Avaya Launches CU360 All-in-One Video Collaboration Unit With a Focus On SMEs

Avaya launched its CU360 video collaboration unit in India this week.

Avaya is a brand name synonymous with India's rise in digital world. If you have ever worked in contact centres or have been in large meeting rooms on con(ference)-calls - chances are you have come across their devices in one way or another. They are the world leaders in Contact Centre (CC) and number 2 in Unified Communication (UC) technologies internationally.

But it seems that they are more bullish towards growth in India and are working hard at it. This week in New Delhi's lavish Oberoi Hotel, they launched yet another product - one that's aimed at a growing India and it's huge MSME base. The product was video collaboration all-in-one unit CU360. The 360 in its name stands for the 360-degree or whole round experience the product provides.

You can find out all about the device and its capabilities on our ReviewStreet report.

While device is a powerpacked all-in-one solution, the big question remains whether Indian businesses will warm upto this almost $1000 (don't you hate it when companies give dollar prices at Indian events? This means close to Rs 69,000) device.

And what about their bundled service - Avaya Equinox Meetings Online (AEMO)? The free three-month trial is followed by a 10p/minute charge.

Avaya CU360 all-in-one video collaboration unit (photo by Deepu Madhavan for SME Street)

Our resident SME guru, Faiz Askari had this to say,"Business communications are an integral component of digital transformation. Advanced collaboration suits such as Avaya, Polycom and others are not just making decsion making quicker but also making business activities more result-oriented. This is true in case of SMEs."

"But, the cost of technology is directly propotional to the RoI. Avaya's latest solution of advanced collaboration tools are priced on a higher side for most of the SMEs. But there is a segment of SMEs whose ROI on such products can be justified. These could be the top management of SMEs from the ITeS sector. But the majority of SMEs might expect cheaper solutions for this kind of collaboration.  We must understand that a majority of SME users are using tools that are freely available. A level up are solutions from Skype, Facetime and others, " he adds.

But the situation is not all grim for this wonderful product, here's what Faiz suggests for Avaya's team,"Considering the fact that the cost of acquisition of Avaya's solution can be limited to select set of SMEs. There could be a even wider acceptance of this solution if Avaya India team can decide to take another route of market outreach.  This alternate route can be through Government's vision of Digital India and MSME Development."

"Just thinking aloud, on this part, Avaya's latest collaboration solition can get wider audience if it can be presented to MSMEs in the form of a common facility at te local level. There is a possibility of taking government's support in making this solution reach to the deserving SMEs working from remote places. Ministry of MSME AND Ministry of IT can take a synchronized approach in facilitating such common technology centres for the benefit of MSMEs," he concludes.

I for one think that if Avaya can gain entry into office spaces with this device at a pricepoint that appeals to the Indian SME ((whether with discounts or some EMI schemes or such), they will have an oppurtunity to entice and tie them into their service ecosystem with the AEMO services which are not too costly anyways. But how they go about it is upto them.

Well, there you have it. CU360 may not be an instant hit on sales charts. But the unique set of features it offers combined with the unlimited oppurtunities that the android platform presents can truly revolutionise the way India works.