As of July 20, Avaya has ceased new sales of the Avaya Agent for Desktop (AAFD).
The sunsetting of AAFD will follow a multi-year phased approach, allowing existing customers time to navigate the transition. While the End of Sale for New Systems took effect July 20, Avaya has clarified that the software is not disappearing overnight for those already utilizing it.
Existing customers have been granted a grace period for growth. The End of System Expansions is set for October 23, 2028. Until that date, organizations currently running AAFD will be permitted to purchase additional licenses and add-ons to support their scaling needs. However, once the October 2028 deadline passes, no further additions or expansions to the legacy environment will be permitted.
Regarding maintenance, Avaya stated it will continue to honor existing enhanced warranty, post-warranty, and software service contracts according to their current terms until further notice.
Navigating the Migration
To ensure a smooth transition for contact center agents, Avaya has outlined two distinct migration paths based on an organization’s current technical infrastructure:
- For SIP Deployments: Avaya is steering customers toward the Avaya Workplace application. The company confirmed it has already integrated all relevant features from the legacy AAFD client into the Workplace app, providing a more unified experience for agents.
- For H.323 Deployments: Organizations still operating on older H.323 setups face a choice. They can either modernize their environment by migrating to SIP (and subsequently utilizing Avaya Workplace) or transition their agents to physical hardware via the J1xx-series H.323 endpoints.
The End of the Siloed Desktop
This move by Avaya is a clear indication that the era of the standalone, legacy softphone is drawing to a close. By pushing users toward Avaya Workplace, Avaya is attempting to break down the silos between back-office and front-office contact center functions.
The 2028 expansion deadline puts a firm clock on digital transformation for organizations, signaling that the industry is moving toward a cloud-first future where hardware and legacy software are no longer the primary drivers of agent productivity.
The Avaya End of Sale notice can be found here.