By Olga Kharif and Hugo Miller Now that gearmaker Avaya and Web-calling service Skype share a private-equity owner, "we are having conversations with [Skype]," Avaya CEO Kevin Kennedy told us this morning. While Kennedy wouldn't detail the conversations, it's not difficult to imagine Avaya helping Skype enter new markets, such as the premises of its large business clients. While Skype's Web-calling service is already widely used by small businesses, it's yet to prove that it's reliable enough to serve the needs of large enterprise customers. Perhaps Avaya, whose business is focused on the enterprise, could help Skype make its Web-calling service more attractive to such large companies. What's more, Skype could be integrated into Avaya's products, which will soon include certain Nortel gear (Avaya expects to close its Nortel acquisition shortly). Nortel has long helped carriers like Verizon service their corporate customers. By integrating its offerings with Skype's, Avaya could help reduce these customers' telecommunications bills.  | 
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