Avaya licensing is the set of terms under which Avaya LLC licenses its communications software: the Avaya Aura unified communications platform, the IP Office small and midsize business platform, contact center applications such as Avaya Aura Contact Center, Avaya Experience Platform (AXP) and the Avaya Infinity customer experience platform.[3][11] One global end-user document, the Avaya Global Software License Terms, governs software licensed through Avaya or an Avaya Channel Partner. Avaya refers to it as the EULA.[1][3] A separate written licence agreement with Avaya or a Channel Partner signed within three years before the purchase takes precedence where it conflicts. So do shrinkwrap licences and third-party terms for the elements they cover.[1]
The grant is narrow by design. Avaya grants a non-sublicensable, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence for the End User’s internal business purposes, “at the indicated capacity and features”. The licence also sits within the licence types published at support.avaya.com/LicenseInfo and is limited to the locations where the software is first installed.[1] Licences may be perpetual or, when part of a subscription, limited to the subscription term.[1] For a software asset manager the licence type, quantity and location on the order are therefore the facts that matter, not the product name.
Editions
Avaya does not publish a public price list. Its product documentation shows how each product line is licensed:
| Product line | How the vendor documents licensing | Deeper article |
|---|---|---|
| Avaya Aura (Communication Manager, Session Manager, System Manager, Messaging) | Core Suite and Power Suite user licences that can be mixed on one system; license files from PLDS hosted on WebLM[7] | Avaya Aura and contact center licensing |
| Avaya Aura Contact Center, Call Center Elite | Agent and feature licences served by Contact Center License Manager from WebLM or PLIC license files[9] | same |
| Avaya IP Office | Edition (mode) licences, user profile licences and IP endpoint licences in PLDS license files, or per-user subscriptions in Subscription mode[8] | Avaya IP Office licensing |
| Avaya Subscription | Per-user or per-agent bundles (UC Basic, Core, Power; AXP Basic Agent, AACC, Oceana; workforce engagement) for 1, 3 or 5 years[5] | Avaya subscription and cloud licensing |
| Avaya Aura Private Cloud, AXP Private Cloud | Hosted service metered by Provisioned stations and by the monthly peak of concurrent voice agents[10] | same |
| Avaya Infinity | Per-seat commercial model with Named and Concurrent licensing options[11] | same |
IP Office R12 order codes are recorded as catalog SKUs, for example IPO R12 ESSNTL ED LIC (material code 434116) and IPO R12 PWR USER 1 LIC. None has a public price.
Metrics
The Avaya Software License Types document defines seven licence types. It is incorporated into the Global Software License Terms, and each type is a catalog metric row quoting the vendor definition.[2]
| Avaya licence type | Catalog row | What is counted |
|---|---|---|
| Designated System(s) License (DS) | DS | Designated Processors or Instances named in the order |
| Concurrent User License (CU) | CU | Units (agent, port, user, mailbox, directory entry) using the software at any given time |
| Cluster License (CL) | CL | Clusters of servers acting as a single system |
| Enterprise License (EN) | EN | Enterprise-wide use of unlimited Instances |
| Named User License (NU) | NU | Users or devices expressly authorized by Avaya |
| Shrinkwrap License (SR) | SR | As the accompanying shrinkwrap or clickthrough licence states |
| Transaction License (TR) | TR | Transactions in a stated period |
Commercial offers add their own units on top of these types. Avaya Subscription prices each bundle per Subscription License Unit, and a single user licence is one Unit unless stated otherwise.[5] IP Office uses the IP Office User Profile License, the IP Office IP Endpoint License and the IP Office User Subscription.[8] The Private Cloud service meters Provisioned Station and Concurrent Voice Agent (Monthly Peak).[10] For the general families see named user licensing and concurrent and device licensing.
Counting / floors
Defaults. When the order or documentation does not name a licence type, the licence is a Designated System licence. The number of licences and units of capacity is one unless a different number is specified.[2] Catalog proof: Designated System is the default licence type when none is stated.
Entitlement and enforcement. Avaya delivers entitlements through the Product Licensing and Delivery System (PLDS). Activation assigns entitlement quantities to a specific license host, and PLDS then generates the license file.[12] The license file is installed on a WebLM server, and the applications check out capacity from it. The Global Software License Terms state that software may contain programming that restricts or disables features or capacity until they are paid for.[1] Missing or expired license files have operational consequences. Communication Manager, for example, enters License Error mode with a 30-day grace period and then License Restricted mode. From Release 10.1.3.6 that mode blocks call processing as well as administration.[7] Catalog proof: Communication Manager runs 30 days in License Error mode without a valid licence file; Software may contain licence-enforcement programming.
Upgrades. The right to use an upgrade depends on a valid licence for the original software and payment of the applicable fee.[1] Communication Manager enforces this through the Support End Date written into the license file. Service packs published after that date are refused.[7] Catalog proof: Upgrades require a valid licence to the original software and payment; Service packs published after the Support End Date are blocked.
Floors. None of the retrieved licence documents publishes a minimum purchase quantity for on-premise software. Subscription bundles often include a 20% expansion allowance above the contracted Units.[5] Private Cloud orders carry Minimum Order Quantities and a Minimum Revenue Commitment.[10]
Virtualization & partitioning
The Global Software License Terms prohibit use “in a virtualized environment except as expressly authorized by these Software License Terms”.[1] The licence types provide that authorization through the Instance concept. An Instance is one copy of the software running on one physical machine or on one deployed virtual machine, and a Designated System licence can be limited to a number of Instances.[2] Each Communication Manager deployed on VMware uses a WebLM instance for its license file. In a network, each Communication Manager server or duplicated pair needs its own license file.[7] Hosting, service bureau and cloud use of the software for others needs Avaya’s written authorization.[1] Details are in Avaya software license types and portability.
Cloud / BYOL
The retrieved documents publish no bring-your-own-licence right for moving on-premise Avaya licences to a public cloud. Avaya’s own cloud offers are services with their own metering. Avaya Aura Private Cloud counts Provisioned stations whether or not the phone is registered. AXP Private Cloud counts logged-in agents even when they handle no calls.[10] The “bring-your-own” options on the Avaya Infinity page refer to carriers, messaging, workforce management and AI providers, not Avaya software licences.[11] See Avaya subscription and cloud licensing.
Programs
| Program | Catalog row | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Perpetual licence | Perpetual License | Not time-limited; upgrades need valid licence plus fee[1] |
| Avaya Subscription Licensing | Avaya Subscription Licensing | Right to use, upgrades and remote support per user or agent, 1, 3 or 5 years[5] |
| Investment Protection Program | Investment Protection Program | One-time credit for surrendering perpetual Avaya Aura licences on conversion[5] |
| IP Office Subscription | Avaya IP Office Subscription | Per-user monthly bundles including IP Office Support Services[6] |
| Global License Portability | Global License Portability | Moves of RTUs between affiliates, countries and servers in PLDS[4] |
| Private Cloud | Avaya Aura Private Cloud and AXP Private Cloud | Hosted service with minimum commitment and usage metering[10] |
| Product Lifecycle Policy | Avaya Product Lifecycle Policy | End of Sale limits renewals to one-year terms at higher support list prices[13] |
| PLDS | Product Licensing and Delivery System (PLDS) | Entitlement activation, moves, upgrades and temporary licences[12] |
Audit and compliance
Avaya may audit compliance, “including but not limited to usage levels”, by remote polling or other electronic means at any time. It may also audit in person during business hours with reasonable notice. If the audit finds non-compliance, the End User must promptly pay the applicable licence fees and must keep a current record of where the software is installed.[1] Licence breaches not cured within ten business days of a written request allow Avaya to terminate the licences with immediate effect.[1] The Private Cloud service description adds a right to audit any entity hosting the service, so that all features in use are measured and billed.[10] Catalog proof: Avaya may audit by remote polling at any time and on site with notice; Audit shortfalls are paid at the applicable licence fees; keep a record of software location; Ten business days to cure licence breaches before termination. For the general practice see software license audit.
The terms also restrict who may maintain the software. Only Avaya’s authorized maintenance providers, or Channel Partners acting for the End User, may run commands that facilitate maintenance or repair. Logins reserved for Avaya and its partners may not be enabled.[1] This restriction was at the centre of long-running litigation between Avaya and the independent maintenance provider Telecom Labs (Continuant). In 2016 the Third Circuit vacated a jury verdict of US$20 million against Avaya, which the district court had trebled to US$60 million on antitrust counterclaims.[14] See Avaya v. Telecom Labs.
Out of scope
This article does not cover Avaya hardware (phones, gateways, Avaya Solutions Platform servers) or pricing. Heritage Nortel Software is excluded from the licence types and licensed on its own terms.[2] Verint software products, SDKs, APIs and hosted services have separate licence terms that Avaya lists on its legal page and that are not covered here.[3]