atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Avaya - Lucent Telephones & Systems End Of The Line For The Partner ACS?

Because each product re-design has an investment pay back time period, I would suggest that the Partner ACS will be around for some time. The original Partner, +. and II lasted nearly a decade. The MLS 5 years, redesigned, Euros about 5 years, and now the new version. They have retooled, redesigned, remolded, and are looking for a return. The R 7 is slightly different, but took investment to get there. Those who predict a quick pull out under estimates the need to recoup investments and leave money on the table... in short, they underestimate CORPORATE GREED.

The PArtner ACS will be around at least 5 years... maybe more. Too much invested, too great of on going rewards... too good of marketshare. Why pull it? It is making profit since R&D is already a sunk cost.

Yep, Partners are going to continue for years to come.

The curious thing is that the unofficial 2010 drop date is coming from Avaya insiders.

It has been reported that Avaya's ultimate goal is to stop manufacturing hardware and become a software provider. A company would purchase a router and phones, and Avaya would ship a disk with software to program various features.

I admit that I am an end user and not a CPE vendor so what I know is based on information Avaya Business Partners share on this and other tech help sites.

Avaya has had to release patches to correct glitches in the R7 and that is probably a first for the company (at least with their traditional telephone systems). I don't know if any other release in the Partner ACS or Merlin Legend/Magix families needed to be patched multiple times to resolve issues.

The R7 may very well be the final release of the Partner family and the Partner has held up well over the years. But to have it go out limping, as opposed to with a bang like the Merlin Magix, is sad.

Brian I hope you are correct because we have a lot of small customers that are not ready nor want IP.

But Avaya needs to get their act together on the new Partner R.7's and new style Euro phones or just drop them.

If it's OK, I'd like to join into this important discussion.

I'm not well knowledged with "IP", but I do believe that the IP Telephony train is gaining more and more steam...and Avaya is working to drive that train. As a Civil Service CO Tech, I recently noticed that Avaya has been conducting successful testing with Foundry Networks (along with Siemens, Cisco, and Sphere Communications), resulting in Foundry Networks being the first vendor to receive Department of Defense, and Defense Information Security Agency's full VOIP Certification ( article ). I wish I could offer input as far as the Partner Systems, but I'm not very familiar with them. I do think however that the small buisness customers will begin to change their way of thinking as the IP technology continues to emerge, and Avaya wants to be the "Go-2-guys" for these small business customers. Like with any other new technology, it's only natural for many customers to not want to switch over to IP, but I think (at least with some applications) these customers will begin to change their approach towards the IP market, as they observe various IP trends.

Well said.......Mike.

But we still do a lot of one man flower shops, auto parts, funeral home, local attorney, car dealer, pizza place, general supply store, gas station, tire shop, and general retail stores that doesn't even have a PC in the place. And IP is out of the question for the price difference to offer the IP Office.

Don't get me wrong the IPO has it's place and is a very good system,..........but not for everyone right now.

That's my 2 cents worth.

That's true..If the service is fine the way it is (and meets all the customer's requirements), don't change anything.

I love the partner best system I ever installed for people under 15 phones

Mdaniel hit it on the Nose.


"But we still do a lot of one man flower shops, auto parts, funeral home, local attorney, car dealer, pizza place, general supply store, gas station, tire shop, and general retail stores that doesn't even have a PC in the place. And IP is out of the question for the price difference to offer the IP Office".

This is so true and AVAYA will lose this market nitch to others who make key systems. Plain and simple.

I still have customers who won't change out there 1A2 Keys systems. why? Becuse it has workd for 25+ years. We must all relize that this business is also a craft related hobbie. Small businesses are resistent to change. If it works why change it? Not to mention the spirit systems at the auto junkyard business.... ect.ect ect and the Merlin's that are limping along. If someone didn't need voice mail I just might sell them 1a2.. Its funny how you still find the parts.

It's hard enough to get someone with an old Partner II or an older partner 1.O to change the Proc to a 308. and this is about 14 years old. Go figure the math.

I do think however that the small buisness customers will begin to change their way of thinking as the IP technology continues to emerge, and Avaya wants to be the "Go-2-guys" for these small business customers. Like with any other new technology, it's only natural for many customers to not want to switch over to IP, but I think (at least with some applications) these customers will begin to change their approach towards the IP market, as they observe various IP trends.

Mike, it's not a matter of changing the way they think or that's it's a new technology. It's like a guy going into a hardware store for a shovel to dig a hole and the store clerk tells him that shovels have been replaced by backhoes. He doesn't need it, he can't afford it. All he needs is a damn shovel.

Forgetting the pitfalls of IP for the moment, the basic problem is that until it costs the same or less as traditional systems, provides the same features and is as easy to administer, install and maintain there will never be a market for it in the small business sector.

-Hal