Founded in 1989, Esna is headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Through the acquisition, Avaya hopes to enable end-users to more easily access multi-vendor communications capabilities - voice, video, IM/presence, conferencing and messaging - from within cloud-based business applications using their device of choice.

The transaction includes the acquisition of intellectual property, assets, employees and customers of Esna, which is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avaya.

Gary E. Barnett, SVP and GM for Avaya Engagement Solutions said that, "For all the effort that the industry has invested in business communications, most offers fall woefully short of the seamless user experience that leads to effortless engagement.

“It's time for the convergence of communications and business applications, time for enabling communications from the browsers of public or private cloud-based applications people use every day, and time for the user experience to be one click to engage.

“With Esna and Avaya, that's the value proposition - coming soon to a browser near you."

Barnett said that a tightly integrated, Esna-enabled Avaya Communicator web client will be available for both the Avaya IP Office(r) and Avaya Aura(r) platforms with out-of-the-box video and voice capabilities that can be embedded into public or private cloud-based business applications.

And, Barnett said for IT departments, the flexible, open approach delivered by Avaya and Esna can allow their company to leverage their existing, multi-vendor communications infrastructure and easily integrate new technologies from Avaya and other vendors into cloud-based applications - an approach that can help companies avoid vendor lock-in.  

“Further, a thin client can speed the introduction and adoption of new technologies for more successful deployments. Developers will be able to create new innovative web and mobile applications that are more dynamic and increase competitive differentiation”.

"Esna and Avaya are building the future of collaboration experience - a future where communication is embedded directly into the applications, processes and workflows that drive how work gets done,” said Esna CEO, Mohammad Nezarati.

“By uniting our strengths and resources, we'll be able to offer truly innovative solutions that give companies real choice when it comes to the applications and devices they use to communicate and collaborate with their employees, customers and partners."