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 - 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 AITech
AITech 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 http://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(TM) 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 http://www.polycom.com/.
Source: Polycom, Inc.
CONTACT:
Robin Raulf-Sager of Polycom, Inc.,
+1-303-583-5342,
robin.raulf-sager@polycom.com;
or Armita Seyedalikhani of Apparent Networks,Inc,
+1-604-433-2333, Ext 130,
armitas@apparentnetworks.com,
for Polycom,Inc.
Web site: http://www.polycom.com/
