Rich Guerra

Unified Communications Engineer | Avaya SME | Enterprise & Healthcare Voice

Unified Communications Engineer with 20+ years of experience designing, deploying, and supporting highly available enterprise voice and collaboration systems across healthcare, government, education, and large multi-site environments.

Professional Summary

Senior Voice Engineer with over 20 years of experience designing, deploying, and supporting large-scale enterprise VoIP, UCaaS, and hybrid UC environments. Avaya Subject Matter Expert with deep expertise in Avaya Aura and Avaya IP Office, complemented by hands-on experience delivering cloud and hybrid solutions using RingCentral Cloud (EX Certified), Avaya ACO, and Intermedia Unite. Proven track record supporting mission-critical communications across healthcare, government, education, hospitality, and multi-site enterprise environments, with a strong focus on reliability, resiliency, and seamless PBX-to-cloud migrations.

Core Expertise

  • Enterprise VoIP & Unified Communications Architecture (On-Prem, Cloud & Hybrid)
  • Avaya Aura 10.x (CM, SM, SMGR, AES, AADS, ASBCE)
  • Avaya IP Office Server Edition (R11 / R12)
  • UCaaS / CCaaS Platforms: RingCentral Cloud (EX Certified), Avaya ACO, Intermedia Unite
  • SIP Trunking, SBC Configuration & Call Routing
  • PBX-to-Cloud & Hybrid UC Migrations
  • Voice Virtualization (VMware, Avaya OVA, Linux)
  • QoS, VLANs, Firewall Integration & Voice Security
  • Carrier Coordination, Provisioning & Troubleshooting
  • Tier 3 Voice & UC Escalation, Advanced Troubleshooting

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

Telecommunications & Unified Communications Infrastructure

  • Design, implement, and support enterprise VoIP, UCaaS, CCaaS, and hybrid UC platforms across multi-site and campus environments
  • Administer Avaya Aura core components and enterprise gateways supporting secure, highly available voice architectures
  • Deploy and maintain Avaya IP Office Server Edition solutions for enterprise and distributed environments
  • Implement cloud and hybrid UC solutions using RingCentral Cloud, Avaya ACO, and Intermedia Unite
  • Integrate enterprise messaging platforms including Avaya IX Messaging, Aura Messaging (AAM), and Embedded Voicemail
  • Support SIP endpoints, paging, and peripheral integrations including Algo, Bogen, Valcom, and AudioCodes

Carrier Integration, Cloud Migrations & Operations

  • Design, provision, and troubleshoot SIP trunks with multiple telecom carriers
  • Integrate enterprise voice systems with E911 services (e.g., Intrado)
  • Lead phased migrations from legacy PBX platforms to SIP, UCaaS, and hybrid cloud architectures
  • Manage licensing, firmware, service packs, backups, and disaster recovery for voice and UC platforms

Security, Performance & Diagnostics

  • Secure enterprise voice environments using SBCs and best-practice SIP routing and access controls
  • Collaborate on QoS, VLAN segmentation, and firewall design to prioritize and protect voice traffic
  • Diagnose complex signaling, media, and performance issues using TraceSM, TraceSBC, and Wireshark

Leadership & Approach

  • Trusted technical lead and Avaya SME for enterprise UC environments.
  • Collaborative partner with IT, clinical, infrastructure, and vendor teams.
  • Mentor to engineers and technicians to improve operational consistency.
  • Calm, analytical problem-solver in high-pressure, mission-critical scenarios.