This week Avaya (NYSE:AV) introduced "Avaya Distributed Office," a new IP-telephony system designed specifically for branch offices. Avaya's solution aims to deliver a distributed architecture model that allows enterprises to deploy branch appliances to large numbers of sites while leveraging a centralized management framework. Avaya's announcement underscores the growing importance of the branch office as the virtual workplace expands.

Eighty-three percent of IT executives interviewed for Nemertes' recent benchmark, "Building the Successful Virtual Workplace," described their organizations as a "virtual" enterprises, with 91% of employees working in locations outside of traditional headquarters locations. Furthermore, the number of branch offices is expected to increase by 11% over the next year, a 23% increase in the rate of growth from a year ago.

With the increasing number of both virtual workers and branch locations, enterprises increasingly require tools that enable distributed workers to communicate and collaborate, especially since most branch offices lack on-site IT staffs. To support these needs, Avaya is bundling collaboration tools such as instant messaging and presence, mobility extensions, and conferencing capabilities. Avaya's Distributed Office also supports SIP, for interconnection among branches as well as for interoperability with external communications and collaboration systems.

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