Vantaggi
Avaya is finally being remade into the company it should have been when it was spun from Lucent. This means that life is currently challenging because this is a very hard change, but assuming Avaya survives, this could be a great opportunity. I started with AT&T in 1984 and this is the first time I feel that the senior management is getting the message that while cost containment is important, how we invest our development dollars is equally important. I am now seeing more thought given to how we get things done, not just the out-source to cheaper labor/save a buck mode of operating. It is still going to be hard for anyone who liked the old status quo, but if you are up to the challenge, there is a lot of work to be done.
Svantaggi
Change is hard ... with the legacy of being part of the old Bell System monopoly, there is a lot of resistance. These economic times are challenging and Avaya is no different from any of the thousands of other places that are cutting staff. Working at Avaya means that you are going to have to pull through some tough times. Like many other companies, there are mixed messages as things change that can be confusing and demotivating. There are still plenty of people in the middle management layers that don't get it and I expect to see the changes in management continue. This company is in-flux as it moves from a mind set of bean counting to a mind set of aggressively taking market.