AVST

Applied Voice & Speech Technologies, Inc.
Type Private
Industry Telecomunications, Software
Founded September 2003
Headquarters Foothill Ranch, California
Key people Hardy Myers (President & CEO)
Products Unified Communications Solutions
Website www.avst.com

Applied Voice & Speech Technologies, Inc. (AVST) is a privately held software company in the telecommunication industry, headquartered in Orange County, California. It specializes in developing business-level communications solutions focusing on medium to large enterprise, government, higher education and healthcare markets.[1][2][3]

The company is known for its primary product, a speech-enabled unified communications platform, called CallXpress. It includes advanced call processing, voicemail, unified messaging, personal assistant, fax, speech, and notification capabilities. AVST is one of the few switch independent developers of unified messaging/unified communications solutions.[4]

Contents

Corporate history

The company's history goes back to the 1980s when the first versions of Intel server based voice messaging and call processing systems were released.[5] CallXpress originated from Applied Voice Technology (AVT) which later became Captaris, Inc. In 2003, Sound Advantage purchased the CallXpress Voicemail and Unified Messaging product line from Captaris and this merger of technologies became a new entity called Applied Voice & Speech Technologies, Inc. (AVST). The acquisition included the retention of key products and technology as well as the entire product engineering, support and sales teams. AVST was established in September 2003 by the merger of Sound Advantage (established in 1997) and the AVT division (established in 1982) of Captaris, Inc. (NASDAQ: CAPA).[6][7]

The first AVST release, CallXpress 7.0, was in April 2004. Frost & Sullivan recognized AVST with the 2004 Entrepreneurial Company Award for its sound marketing strategy and identification of a new and exceptional product solution.[8] In September 2004, AVST announced further validation of its strength in the market by procuring $10 million in new funding from Ignition Partners and Dolphin Equity Partners.[9] Shortly after, in November 2004, AVST introduced CallXpress 7.5 which provided the Centigram telephone user interface emulation. CallXpress 7.5 also offered user administration via Microsoft Active Directory and SMTP message notification.[10]

In 2005, AVST expanded worldwide by adding 30 new resellers to its list of channel partners. Some of the significant partnerships include Shared Technologies and NetVersant.[11][12] In May 2005, the company released another version of its product, CallXpress 7.7, which emulated the Octel Serenade (VMX) telephone user interface. CallXpress 7.7 received the Frost & Sullivan 2005 Product Differentiation Innovation Award for the North American enterprise voice and unified messaging solutions market.[13]

In 2006, VARBusiness awarded AVST with Five Star Partner Program Winner for its innovative Marketing in a Box (MIB) program, which enables resellers to brand their AVST business through effective communication with customers and prospects.[14][15] Version 7.8 of CallXpress was released on June 2006. It emulated the Avaya Intuity Audix user interface.[16]

In February 2007, AVST made a contribution to market awareness with the launch of a unified messaging educational website. This website is an information portal containing white papers, industry research, videos, case studies and recent industry news on unified messaging and unified communications. The site is being hosted by ITworld.com and AVST is being its sponsor.[17]

In June 2007, the company unveils CallXpress 7.9 that offered four types (called the four flavors) of unified messaging: server-based; client-based; secure and simplified.[18] To assist the easy acquisition of complete solutions for businesses of any size, in August 2007, AVST introduced the CallXpress Speed Bundles. The solution was designed to support the small to medium business (SMB) marketplace.[19]

In 2008, AVST was named the top Unified Messaging Provider according to COMMfusion report. The company was identified as having the most complete UM solution.[20][21] At the end of 2008, the company's product was enhanced with the speech-to-text feature (STT).[22]

In March 2009, AVST shipped CallXpress 8.0 to provide a fault tolerant system through its multi-server architecture. The solution also delivered Neverfail continuous availability and disaster recovery deployment options.[23]

In 2010, AVST acquired Active Voice, a division of NEC Corporation of America. NEC became AVST's OEM partner, integrating CallXpress 8.0 Unified Communications platform with NEC's IP telephony and Unified Communications solutions.[24][25]

Corporate information

AVST is a privately-owned company. Company's major institutional investors are Ignition Partners, Seattle, Washington and Dolphin Equity Partners, New York. Captaris, Inc. (NASDAQ: CAPA) and Escalate Capital Partners are minority shareholders.[26]

Since September 2003, AVST is under the leadership of the President & CEO, Hardy Myers. The company's Board of Directors is in charge of supervising the strategic direction, business, operations and organizational structure of AVST. Current members of The Board of Directors of AVST are: Steve Hooper, Pat Howard, Dennis O'Connell, and Charles Stevens.[27]

All of AVST's sales are realized through indirect channels. Company's Unified Communications solutions are sold and supported by a network of resellers and OEM partners including Advanced Call Processing, Altura Communications Solutions, Black Box Network Services, Cincinnati Bell Inc., NEC, Qwest Communications, Shared Technologies, Verizon Business, Westcon Group, and Aastra AB.[28] The company has strong ties with IBM.[29]

Competition

The major competition for AVST comes from Cisco (Unity) systems, Microsoft (Exchange) [30] and Avaya. AVST also competes with: Siemens and Interactive Intelligence.[31]

See also

References

  1. ^ "AVST Unifies Communications for Higher Education Market". Reuters. 2009-01-12. http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS190322+12-Jan-2009+MW20090112. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  2. ^ "Case Study: Reseller Helps City of Phoenix Deploy CallXpress to Support 14,000+ Users". 2008-05-12. http://www.phoneplusmag.com/hotnews/avst-callxpress-case-study-phoenix.html. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  3. ^ Shrivastava, Anshu (2009-01-14). "AVST to Demo Unified Communications Platform to Colleges". TMC.net. http://hdvoice.tmcnet.com/topics/unified-communications/articles/48651-avst-demo-unified-communications-platform-colleges.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-28. 
  4. ^ "Independent Messaging Vendors Offer Greater Value for a Dynamic Marketplace". Frost & Sullivan. 2007. http://www.ucstrategies.com/uploadedFiles/Resellers/Channel_Information/Product_Reviews/FS%20-%20Independent%20Messaging%20Vendors%20Offer%20Greater.pdf. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  5. ^ "Applied Voice Technology Releases Major Upgrade of PhoneXpress, Its Voice and Call Processing System for Small to Mid-Sized Organizations". Business Wire. 1996-10-03. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Applied+Voice+Technology+Releases+Major+Upgrade+of+PhoneXpress,+Its...-a018743849. Retrieved 2009-06-01. 
  6. ^ "Captaris rallies following asset sale". Market Watch. 2003-09-30. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/captaris-rallies-following-asset-sale?dist=msr_2. Retrieved 2009-05-28. 
  7. ^ "Sound Advantage Takes New Name, Acquires the Captaris CallXpress Product Line and Readies New Speech Technology". Business Wire. 2003-09-30. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2003_Sept_30/ai_108322021/. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  8. ^ "Frost & Sullivan Acknowledges AVST's Superiority in Speech Solutions". Frost & Sullivan. 2004-06-03. http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/press-release.pag?Src=RSS&docid=19761223. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  9. ^ "AVST Closes $10 Million in Series B Funding; Investors Recognize AVST's Prominence in the Evolving Enterprise Communications Market". Business Wire. 2004-09-28. http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040928005195&newsLang=en. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  10. ^ "AVST Ships CallXpress 7.5". CallCenter Magazine. 2004-11-16. http://www.callcentermagazine.com/shared/article/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=53200272. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  11. ^ "AVST Enlists NetVersant Solutions to Deliver CallXpress Unified Communications Systems to...". Business Wire. 2005-04-25. http://www.allbusiness.com/media-telecommunications/5100905-1.html. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  12. ^ "AVST Adds Thirty New Resellers to Expand Global Footprint and Bolster Sales". Business Wire. 2005-09-14. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2005_Sept_14/ai_n15389616/?tag=content;col1. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  13. ^ "Frost & Sullivan Presents Applied Voice And Speech Technologies (Avst) With Product Differentiation Innovation Award". PR Web. 2005-11-30. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/11/prweb316853.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  14. ^ "AVST Wins VARBusiness' Five Star Partner Program Award". Business Wire. 2006-05-16. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2006_May_16/ai_n26863767/?tag=content;col1. Retrieved 2009-05-28. 
  15. ^ "Best of the Midmarket.Voice Networking". Channel Web. 2006-07-31. http://www.crn.com/networking/191203038;jsessionid=4PMB2WF1OFVZOQSNDLPSKH0CJUNN2JVN?queryText=avst. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  16. ^ "CallXpress:7.8 New Features". CPS Technology Group. 2008. http://www.cpstg.com/products/CallXpress/callXpress7_8_features.aspx. Retrieved 2009-05-28. 
  17. ^ "Unified Messaging Educational Site Launched by AVST and ITworld.com". Business Wire. 2007-02-28. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2007_Feb_28/ai_n27306393/?tag=content;col1. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  18. ^ Greene, Tim (2007-06-03). "VoiceCon: AVST offers four options to deploy unified messaging". Network World. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/030607-voicecon-avst-unified-messaging.html. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  19. ^ "AVST Unveils CallXpress Speed Bundles for SMB Market". Business Wire. 2007-08-14. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2007_August_14/ai_n27342847/. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  20. ^ "Report: AVST Named a Top Unified Messaging Provider". TMCnet.com. 2008-10-08. http://ivr.tmcnet.com/topics/ivr-voicexml/articles/42237-report-avst-named-top-unified-messaging-provider.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-28. 
  21. ^ "New Study Places AVST in Top Spot Among Unified Messaging Leaders". Market Wire. 2008-10-07. http://unified-communications.tmcnet.com/news/2008/10/07/3690128.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  22. ^ "AVST Enhances CallXpress with STT". Speech Technology. 2008-12-16. http://www.speechtechmag.com/Articles/News/Industry-News/AVST-Enhances-CallXpress-with-STT-51981.aspx. Retrieved 2009-05-28. 
  23. ^ Jamison, Nancy (2009-03-30). "Unified Communications Comes to AVST CallXpress 8.0". UCStrategies.com. http://www.ucstrategies.com/unified-communications-strategies-views/unified-communications-comes-to-avst-callxpress-8-0.aspx. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  24. ^ Parker, Marty (2010-04-06). "AVST Takes a Leap Forward with NEC Deal". UCStrategies.com. http://www.ucstrategies.com/AVST_NEC_Deal.aspx?gnid=15082. Retrieved 2010-05-25. 
  25. ^ Pleasant, Blair (2010-04-07). "AVST Acquires Active Voice". UCStrategies.com. http://blog.ucstrategies.com/index.php/2010/04/07/avst-acquires-active-voice/. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
  26. ^ "AVST Corporate Overview". http://www.avst.com/company/corporate.asp. Retrieved 2009-05-28. 
  27. ^ "AVST Senior Management Biographies". http://www.avst.com/company/mgmt.asp. Retrieved 2009-05-28. 
  28. ^ Popova, Elka (2007-07-05). "Customers Attest to the Value of Flexible Independent Messaging Solutions". Frost & Sullivan. http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/market-insight-top.pag?docid=101501095. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  29. ^ "AVST Demonstrates Benefits of Unified Communications Solution at Lotusphere 2007". Business Wire. 2007-01-22. http://ro-a.redorbit.com/news/technology/810043/avst_demonstrates_benefits_of_unified_communications_solution_at_lotusphere_2007/index.html. Retrieved 2009-05-28. 
  30. ^ Schwartz, Ephraim (2007-30-27). "Unified under law". InfoWorld.com. http://www.infoworld.com/d/security-central/unified-under-law-151. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  31. ^ "UC RFP Template Solution Description". UCStrategies.com and UniComm Consulting. 2007. http://www.ucstrategies.com/uploadedFiles/UC_Resources/Contact%20Management%20UC%20RFP%20Templates%20Solution%20Description%20v9-8-1.pdf. Retrieved 2009-05-28. 

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