At least that is what I heard on the conf call this week. New "server" platform with up to 1000 users at same site, Aura software options, and stuff like that.

In my opinion they missed the boat. I would ask- how about easy admin for 10 or 20 stations? I once read that about 70 percent of all sales opportunities is in the 10 phone and under marketplace.

How about some ways to sell and install a 10 phone or 20 phone system faster and better without SD card issues or bugs or need for patches?

Is my opinion here unique? What say you?

The challenge with "faster install" is that we want to retain flexibility. The basic mode (aka Partner mode) goes in VERY quickly - you can virtually let it go with default programming. But it doesn't do much. One solution that we use is to configure via Excel spreadsheet then import. This makes copy/paste very quick and easy.
SD card troubles have mostly gone away. Bugs and patches are on every system I've installed in the past 20 + years. The more complex, the more possibility for a bug. 1A2 had very few bugs... It is true that other manufacturers seem to have fewer issues - but it also seems that those systems have less flexibility and fewer features. So, like many things in life, it is a trade-off.

IPO in essential mode , release 8.0.16 with one or two ATM combo is a good system for 10-20 users . IMHO, it has great price ( free 2 embedded VM channel , decent autoattendant , time schedule etc ) which we had been installed like crazy for the last 3 months. Once we train our customers to use the Call Park instead of using the old line appearance, they are quite happy with it. We've came from a 100% Norstar shop but we found it is not that hard to program the IPO , even with only the IP sets environment. ARS , SC, PRI setting is basically all ready to go right out of the box .

We've tried and honestly , quite disappointed with Partner / Norstar / Basic mode with IPO. It is quite too bare . Once customers need some more crazy call flow set up, we ran into a brick wall with this mode while essential give us much much more way to work out a solution.

Lets not forget FLARE will apply to the sub 100 market. And from an Avaya standpoint, now we are using an IP Softphone that is our own and not re-branded Counterpath product.
Sure, its only FLare, but it has a few things that the Enterprise people can not do with Flare. (act as phone OR in conjunction with phone)

We finally will get the blue-tooth enabled and functional on the 9641...
Minimum password length has been added to VM Pro.

*** Avaya Audio branding has been reduced, and in some cases eliminated.***** (THANK GOD)

SSL VPN for remote access. Yes this will take a virtual server at the BP Office, but is an answer for the basic and Essnetial installs with need for remote access.

New clients for One-X Mobile ESSENTIAL for Android and Blackberry.

Food for thought...

Mongo-
Since 70% of the market is about 15 stations or under, tell me what on 8.1 would I sell to my price sensitive 8 phone dentist office when going up against an allworks or verticel or xblue? 8 stations, all they want is intercom, music, and hold, and speed dial. And quality. I got that to offer. They have a tight budget. Should I ditch avaya and pick up a good key system? If so what?
I want my PARTNER ACS back.. I could sell 100 a year to every tire shop, accountant, and resturuant in the area. We dont need FLARE with my customers.

SO, I'll turn the question back to you. What features do you need that IP Office in Essential Mode can not do for that dentist office?

If you want Basic mode, you get key system functionality, but it is emulated, not designed that way.

Right on, everyone wants Partner ACS back. Hey, I want the 3810 back, but coulldnt get Uniden to make anymore circuit boards for the phones anymore.
I liked the M16, but technology found ways to make it operate easier, and now you have the M4. Its progress.

The Partner mode would be fine IF they fixed the problems, had a messaging system that was at least equal to the Partner Messaging R8 and made it as easy to upgrade as the ACS, not take hours as it does now. It would also be nice if you could pull the plug and not worry about something getting corrupted. UPS's don't last forever and you can't expect someone to be around to shut the system down.

I liked the M16, but technology found ways to make it operate easier, and now you have the M4. Its progress.

Yeah, I liked the ACS and now we have the IPO. It may be progress but it ain't easier.

-Hal

throw in my two cents.. I can price compete with Vertical no problem because I have less issues and less programming time...I know this first hand! I don't know enough about All-worx and X-blue, but my understanding is that they only do IP phones. I can install digital phones in a dentist office cheaper than IP phones....


Matt.... I too liked the M-16, espcially the A2 model.. It would be my weapon of choice any day! ah..but I digress!

Mongo- my post was that 8.1 appeared to offer nothing new for the small market. Although I vented on a few other issues, my post was to start a discussion to see if I missed anything. Does the new release 8.1 offer anything new for the 10 station dentist office or other small, price sensitive market place? Just wanted to see if I missed anything on this release.

Nothing that directly affects the sub 10 market.
Some SIP enhancements, and CDR, but nothing new in regards to a feature set.

Sort of the same thing in r7, when it was all about the Nortel integration.

We just a similar install as you are referring too. While I don't normally do a lot of the Partner or Basic versions, it was a perfect scenario. A dentist office with 4 lines and 8 phones. I could have gotten a different system a bit cheaper, but the ease of programming made up the cost difference on the equipment. No time wasted on call backs and programming. Customer loves the phones and is happy.

That's why a fixed feature set is so important for the sub 20 market and that's why the Partner was so popular. We don't need to be able to make the system do whatever the customer or some IT guy dreamed about the night before making the programming for even basic features complicated. Whenever that situation came up in the old days we just told the customer that the system can't do that and that was it. Don't know why it should be any different now.

-Hal

The IPO Partner/Basic Edition and the Partner ACS are basically the same thing except you can go larger on the IPO. The cost isn't that much different either. So if all you want to do is install Partner type systems, I think its a pretty good fit.

Right, except that the VM isn't near what the old Partner Messaging was. So it's really a step backwards.

-Hal

I agree, we install very few IPO's in Partner mode due to that alone.
If Avaya would give the VM a Mon-Sun drop down box, increase the number of AA/Sub-menu's, fix that problem with analog station ports not ringing on incoming calls in "key mode" and increase the number of Euro sets you can use ,........... that would be a huge help to the Partner mode IMHO.

That is our biggest challenge with moving actual Partner ACS customers over. I have a great solution for up to ten or twelve phones - but anything larger, they'll really need a forklift as I cringe at mixing Parter and 1400 phones on same system.

I agree. Either eliminate support for the ETR phones completely and make everybody buy new 1400s when they upgrade (which I don't recommend) or increase the ETR capacity to what the old Partner ACS was- 48 extensions.

What I always believed was that the IPO Partner was a half hearted effort to keep the Partner legacy alive. Avaya would much rather everybody move to the IPO platform and save them money. That's why the Partner mode is not comparable to the old ACS. Because of that I expect that at some point they will dump Partner completely citing lack of sales.

If it were me I would have it the other way around. My flagship product would be the Partner with increased capacity, ease of programming and a fixed feature set aimed at the sub 100 which is probably 99 percent of the market. There was a reason the Partner was the #1 selling small business system. What they do now is design the IPO for the 1% of customers who will actually use the features and ram it down the throats of the other 99% with aggressive sales because there is nothing else.

-Hal

Hal- thanks for the viewpoint. That was the intent of my first post. Simply to see if others were seeing things as I did.

So, maybe we start a new thread, but..What are 5 features or things you want changed in the IPO partner Edition?

Great idea Matt.

-Hal

Should this be an installers item?

I was thinking about that too. Let's see what everybody else thinks.

-Hal

IMO,...... Installers.

Same installers, Matt why don't you start it
Ken

Change Partner edition to Partner ACS R.9.0. Messaging R.7. 6 port.

Topic is continued in Installers HERE.

-Hal