Architecture for
Voice,
Video and Integrated Data.
Part of Cisco's plan to integrate all common business functions in to one centralised source - the Internet. By converging all common functions like phone calls and fax, along with streaming multimedia and other existing IP-based technologies, and piping them all through the common Internet connection, Cisco can (theoretically) simplify things for business managers.
The reasoning is sound, but the methods are questionable. Because Cisco control 85% of Internet infrastructure, it can only cement their market share.
Basically provides for the existing equipment to handle the equivalent of PABX over Ethernet powered IP telephones, and incorporating into a network kept running by QoS (Quality of Service) regulators, cache boxes and of course a nice fat Internet connection.
A Cisco-branded version of their fluffy vision for the future can be found at http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/cc/so/neso/vvda/iptl/avvid_wp.htm