To continue on Nortel training path? 1

[GregL123]

Hi there,

Just thought I'd get people's opinions about this...

Do I continue on the Nortel training path with what is going on?

Whoever buys the Enterprise Division... are they going to keep the product alive? Are they going to migrate it into their own product with their own programing language/interface etc..

This is a question that I am battling.. is it worth going through Nortel training.. Should I hold out until it gets sold and find out the buying company's strategy, that way I can make a better informed desicion? it may change, it may not... Don't want to go through it and waste time and money (because Nortel training is ridiculiously expensive! Although I don't know if it is in line with other companies) if is going to be scrapped.

Anyway, curious about people's thoughts.

Thanks

Greg.

 

[rfpup]

You may try MX-one TSE of AASTRA. (swedish product)

You will learn Linux, IP networking (SIP + H.323), TDM networking, QoS, IP extension (SIP + H.323).
Really nice system, solid one, that can make all what the customer can imagine. Coffee? No.
Byt there is no "Next, Next, Next, .. Finish" in the configuration. This system is difficult to be configured but at the end You shall have extensive knowledges what happens below "Next".

Good luck!

 

[ATDanno]

That was gonna be my next question. what training path do you recommend. What is a good trusted source to look to.

 

[jerryreeve]

I'll put in my 2p here and say that while Avaya is the direct competition for nortel I cannot see them alienating their existing customer base by discontuing the nortel lines. it would leave too much of an opening in their customer base (avaya and nortel combined) for other telephone manufacturers to take advantage of. why give the competition the opportunity to get a wedge in? Nortel should stay around for a quite a while as a branch of avaya.

----------------------------
Hill?? What hill??
I didn't see any $%@#(*$ Hill!!
----------------------------
JerryReeve
Communication Systems Int'l
com-sys.com

 

[notme11]

even if Avaya keeps the Nortel Brand alive today, they will eventualy merge the good and drop and discontinue all others. it just makes sence to get VOIP training as more and more companies are getting them and abandoning TDM . I have worked on Nortels product line most of my life, but always have kept an eye on others. right now I'm about 5 courses away from completing the ACA Avaya VOIP training, with some minor couses in Cisco.
I would say go CIsco or Avaya, for the bigger enterprice business, but if you plan on hitting the small business market than,some of the others would do...

 

[BMiles2000]

I cannot resist... I am your typical "Nortel" guy... and this is my edumucated opinion (yes I purposely misspelled it). I do believe that the BCM product will continue (makes money and outsells the IP Office 2 to 1) if they are thinking business - easy decision and they have hinted to this already. The Data side of the house... well no brainer again... 1 - continue giving Extreme the profits off of the sales or take them for ourselves... again easy decision... make more money... side effect (or bonus) is we (Avaya) now have our own full solution (voice and data)... great for marketing! SCS/sipXecs - a little birdie said that the IBM (System X) solution was given the green light in the "new" future but support of the open source community (sipxecs/sipfoundry) has been dodged several times by everyone I have spoke with. I can say that I will be horrified if this product does not continue, it has the most promise in my eyes (my opinion - not yours!). Ahh Now onto Enterprise Voice... lots of overlap in products... huge existing base... this is where they have to play it one of two ways... 1 - typical spin game and while we are all not looking (including our customers) pull the carpet out from under us... oops too late type deal ... Something like... great migration path... easily integrated... re-use hardware... all new application (not just rebranded.. hint hint)... Open Source SIP based... blah blah blah... you know the type of game I am talking about. Once again this is hypothetical... They could play this game and rope customers into a new "merged platform" that is a complete "rip and replace", although the customer will not be aware of this till it's all said and done (IE: everything is replaced). The sad part is that the Nortel Partners will be none-the-wiser either, until it's too late to say anything and take food out of their families mouths...hmm wonder what the choice will be? AGAIN HYPOTHETICAL... OR - Option 2 - Really develop a unified solution - best of both worlds - Avaya's simplicity (we Nortel guys can admit that the Avaya interface is MUCH better) and Nortel's scalability (they both have stability), offer customers a clean migration - without sacrificing features. By doing this you will gain loyalty of some customers and some vendors, not all, as we have seen now-a-days... the dollar is the equalizer. Now let's look at these two options from a business stand-point...
Option 1= Marketing Improves as it can be spun in a positive light (since it does integrate), very little development costs (huge reduction in cost and risk here), if done correctly/quietly hardware sales will increase (as new Avaya equipment, software and maintenance will be purchased)... shhh, remember - it's not rip and replace - its integrated! Pretty Sound Business Case if you were to do the actual math.
Option 2= Marketing Improves, it truly is a positive move for customers (on both sides). Huge development costs (very expensive and timelines always drift on projects of this nature...sometimes years). Product\s will be feature rich, easily managed, highly scalable and 5-9's stability, truly best of all worlds. You will see the maximum loyalty if this route is chosen... what would that equate to... really? What would your customers spend for the "best" product? I am sure that you all have dealt with Shoretel and Cisco on many occasion. Although their products are not in the same league, we contend with them on a regular basis...why... the dollar. Cisco gives it away (well initially- they will get it back eventually guaranteed) and Shoretel is simply an inexpensive product - all-be-it limited in features and scale when compared. We simply lose due to price... Now how much could the new "Avaya" sell this "Truly" great product for... I think you know the answer... So do I. With this cut-throat pricing how can you invest large amounts of capital when you know that any dollar invested in integration will only reduce margin. It will be a great PR move and customer loyalty will be maximized but again I ask you what does that equate to?
I think that the guys and/or gals at Avaya (well the investment group really) know how to weigh this properly... well at least they will know how to use proper grammar and punctuation.

Now you think about what you would do? Myself - I am old-school and I like the old ways of business myself (you know the handshake days) when you could trust someones word. I am a realist though. How is business done today? What makes more money?

ONCE AGAIN! THIS IS ONLY MY PERSONAL OPINION!


Bryan J Miles
Systems Engineer
Service Communications, Inc.

http://www.servicecommunications.com

 

[BMiles2000]

Oops almost forgot to answer your question. Any training that you can utilize is good. I would agree that the focus should be more on UC/VoIP, Networking & Active Directory. You will need skills in these areas and they are a good foundation to have.

Bryan J Miles
Systems Engineer
Service Communications, Inc.

http://www.servicecommunications.com

 

[jdawgzx11]

I worked on Nortel DMS 200's, 250's meridians, S8000, S12000 and S6000. Never had a Nortel training session that was worth while. Use helmsman, it will be your lifeline for years to come. As far as killing off a nortel product, good luck with that...

Justin "T-Bone" Horodeck
Custom Airbrushing

http://www.tbonecustomz.com

 

[vendoman]

I prefer "One Day At A Time" myself. Forget about worrying about the future I have little or no control over the decisions these giants make. I "roll with da punches" it keeps my blood pressure down and I stay out of fear.