Verizon Business Recognized by Cisco Systems as Advanced Technology Provider of IP Telephony Remote Network Operations

May 2, 2006, BASKING RIDGE, N.J. - Verizon Business announced today that it is the first major carrier to achieve the IP Telephony Remote Network Operations (RNO) Advanced Technology Provider (ATP) status from Cisco Systems®. The ATP designation is by invitation only and recognizes Verizon Business for its strength in providing the core knowledge and skills required to successfully deploy managed services to enterprise customers that have a Cisco® Unified Communications system.

"Customers need highly capable value-added providers that can manage their Unified Communications systems once it’s been deployed" said Edison Peres, vice president, technology sales and programs, worldwide channels at Cisco Systems. "The IP Telephony Remote Network Operations ATP status indicates that Verizon Business is committed to successfully managing its customers’ Unified Communications systems"

Nancy Gofus, Verizon Business vice president of product management, said, "Verizon Business is proud to be one of the small number of Cisco partners that have earned this distinction to date. The IP Telephony Remote Network Operations ATP status recognizes Verizon Business’ expertise in delivering high levels of remote monitoring and management for our Managed IP PBX solutions"

Strong Customer Satisfaction Requirement

Customers play a vital role in the certification process. Verizon Business is held to high standards of customer satisfaction that require specific documentation. This includes undertaking a random customer survey to obtain a customer satisfaction rating. In order to maintain its ATP status, Verizon Business must obtain a 4.5 average rating out of a possible 5.0 for every five surveys completed.

One customer depending on Verizon Business to manage its Managed IP BPX network nationwide is Del Monte Foods, one of the country’s largest and most well-known producers and distributors of food and pet products for the U.S. retail market. Del Monte relies on Verizon Business to keep its operations continuously running.

"With close to 8,000 employees in locations around the country, we rely on Verizon Business for our IP communication networks" said Del Monte Foods Vice President and Chief Information Officer Marc Brown. "We trust Verizon Business to deliver high quality of service for multiple sites from Pennsylvania to California and everywhere in between"

Leading Technology Experts

Attaining the IP Telephony RNO ATP status also required Verizon Business to achieve the Cisco IP Communications (IPC) Specialization as a prerequisite. Additionally, Verizon Business was required to fulfill specific testing requirements for a select group of its technical professionals, including its engagement managers, project managers, network operation center analysts, network operations center engineers and design engineers.

End-to-End Quality through an Active Testing Environment

The IP Telephony RNO ATP also requires Verizon Business to build a lab for development and customer fault replication. Verizon Business maintains two IP telephony labs, which are suitable for proof-of-concept demonstrations, application development, fault replication, network emulation, internal training, and hot-staging of products, which helps to ensure end-to-end service quality is consistently met.

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Verizon Business
Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a leading provider of advanced communications and information technology (IT) solutions to large business and government customers worldwide. Combining unsurpassed global network reach with advanced technology and professional service capabilities, Verizon Business delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world. For more information, visit www.verizonbusiness.com.

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