the homeland security initiatives of U.S. Federal, state and local governments. They will be demonstrated here this week during the E-Gov 2002 conference at the Washington Convention Center (Booth 824).
The five solutions include a mobile communication network, emergency notification systems, tools to prioritize emergency calls, speech-based security solutions and emergency assessment services.
"Communications is at the heart of government security initiatives and affects not only the ability to detect potential security threats, but also to quickly respond and recover," said Bob Fortna, president of Avaya's Government Solutions business.
Avaya Mobile Communication Network
The Avaya Mobile Communication Network features the same high-tech communications capabilities used in sophisticated office settings — from Internet telephony to wireless networking — packaged in a rugged, portable case that can be set up in minutes. The result is state-of-the-art voice and data connectivity anytime, anywhere.
The basic Avaya Mobile Communication Network includes: an Avaya IP600 Internet Protocol Communications Server to provide Internet telephony over desk phones or PC-based Softphones; an Avaya P333R Multiservice Switch to provide a secure, local area network for PCs, servers, printers, IP telephony and multimedia connectivity; an Avaya Wireless Access Point-3 for communications on the move; analog trunks and station ports for STU-III (a secure government voice communications standard) and fax/modem requirements; and Avaya Virtual Private Network (VPN) Service Units for secure voice and data connectivity and remote access.
The U.S. Marine Corps Central Command is using the Avaya Mobile Communication Network to provide voice and data communications for its "Operation Enduring Freedom" field headquarters in Afghanistan.
Avaya Emergency Notification Solutions
To enable timely communication in the event of an emergency, Avaya has created a series of Emergency Notification Solutions that can be used to contact groups of people quickly and automatically by pager, handheld device, Email or phone.
Based on Avaya Interactive Voice Response and messaging solutions, notification systems are available on both Avaya Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and Microsoft Windows/NT platforms. A range of functionalities is available — including notification based on defined scenarios and searching functions to track team members across a series of contact numbers until they are found.
With the addition of Avaya MultiVantage™ Software, Media Servers and Media Gateways, the systems can be used for building-wide alerts or to initiate outbound calls with information or instructions to the general public.
In conjunction with its Emergency Notification offers, Avaya today announced that DCC (Dialogics Communications Corporation), a third-party software application developer and leading provider of emergency notification solutions, has joined the Avaya Developer Connection program and has agreed to optimize its solutions for interoperability with Avaya hardware and software. The Avaya DeveloperConnection Program provides sales and marketing support and interoperability testing for complementary technology solution providers.
More than 1300 customers are currently using DCC's high-speed notification software — including federal, state and local government organizations.
Avaya MultiVantage™ Software with Prioritized Communications
Emergencies can place extraordinary demands on communications systems. To make certain important calls get through even when networks are stretched to the limit, Avaya MultiVantage Software with Prioritized Communications capabilities extends to other government customers the same MultiLevel Precedence and Preemption (MLPP) features Avaya developed for the Defense Switched Network.
Prioritized communications software allows the government to prioritize calls on its communications servers, identifying individuals or groups who will be given priority access to trunks when extraordinary traffic demands may tie up network facilities. These capabilities are currently available to Avaya customers running Avaya Call Processing (ACP) software on DEFINITY® servers and will be available more broadly through Avaya MultiVantage Software in the 4th quarter of the year.
Avaya was the first vendor in the market to have its MLPP capability certified by the Defense Information Systems Agency's Joint Interoperability Test Center for small end office applications — a government classification that applies to specific functionality required by most U.S. Military sites. A number of military bases around the globe now use Avaya communication servers with priority-based emergency communications capabilities.
Avaya Speech-Based Security Solutions
Through its relationships with industry-leading speech recognition vendors Nuance and SpeechWorks International, Inc., Avaya is delivering security solutions based on speaker verification software that can be used to authenticate identity and provide controlled access to networks and restricted locations. Both Nuance and SpeechWorks are Premier members of the Avaya DeveloperConnection program, allowing Avaya to package a total solution to help government agencies meet their strict security requirements.
In contrast to biometric systems that can require special equipment or scanning devices at each security site, Avaya's speech-based solution is based on a centralized application and can be accessed through existing telephone sets from virtually anywhere a voice signal can be transmitted. When coupled with passwords and PIN numbers, the security achieved with speaker verification systems can be comparable to that of other biometric measures (finger print, retinal scan, facial recognition, etc.).
Avaya Network Emergency Preparedness Assessment
Avaya's Network Consulting Services team has created a services solution to help government agencies find gaps in the emergency capabilities of their networks, develop contingency plans and implement fixes.
Though tailored for each customer, typical network assessments include: an inventory of networked devices and traffic flow; an evaluation of network resiliency, monitoring capability, backup systems and mission-critical applications; an assessment of network downtime; "what-if" scenarios to simulate outages or security breaches and to spot potential vulnerabilities; and a detailed report of recommended next steps.
Speaking at E-Gov
In addition to its exhibit at E-Gov 2002, Avaya's Scott Hemmig, director, Government Market Segment, will speak at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in Lincoln Hall at the Washington Convention Center on "Homeland Security Using 21st Century Technology." |
