the industry to be JITC-certified in key categories for U.S. military command and control applications worldwide. Avaya Communication Manager incorporates the most comprehensive security features in the marketplace, including Multilevel Precedence and Preemption (MLPP). MLPP allows key personnel to override other system traffic in times of emergency to put the most critical calls on the network first. In addition, advanced encryption algorithms protect both IP voice conversations and signaling information.

Avaya has added encryption, MLPP and other military features to its commercially available IP telephony software, allowing today's businesses to take advantage of the same rigorous communications capabilities available to the government.

About Avaya and Avaya Federal Solutions

Avaya delivers Intelligent Communications solutions that help companies transform their businesses to achieve marketplace advantage. More than 1 million businesses worldwide, including more than 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500®, use Avaya solutions for IP Telephony, Unified Communications, Contact Centers and Communications-Enabled Business Processes. Avaya Global Services provides comprehensive service and support for companies, small to large. For more information visit the Avaya Web site: http://www.avaya.com.

Avaya Federal Solutions is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avaya focused on sales, support and services to the U.S. Federal government.

Contact Information: Media Relations Deb Kline 908 953 6179 klined@avaya.com