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Polycom and Apparent Networks Deliver New Remote Network Assessment and Support Services for VoIP
Partnership to Ease VoIP Installation Process for Service Providers, VARs and End Users
PLEASANTON, Calif. and VANCOUVER, B.C. – June 20, 2007 – Polycom, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCM), the world’s leading provider of unified collaborative solutions, and Apparent Networks Inc., an industry-leading provider of expert systems for network diagnostics and analytics, today announced that they have joined forces to offer new professional services for Polycom service providers and channel partners that will enable quicker and more efficient and cost-effective voice over IP (VoIP) deployments. Through this partnership, the two companies will roll out AppCritical Remote Network Assessment (RNA), an easy-to-use, affordable and scalable tool that Polycom service providers can offer their customers as a hosted service to assess a network’s readiness for VoIP implementation, significantly cutting down on the time and resources typically spent on installation and post-installation troubleshooting.
“One of the largest costs for us going into any new customer
engagement is the great unknown of how that enterprise’s network
is going to behave once we begin a VoIP rollout,” said AITech’s
Chief Executive Officer Greg Lohrenz. “Polycom’s new services
provide an extremely affordable and effective way for us to remove
that mystery and ensure a successful deployment that will create an
efficient and high quality experience for our enterprise customers.”
AppCritical RNA is a new, custom-designed product for performing recommended
VoIP pre-deployment network assessments entirely remotely. AppCritical
RNA offers Polycom’s service providers an effective and economical
solution for their small to medium enterprise customers. Service providers
can quickly determine whether an enterprise customer is ready for
a VoIP deployment, pinpointing the exact cause and location of issues
on the network and allowing the customer to easily fix problems prior
to any rollout. Through this joint agreement, Polycom provides the
ability to manage critical processes such as support and quality assurance
testing, which will save customers valuable time and resources.
In Aberdeen Group’s recently published Network Transformations report, research director Joe Basili, states, “transitioning
to an IP-enabled environment requires a detailed assessment of the
current network environment. ‘Best-in-Class’ (BIC) performers
are two times more likely to have end-to-end visibility of their inventory
compared to ‘Laggards.’ Our research found that this makes
a real difference in the implementation. In fact, 100 percent of BIC
enterprises completed their network transition on time compared to
21 percent of Laggards even though ‘Best-in-Class’ had
52 percent more phones on average compared to Laggards. Adequate preparation
for deploying VoIP results in a more successful, efficient and cost-effective
implementation.”
“Polycom’s new VoIP services with Apparent Networks take
the guesswork out of VoIP deployments,” said Geno Alissi, Sr.
vice president and general manager of Global Services at Polycom.
“Current troubleshooting and analysis solutions are costly and
inefficient for the service provider market. These unique services
are designed to provide our service providers and channel partners
the ability to deploy IP telephony in a very affordable and efficient
manner with a diagnostic tool that is vendor neutral and will work
with any IP network, ensuring customers are rewarded with a high-quality
and collaborative communications experience.”
“Polycom understands that the initial assessment of the network is critical to the success of VoIP deployments,” said Irfhan Rajani, President and CEO, Apparent Networks. “That is why an industry leader like Polycom has partnered with us to offer AppCritical RNA, an effective and affordable remote network assessment tool to maximize VoIP deployments. Polycom is demonstrating its focus on ensuring quality of service for its customers by equipping its service providers with this groundbreaking technology.”
Apparent Networks has also joined the Polycom ARENA program, an ecosystem program designed to expand applications for Polycom’s collaborative technology by enabling software applications providers, such as Apparent Networks, to deliver innovative solutions that interoperate with Polycom products and services.
AppCritical RNA is available now and is sold in license format through Polycom service providers and channel partners throughout North America and Latin America.
About AITechAITech is a leading provider of wholesale & retail hosted PBX and traditional line replacement solutions. AITech’s suite of managed network services offer a highly effective solution to address business end-user needs, including the ability to use Outlook® and Internet Explorer® to dial/answer calls and change telephone settings. For additional information, call 800.300.5408 or visit the AITech web site at www.goait.com.
About Apparent Networks
Apparent Networks, Inc. develops and markets software that provides
a unique approach to improving application performance by measuring
and diagnosing live converged networks as part of pre-deployment assessment,
troubleshooting and continuous real-time monitoring. AppCritical™
provides awareness of the most critical network characteristics needed
by voice, video and data applications. It has been successfully deployed
by tier-one technology vendors, managed and professional service providers
and enterprises to assure end-user quality of experience. Customers
include ACS, Boeing, Nortel, Fujitsu, Siemens, IBM, Symantec, Toshiba,
Bell, HP, Network Appliance, McData, TELUS, DHL Systems, the United
States Department of Defense, Lockheed Martin, Bank of New York and
Electronic Arts. The privately held company has offices in Seattle,
WA and Vancouver, Canada. Visit www.apparentnetworks.com for more
information.
About Polycom
Polycom, Inc. is the worldwide leader in unified collaborative communications
(UCC) that maximize the efficiency and productivity of people and
organizations by integrating the broadest array of high definition
video, wired and wireless voice, and content solutions to deliver
the ultimate collaborative experience. Polycom’s high quality,
standards-based conferencing and collaboration solutions are easy
to deploy and manage, as well as intuitive to use. Supported by an
open architecture, they integrate seamlessly with leading telephony,
workplace wireless telephony, and presence-based networks. With its
market driving technologies, best-in-class products, alliance partnerships,
and world-class service, Polycom is the smart choice for organizations
seeking proven solutions and a competitive advantage from on-demand
communications and collaboration. For additional information, call
800-POLYCOM or visit the Polycom web site at www.polycom.com.
All product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Polycom and the Polycom logo are registered trademarks of Polycom
in the U.S. and various countries. ©2007, Polycom, Inc. All rights
reserved.
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Media Contact:
Todd Van Hoosear
Topaz Partners
tvanhoosear@topazpartners.com
(781) 404-2409
Company Contact:
John Riley
Director, Product Marketing
Apparent Networks
(781) 235-2470
AppCritical Brochure [pdf]
For more information
call 1.800.508.5233 or
have us contact you
Corporate Headquarters:
110 Cedar Street
Wellesley Hills, MA 02481
1.800.508.5233
400 - 321 Water Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 1B8
1.604.433.2333
Sales: 1.800.508.5233
Support: 1.800.664.4401
Main Fax: 1.617.812.6457


