Tales from Telecom History: Through the Eyes of an Avaya Engineer

We’ve been involved in a lot of conversations about Avaya recently. We’ve come at it from the perspective that the PBX is dead, and that Avaya and similar companies historically reliant on these systems face a turning point.  

Today, we’ve gathered the perspective of one of Continuant’s Avaya Engineers, Don Steenvorde. With many years of experience working on Avaya systems, our goal is to get his perspective on Avaya’s history, and his input on what’s next for the company and its users. 

Question 1: Since you’re the guest here, who are you and what do you do? 

My name is Donald Steenvoorde, and I’m an Avaya engineer. I’ve been in the telecommunication business for almost 30 years, with 21 of those being with Continuant. 

Question 2: What would you say are, or were, the most compelling reasons to work with Avaya, either as a user or as an engineer? 

I don’t know if compelling is the right word.   

The previous organization that I worked for was a small interconnect like Continuant back in the mid to late 90’s. They were dealing with Avaya and Lucent at the time doing installation in the greater Puget Sound area, and business was booming.   

For those who don’t know, Lucent was the company that ultimately spun-off Avaya. Founded in 1996, it was a telecom giant that rode a huge wave of success from the dot-com boom. Tragically, they didn’t survive the tech crash. Avaya has carried on this far as Lucent’s successor. 

I was still cutting my teeth and trying to learn as much as I could at the time, but our small business solutions such as the Lucent Partner and Legend installs were in full demand. The technicians that were doing the installations at the time couldn’t keep up with the demand so I raised my hand and said give me a chance to show you what I can do.   

That’s where it all began, and I haven’t looked back since. Of course, much has changed but we will get to that later. 

Question 3: What are some of the biggest changes you’ve noticed in the industry? 

Well, I’ve been in the industry for a long time, long before we ever thought of converging telephony with digital networks. That convergence, the whole idea of “migrating to the cloud,” is for sure the biggest change I’ve noticed. 

Years ago, telecommunications and digital technology were two different industries with different teams supporting them. Now companies like Cisco and Microsoft have become dominant forces in everything from voice to IT systems. The easiest choice for the companies we work with now is to have one team of professionals to manage both. 

Continuant is a great example of this kind of professional. We have teams that can support our customers’ legacy and digital environments.   

The cloud is obviously the future where almost every aspect of an organization’s communications can reside. 

Question 4: Could you share some stories from your work as an engineer? 

There are too many to even start, to be honest, but one very memorable story happened when I was doing work for the Seattle Mariners.  

The year was 2001 and Safeco Field (that’s what it was back then) was hosting the All-Star game that year. They used Lucent Definity as their PBX at the time. They needed more phones for the press, and they planned on putting them in a special part of the stadium, the Hit It Here Café.  

There are other things to note about these phone sets. These were temporary lines that reporters could use to file stories, make calls, and coordinate logistics in real time.  

We successfully installed 50 digital sets up there in preparation for the game. It went so smoothly that they invited me back to be on “standby” for any game the remainder of the season in the event of any kind of outage.   

This came with an all-access badge for anywhere in the stadium, except for the players' locker room. I got to hang out in the press box during the game and go to the after-game press conferences.   

I wasn’t just there for fun. One of my main responsibilities was making sure that the bullpen ringdown phones worked just prior to the start of the game. The phone in the dugout had to be able to ring down to the bullpen. It was my job to go into the dugout and check it myself.  

It was really the best season to have that opportunity. They won 116 games that year, Ichiro won AL rookie of the year and AL MVP, and the team went on to make it to the ALCS, which I got to be “on standby” for. 

Question 5: What are your predictions for the future of Avaya? 

I honestly think that the Avaya solution is still a very viable solution in the industry.

They have been doing it longer than any of the other major players in telecommunications, and the features show it. They're a little behind the times when it comes to messaging and video, but if you want a rock-solid communication system and don’t require those features then I really don’t think that you will find a more feature rich system.   

There are still a lot of organizations that don’t require all the bells and whistles that come with a Microsoft or Cisco solution. I truly believe that what they've developed over the last 40 years isn't going anywhere. 

Conclusion: Looking Back—and Ahead 

Don’s story shows us the legacy of Avaya, Continuant, and the engineers who built their careers around these systems.  

As organizations navigate their migration paths, voices like Don’s remind us that legacy systems still have value, and that understanding both the old and the new is important while preparing for major technological changes. 

At Continuant, we’re proud to have engineers like Don bridging those worlds, helping customers move forward without leaving reliability behind.