I don't get many news releases from Avaya, but I do hear a lot of mention of them in the enterprise space. Saw this release today and thought it might be of interest to some readers I've had conversation with in the past.

Avaya Reaches Out To Mid-Market With 0% Financing

Extends 0% financing to MultiVantage Plus products\Offer designed to help European mid-market businesses achievetechnology goals without up-front costs

Guildford, UK, 16 January 2008 - Avaya Inc., a global leader in business communications applications, software and services, and Avaya Financial Services (AFS*) today announced the availability of a 0% finance offer, a special promotion designed specifically for European mid-market businesses that allows companies to easily lease equipment and pay for services over a three-year period with absolutely no interest or starting fees. The offer includes all maintenance and upgrades, and is
available through Avaya business partners and Avaya direct sales.

"Mid-market companies face significant challenges when investing in technology, because often companies in a growth phase need to focus all of their resources on growing the business, not on technology investments," explained Mark Mitchell, vice president, channels, Avaya EMEA. "This offer is ideal for companies which have reached a critical size and want to manage technology to gain competitive advantage and reach greater levels of efficiency and productivity."

Avaya's latest offer highlights its commitment to providing products and services to meet the needs of the mid-market and is targeted at customers who want to leverage Avaya's S8300 Communication Manager (CM) Release 5.0 and/or MultiVantage Express (MVE) Release 2.0 and Customer Interaction Express (CIE). These Avaya Intelligent Communications products are ideal for businesses with a staff size of 100-500 and up to ten locations.

Paul Fazakerley, European programme director for Avaya Financial Services commented, "Following on from the success of 0% finance for Avaya's IP Office solution, we are delighted to support Avaya in this highly significant initiative. Our ability to work closely together in structuring this product and rolling it out across multiple geographies will, I believe, offer real added value to Avaya's customers."

Flexible financing is designed to give companies access to technology that can help them effectively grow their business without the headaches involved in up-front investment. To that end, payments are spread over a  three year period with 0% interest. At the end of the three year term, the customer can continue to lease the equipment, buy it, or return it.

The 0% finance offered by AFS is available in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

About Avaya
Avaya delivers Intelligent Communications solutions that help companies transform their businesses to achieve marketplace advantage. More than one million businesses worldwide, including more than 90 per cent of the FORTUNE 500 (R), use Avaya solutions for IP Telephony, Unified Communications, Contact Centers and Communications Enabled Business Processes. Avaya Global Services provides comprehensive service and support for companies, small to large. For more information visit the Avaya Web site: http://www.avaya.co.uk