Avaya Acquires Esna to Accelerate Communications-Enabled Applications for Effortless Engagement

• Will increase productivity and customer satisfaction through ease of use while reducing IT requirements for infrastructure and application deployment

Avaya today announced it has completed the acquisition of Esna Technologies Inc. (Esna), a provider of real-time collaboration and communications software, to accelerate the adoption of communications-enabled applications for both enterprises and midmarket companies. Through the acquisition, Avaya will enable end-users to easily access multi-vendor communications capabilities - voice, video, IM/presence, conferencing and messaging - from within cloud-based business applications using their device of choice.

See the video: Gary E. Barnett, SVP and GM for Avaya Engagement Solutions, talks about the customer value proposition of Avaya and Esna

A tightly integrated, Esna-enabled Avaya Communicator web client will be available for both the Avaya IP Office® and Avaya Aura® platforms with out-of-the-box video and voice capabilities that can be embedded into public or private cloud-based business applications. The 'headless' thin client helps improve engagement, productivity and mobility by reducing the disruption caused by shifting in and out of applications or changing devices. For end customers, decreased effort in communicating with a company and improved experience of using multimodal ways to engage can lead to higher satisfaction, increased sales and faster resolution.

Read the blog: Escaping vendor siloes by Gary E. Barnett, SVP and GM, Engagement Solutions, Avaya

Read the blog: Connecting Avaya to the world of cloud-based applications by Mohammad Nezarati, CEO, Esna

For IT departments, the flexible, open approach delivered by Avaya and Esna can allow their company to leverage their existing, multi-vendor communications infrastructure and easily integrate new technologies from Avaya and other vendors into cloud-based applications - an approach that can help companies avoid vendor lock-in. Further, a thin client can speed the introduction and adoption of new technologies for more successful deployments. Developers will be able to create new innovative web and mobile applications that are more dynamic and increase competitive differentiation.

Founded in 1989, Esna is headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ontario. The transaction includes the acquisition of intellectual property, assets, employees and customers of Esna. Esna is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avaya.

For all the effort that the industry has invested in business communications, most offers fall woefully short of the seamless user experience that leads to effortless engagement. It's time for the convergence of communications and business applications, time for enabling communications from the browsers of public or private cloud-based applications people use every day, and time for the user experience to be one click to engage. With Esna and Avaya, that's the value proposition - coming soon to a browser near you.

Gary E. Barnett, SVP and GM, Avaya Engagement Solutions

Esna and Avaya are building the future of collaboration experience - a future where communication is embedded directly into the applications, processes and workflows that drive how work gets done. By uniting our strengths and resources, we'll be able to offer truly innovative solutions that give companies real choice when it comes to the applications and devices they use to communicate and collaborate with their employees, customers and partners.

Mohammad Nezarati, CEO, Esna

Businesses today require flexibility and choice in how people communicate and collaborate. Esna and Jive have effectively partnered to provide options that enhance employee productivity and customer experiences. Avaya's acquisition of Esna further empowers people to work in a way that supports their own work style. We look forward to continuing to work with Esna in this next chapter.

Jason Khoury, head of communications, Jive