Avaya Releases Zang Communications Platform

Avaya has just announced a new separate subsidiary called Zang, offering a cloud enabled platform and cloud enabled platform as a service. Unveiled at Enterprise Connect 2016, it offers a cloud communications platform and communication applications-as-a-service (cPaaS), and comes with pre-built applications and tools. This new platform allows anyone to create and deploy custom, communications-enabled apps as standalone or embedded features.

Zang has three components:

• Zang cPaaS (Communications Platform as a Service)
• Zang cSaaS (Communications Applications)
• Zang Cloud Access (APIs)

Zang combines CPaaS with rapid app development, using drag and drop tools, pre-built applications, and robust APIs to create communications tools designed to a user's or organization's individual needs, whether as solo applications or as part of another application. It also offers out-of-the-box applications, such as a team collaboration solution that can scale in size and scope from a handful of users to thousands, and comes with simple SDKs and sample apps.

There are several communications options available through Zang, all using a "click-to-connect" functionality designed to enable easy access. Video, chat, voice, SMS, and document sharing can all be enabled through mobile, web, or desktop environments, while the interoperable platform allows it to be used alongside other communications applications such as Skype and Google Hangouts.

Avaya notes that Zang is the first vendor to offer a cloud communications service that combines:

• Hybrid cloud-enabled communication platform, communication applications, and communications APIs - all as a service (cPaaS, cSaaS and APIs)
• Agnostic application and communication infrastructure - serves heterogeneous environments
• eCommerce ready (micro-billing capable)

According to Blair Pleasant, co-founder of UCStrategies, "Zang is a different approach for Avaya, which is trying to attract a new set of customers for this cloud platform and service. Zang is the Persian word for bell or chime, like a doorbell, which stays true to Avaya's roots in the Bell system, while trying to be more nimble than Avaya. Zang leverages the intellectual property of Esna and its communication-enabling capabilities, along with Avaya's new Breeze application development and workflow automation. While competing with platform providers such as Twilio, Tropo (Cisco), Nexmo, and Plivo, Zang goes one step further by providing not only a platform, but also applications, a development platform, and embedded tools. It's really the next step in what Esna has been doing in terms of communication-enabling applications, plus more."

She added, "I'm also intrigued by Zang Spaces, the team collaboration application that will be available the second half of this year. Zang Spaces was developed as a video-first app, rather than a messaging-first app, and lets teams engage using video, and provides persistence and context."

Pleasant notes, "The real test will be in how well Zang can attract developers for the platform, and what kinds of innovative yet useful applications can be developed. I like the fact that Zang is platform agnostic and serves heterogeneous environments, which means they can go beyond the Avaya base and attract new developers and customers. Avaya has been losing some mindshare recently, and hopefully Zang will provide renewed energy and a new generation of business customers."

The Zang communications platform is available in the U.S. now. For more information, visit www.avaya.com and www.zang.io.