I saw Sipera Systems at the last Enterprise Connect and was intrigued by its market niche: UC and VOIP security. Enterprises are fast to jump on the UC and VOIP bandwagon, but oftentimes they neglect the security aspect of these deployments. Sipera, backed by renowned VCs Sequoia Capital and Star Ventures, was one of the kind to offer comprehensive security solutions with its SBC and UC appliances and software.

Now Sipera has joined the Avaya family. Obviously Avaya will leverage Sipera’s tech portfolio to improve its own UC and SIP products which shouldn’t be too hard since Sipera and Avaya have been close partners for a while now. What’ll be interesting to see is whether Avaya will still offer Sipera solutions for Cisco products.

Read the press release:

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Basking Ridge, NJ – Avaya today announced it has acquired Sipera, a worldwide provider of Unified Communications (UC) solutions, including Session Border Control (SBC) functionality and a range of UC security applications. Sipera will become a fully integrated part of Avaya.

Sipera strengthens Avaya’s UC portfolio with a set of fit-for-purpose, enterprise-class SBC capabilities for Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking that offers customers and channel partners flexibility, security and value.  The company’s open, standards-based solutions work in both Avaya and non-Avaya networks. Combined with Avaya Aura®, Sipera’s solutions will provide customers with secure VoIP, SIP trunks, videoconferencing, cloud-based communications, instant messaging, and collaboration tools for workers in any location using any business or consumer device.

Sipera provides application-layer security that is intuitive, easy-to-manage and can lower the total cost of ownership of UC and Contact Center deployments. Security features include a patent-pending remote worker solution that helps deploy VPN-less solutions and advanced toll fraud protection.

Quotes:
“Sipera’s broad portfolio of open, enterprise-focused security technologies strongly align with our own Avaya Aura unified communications architecture. Together, we will help customers simplify deployment, management and maintenance of secure, multi-vendor UC and contact center environments while providing them with greater flexibility to support remote and mobile employees using the device that best suits their needs.”
Dr. Alan Baratz, Senior Vice President and President, Global Communications Solutions, Avaya

“Integration of our solutions with Avaya Aura is a significant milestone in the evolution of unified communications. With the combined offerings, users enjoy rich, responsive communication experiences that span multiple channels, applications, devices and networks. These communications incorporate security and compliance features that ensure mission-critical information and resources are safeguarded. Together, our solutions simplify and streamline deployment and management of enterprise UC, improving communications flexibility, accelerating user adoption, and maximizing return on investment.”
Jim Timmer, COO, Sipera

“Kelsey-Seybold Clinic is Houston’s first and longest standing Accountable Care Organization. Kelsey-Seybold is home to more than 370 physicians providing more than 50 medical specialties throughout a network of 20 Houston-area clinics.  Robust communication capabilities and security of our integrated voice and data solutions were key considerations in our selection of Sipera’s technology with Avaya’s contact center and unified communications solutions.  We are excited that this relationship is becoming a permanent one.”
Martin Littmann, Director – Information Technology, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic

Tags:
Unified communications, session border control, SIP trunking, security collaboration, business communications, Avaya Aura, Session Manager

About Avaya:
Avaya is a global provider of business collaboration and communications solutions, providing unified communications, contact centers, data solutions and related services to companies of all sizes around the world.

Certain statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “should” or “will” or other similar terminology. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While we believe these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. These and other important factors may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. For a list and description of such risks and uncertainties, please refer to Avaya’s filings with the SEC that are available at www.sec.gov. Avaya disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Media Inquiries:
Deb Kline
908-953-6179
klined@avaya.com

Some folks have half-jokingly said that Skype is a good fit for Microsoft because both companies like proprietary technologies. There’s certainly some truth to that. Even though both of these companies enjoy great numbers of users, they are far from being proponents of open standards and technologies.

That’s why it’s important to spread the gospel of an open source project such as GNU Telephony:

GNU Telephony is a project to enable anyone to use free as in freedom software for telephony, and with the freedom to do so on any platform they choose to use. We also wish to make it easy to use the Internet for real-time voice and video communication, and in fact for all forms of real-time collaboration. Finally we wish to make it possible to communicate securely and in complete privacy by applying distributed cryptographic solutions. Our goal is to enable secure and private real-time communication worldwide over the Internet that is free as in freedom, and is also free as in no cost too!

Over the weekend the project released GNU SIP Witch 1.0, the first stable release of GNU SIP protocol provisioning and peer-to-peer call server. It’ll also be used in the “anti-Skype” open source project, GNU Free Call (covered here previously).

The acquisition of Skype by Microsoft has made some people nervous about the future of the popular VOIP service. This is exactly why open source projects are important and deserve our support.

The official announcement:

May 14, 2011 (Bayonne, NJ). We are distributing today a 1.0 release of the GNU SIP protocol provisioning and peer-to-peer call server, GNU SIP Witch. GNU SIP Witch is developed within GNU Telephony and has been selected for use in the GNU Free Call project. This will provide a stable release that we will support for existing applications while we actively develop GNU Free Call services.

GNU SIP Witch is available as part of the GNU project. Stable releases will also power a web site later this summer to provide initial worldwide secure calling services for free directly to the general public for use in conjunction with any ZRTP enabled standards compliant softphone applications and SIP devices. GNU SIP Witch can be used to deploy private secure calling networks, whether stand-alone or in conjunction with existing VoIP infrastructure, for private institutions and national governments.

GNU SIP Witch is distributed as free software, that is, it is licensed using the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 3 (or later), explicitly to provide others the freedom to use, modify, learn from, redistribute, and participate in it’s continued development, and can be obtained in source directly fromhttp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/sipwitch. A number of GNU/Linux distributions already distribute GNU SIP Witch in binary form for easy installation. GNU SIP Witch is cross-platform and can also be built on Apple OS/X, BSD systems, and for Microsoft Windows. Future releases will also support Android devices for use in GNU Free Call. Our services and applications are intended to offer the benefits of software freedom on all common computing platforms.

GNU SIP Witch is a free software project and is being developed by volunteers from around the world. The Free Software Foundation and the GNU project provides technical, infrastructure, and organizational support for GNU SIP Witch development. Future work will focus on delivering GNU Free Call services such as self-organizing peer-to-peer calling networks directly to the desktop and mobile devices of users worldwide.

In conjunction with this release, the GNU Free Call project is distributing an initial release of our technological assistance package for common computing platforms by providing our switchview desktop client for use with GNU SIP Witch on your local machine. In the future TAP will enable multi-platform personal encryption, include further support for desktop and mobile secure calling, and provide other basic and common computing services missing on some platforms.

About the Free Software Foundation:
The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users’ right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software—particularly the GNU operating system (used widely today in its GNU/Linux variant)— and free documentation. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software. Their web site, located at http://www.gnu.org/, is an important source of information about GNU/Linux.

About GNU Free Call:
GNU Free Call is a project to develop and deploy secure self-organized communication services worldwide for private use and for public administration. We use the open standard SIP protocol and GNU SIP Witch to create secured peer-to-peer mesh calling networks, and we welcome all participation in our effort.

Contact Information:
Haakon Eriksen – Project Coordinator – haakon.eriksen at far.no
David Sugar – Project Architect – dyfet at gnu.org
Mailing List – Participation – sipwitch-devel at gnu.org

 

I’ve got to give Level 3 Communications credit for becoming an exhibitor this year. Here is a company that was established in 1998 and went through an IPO on NASDAQ in the same year. But the fast IPO isn’t what’s amazing about Level 3. It’s the fact that it survived the Dotcom Bubble and stands here today as a Tier 1 Internet backbone provider and one of the largest telecom companies in the U.S.

As the saying goes, Whatever doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger?

Level 3 didn’t have a fancy pavilion like some of the exhibitors. Only a modest booth #1403 — a counter, a rack of marketing literature, a fairly small LCD monitor playing marketing promo, and of course, a backdrop with its logo.

A modest booth for a Tier 1 Internet backbone provider

In speaking with Sarah Baack, SVP of Voice Services, and Bill Long, Sr. Director of Product Management, I got a sense that Level 3 is tired of hanging out in the background. This is a company that offers a wide range of products and services: Internet, Voice, Video, and Managed. In essence, everything an enterprise would need to get UC done.

Level 3 plans to leverage both its TDM and SIP assets to aggressively target enterprises. Because it’s a carrier offering value-added products and services, the company can easily become the one-stop shop for a customer’s communications needs, especially if the customer favors a decentralized network topology. Level 3′s global network can definitely accommodate such a customer requirement in design and implementation.

Surviving the Dotcom Bubble has made Level 3 stronger. Although the company has been struggling financially in recent years, it’s good that it is doing more to spread its name in the market, perhaps a return to Enterprise Connect 2012. After all, it has something that many other UC vendors don’t have but worth touting: a world-class IP backbone.

What’s not to love about SIP and VOIP, right? Cost savings, easier setup, cool features. Yet more often than not your IT department will enforce having virus scanners on the PCs, but does nothing about that shiny IP phone on the desk. As far as the network goes, that IP phone is another data device subject to be victimized by malware and DDoS threats out there.

Richardson, TX-based Sipera Systems has about 50 employees focused on delivering products and services to address security issues surrounding UC and VOIP communications. This is also a company backed by well-known VCs such as Sequoia Capital (funded many, many tech companies we all know today, like Google, Oracle, YouTube, etc.) and Star Ventures (which also invests in video darling and conference exhibitor, Vidyo).

Obviously Sipera has attracted the attention of some powerful Silicon Valley money brokers.

The company is well positioned in the market with the explosion of UC and SIP endpoints. A primary roadblock in selecting UC within the enterprise is security. Moving to UC often gives the IT Director a very good reason to freak out. Enter Sipera with its UC-Sec Appliances to ensure the UC and VOIP traffic is from authenticated sources and encrypted for privacy. According to Adam Boone, VP of Marketing and Product Management, UC-Sec appliances provide application-layer security and comes in a 1U or 2U box that’ll fit in most data center racks.

Furthermore, Sipera now plans to enter the red hot SBC (Session Border Controller) market with its E-SBC offering. This market has seen tremendous growth for companies like Acme Packet and even Avaya now sells SBCs. The E-SBC is unique in that it features the SIP Trunk Integration Module (STIM) that significantly simplifies SIP trunk deployment to two hours or less in many standard configurations. It also fits an enterprise of any size — from 20 to 10,000 concurrent sessions — and priced competitively at 10% of the cost of competitors’ in some configurations.

But Sipera has another weapon in its SIP security arsenal: VIPER Lab. This is its research facility with a team of experts that you don’t want to mess with when it comes to UC and VOIP security. The VIPER Lab’s goal is to advance UC and VOIP security with its research and release useful tools to help others harden their SIP infrastructure.

As UC and VOIP becomes more prevalent it’s likely to attract attention from people with ill intentions. Hackers can now disrupt a business by bringing down a website. Imagine what they can do to your UC and VOIP networks. It’s one thing to lose a website and another to lose the ability to communicate across the enterprise.

John Stepp, president of Free Tech Consultants, continues the coverage of ITEXPO held in Miami Beach earlier this month.

While covering StartupCamp 3 at ITEXPO in Miami, I also had an opportunity to interview some established companies.  I sat down with snom COO Michael Storella to learn more about the snom phones and the snomONE (announcement covered here previously), an SMB IP phone system that was just released in October 2010.

Once we discussed their upcoming M9 DECT phone with color display and the snom 300 being the only standards based phone qualified by Microsoft on Lync, we started discussing the snomONE.  The snomONE consists of three different offerings:

• snomONE Free for up to 10 extensions downloadable from the snom website for free
• snomONE Yellow for up to 20 extensions at $895
• snomONE Blue for up to 150 extensions at $1495

Since the smallest offering is basically freeware, it is very similar to open source.  The only caveat is that you have to use snom devices on it.  The phones are not the flashiest out there, but given the low cost and high reliability of their devices, the snomONE is a really good deal.  While you are forced into the proprietary desktop devices, you also get a secure software stream that is supported by snom, so you do not have to worry about the topsy-turvy world of open source software updates.  If you choose to change systems in the future, you can reuse the phones since they are standards based SIP compatible.  So, to me, it really does occupy a middle ground between open source and a fully proprietary phone system.

Storella stressed the reliability and security of the system and the fact that it could operate on Microsoft, Linux, or Mac OS X. The ability to deploy on Macs makes it a real fit for small Mac shops.  But the thing that struck me most was the feature set.  Snom is changing the dynamic by providing a host of PBX features such as unified messaging, cell phone integration, IVR, call center and call recording in the snomONE product line. Given the complexity of the feature set, I would use a VAR to help with initial setup of the system.  Not that the system is not intuitive, it’s plug and play.  The system can do so much that you will want to take advantage of all that it has to offer and learn the settings changes that you would want to utilize on an ongoing basis.  It is best to get front end training from a VAR no matter which system you want to use.  I highly recommend checking out snomONE if you are a small business that requires secure complex call handling features and have experienced sticker shock with other systems.

Most Genesys consultants are already familiar with the X-Lite softphone, CounterPath’s desktop telephony application, because it’s a free download and still provides most of the features required to run tests cases. Today Genesys makes it official: CounterPath Bria softphone is certified for Genesys 8 SIP Server (Bria is like the next generation of X-Lite, except it’s not free).

I remember X-Lite not working after I’d upgraded to Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6) on my Mac. Indeed it’s not supported and CounterPath recommends X-Lite 4.0 Beta, but it’s been in beta for a long while now, and I don’t think it’s coming out of beta anytime soon. My take is that CounterPath prefers users to upgrade to Bria 3.0 which is cross platform (Windows, Mac, and Linux).

In a way that’s great news because as Linux and Macs gain popularity in the enterprise contact centers, now these outfits have a compatible and Genesys-certified softphone to deploy without the need to use desktop Windows VMs, thereby saving money on these Windows licenses. Additionally, CounterPath also sells SDKs in C++, COM, and ActiveX flavors for those brave developers wanting to code their own softphone.

Check here for CounterPath’s official press release:

Vancouver, BC, Canada — July 13, 2010 – CounterPath Corporation (TSX-V: CCV; OTCBB: CPAH), an award-winning provider of desktop and mobile VoIP software solutions, today announced that the latest release of its Bria multimedia softphone is now available for integration with Genesys contact center desktop applications. An Alcatel-Lucent company (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU), Genesys has certified Bria for use with the Genesys 8 SIP Server, providing Genesys customers with a fast, cost-effective way to deploy VoIP and video calling services within their contact centers and to home-based agents.

To simplify Bria’s integration with Genesys contact center desktop applications, customer options include the following:

• The Genesys 8 SIP Endpoint SDK, based on CounterPath’s SDK technology, for members of the Genesys developer community members to build and integrate SIP endpoint connections for their custom desktop applications
• CounterPath’s Bria 3.0 multimedia softphone certified for use with the Genesys 8 SIP Server as a stand-alone softphone
• Genesys offering an integrated SIP Endpoint and SIP Endpoint Module, based on CounterPath technology, for a future release of its next generation desktop; Genesys 8 Interaction Workspace

Genesys 8 provides visibility into customer data and standard response information so contact and call center agents can quickly and effectively handle calls. With the addition of CounterPath’s Bria multimedia softphone, Genesys customers now have access to a highly secure, standards-based softphone that enables voice and high-definition (1280x720p) video calls between agents and supervisors.

Bria supports a variety of operating systems, including desktops and laptops running Linux, Mac and Windows, and operates on any wired or wireless IP network, including 3G/4G and Wi-Fi. This flexible design enables contact center operators to significantly reduce the cost of providing unified communications (UC) solutions to agents and employees, all without the need to install dedicated telephony hardware on each desk.

The integration of Bria also provides Genesys customers with:

• Seamless, Genesys-certified integration, enabling fast, cost-effective implementation in variety of contact center environments
• An intuitive interface that makes it easy for call center agents to perform common tasks such as placing and receiving VoIP and video calls, identifying at a glance which contacts are available and sending instant messages
• Support for third-party application control, which enables the contact center applications to manage the calling experience more efficiently
• A wide variety of configuration options to meet each contact center’s unique requirements

“Genesys’ certification of Bria is the latest example of CounterPath’s momentum in the contact and call center markets, which represents a major opportunity for our company,” said Robert Brown VP Marketing for CounterPath. “Bria gives Genesys customers a flexible, sophisticated and unified VoIP and video solution that is easy to implement and easy to use. The combination of CounterPath and Genesys is a win-win-win for both companies and Genesys users.”

For more information about Bria, visit http://www.counterpath.com/bria.html.

###

About CounterPath

CounterPath Corporation is an award-winning provider of innovative desktop and mobile VoIP software products and solutions. The company’s product suite includes SIP-based softphones, server applications and Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) solutions that enable service providers, enterprises and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) to cost-effectively integrate voice, video, presence and Instant Messaging (IM) applications into their VoIP offerings and extend functionality across both fixed and mobile networks.

CounterPath’s customers include some of the world’s largest telecommunications service providers and network equipment providers including AT&T, Verizon, BT (British Telecommunications PLC), Deutsche Telekom, Cisco Systems, and Mitel.

Visit www.counterpath.com.

Disclaimer: Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contact:

CounterPath Media and Analyst Relations
Megan Hyde
540.239.8386
mhyde@comunicano.com

Have no doubt — video is the new voice, as Dialogic proudly touts. The company so firmly believes in video that it has grown from preaching the gospel of voice to the gospel of video. And now it has found its bride, Veraz Networks (who will take on the Dialogic name). There are a few notable challenges in IP video, the greatest being in video delivery for this is such a multi-faceted topic, ranging from codecs and compression algorithms to network infrastructure and optimization. I wish the best for the new couple!

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 12, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Veraz Networks (VRAZ 1.12, +0.11, +10.89%) , a leading provider of bandwidth optimization and next generation switching products, and privately held Dialogic Corporation, a pioneer in enabling interactive mobile video services and applications, today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to merge.

After closing, the name of the merged company will be Dialogic, and it will be a global leader in communications products and services to the telecommunications service provider and enterprise markets. The merged company is expected to be led by Nick Jensen as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer (current Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Dialogic), and Doug Sabella as President and Chief Operating Officer (current Veraz President and Chief Executive Officer), with headquarters in San Jose, CA.

“While the capability of mobile networks around the world has been steadily expanding, the future will bring even greater demands on the networks due to the unprecedented growth in global mobile data and video traffic, “said Nick Jensen, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Dialogic. “By combining Dialogic’s proven expertise in application enablement for voice and video with Veraz’s leadership in voice, data, session control, security, and transport we will be creating a company with innovative products that will enable our customers to unleash the profit of video, voice and data for 3G/4G networks.”

Over 80% of the Fortune 2000 companies and service providers worldwide rely on Dialogic’s application-enabling technologies, putting Dialogic at the forefront of enabling high quality video on wireless and wireline networks. Today, over 130 service providers in over 80 countries rely on Veraz’s next generation switching and bandwidth optimization products and services to leverage the power of IP to deliver high quality voice and data services while lowering their operational and capital costs.

“The merger of Veraz and Dialogic will create a new and exciting company with the product portfolio and resources to be a true mission critical supplier to service providers,” said Doug Sabella, President and CEO of Veraz Networks. “The combination of Veraz’s direct global footprint and Dialogic’s channels will create a company of substantial size with global reach and resources, thus allowing our customers to be extremely confident when they choose to partner with us.”

Following the merger and subsequent integration of the two companies, on an annualized basis (after excluding adjustments to revenue and expenses under purchase accounting rules, transaction related costs and one-time charges), the merged company revenues are expected to be greater than $250 million with gross margins of 60-65% and EBITDA of 10-15% of revenues (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, and stock compensation expenses and including expected operational cost synergies). The merged company will have a diverse customer base with no customer concentration.

Under the terms of the agreement, unanimously approved by each company’s Board of Directors, Veraz will issue shares of its common stock to each Dialogic shareholder so that following the closing of the transaction, Dialogic shareholders will own approximately 70% and Veraz shareholders will own approximately 30% of the merged company. For further information regarding the acquisition agreement, interested parties should refer to the Form 8-K filed by Veraz on or about this date. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2010, subject to regulatory approvals, shareholder approvals, and customary closing conditions.

Veraz is currently traded on NASDAQ and it is expected that the merged company will continue to be traded on NASDAQ. The merged company is expected to benefit from operational cost synergies and is expected to realize revenue synergies by combining complementary product portfolios, as well as by optimizing the established global sales and distribution channels.

Jefferies & Company, Inc. acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Dialogic, and Pagemill Partners acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Veraz.

Veraz Networks and Dialogic will host a conference call for investors on May 13, 2010 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time which will also include forward-looking information. The webcast and a presentation regarding the merger will be available from the “Investor Relations” section of the Veraz website (www.veraznetworks.com). For parties in the United States and Canada, call 1-800-860-2442 to access the conference call. International parties can access the call at +1-412-858-4600.

The webcast will be archived for a period of 90 days. A telephonic replay of the conference call will also be available two hours after the call and will run for two days. To hear the replay, parties in the United States and Canada should call 1-877-344-7529 and enter passcode 60000#. International parties should call +1-412-317-0088 and enter passcode 60000#.

About Dialogic

Dialogic Corporation is a leading provider of world-class, innovative technologies based on open standards that enable innovative mobile, video, IP, and TDM solutions for Network Service Providers and Enterprise Communication Networks. Dialogic’s customers and partners rely on its leading-edge, flexible components to rapidly deploy value-added solutions around the world. Information about Dialogic is available at http://www.dialogic.com/. Also, join our social networking community, the Dialogic Exchange Network (DEN), at www.dialogic.com/den or visit our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages for additional Dialogic news and updates. Dialogic is a registered trademark of Dialogic Corporation.

About Veraz

Veraz Networks, Inc. (VRAZ 1.12, +0.11, +10.89%) , is the leading provider of application, control, and bandwidth optimization products that enable the evolution to the Multimedia Generation Network (MGN). Service providers worldwide use the Veraz MGN portfolio to extend their current application suite and rapidly add customized multimedia services that drive revenue and ensure customer retention. The Veraz MGN separates the control, media, and application layers while unifying management of the network, thereby increasing service provider operating efficiency. Wireline and wireless service providers in over 60 countries have deployed products from the Veraz MGN portfolio, which includes the ControlSwitch(TM), Network-adaptive Border Controller, I-Gate 4000 Media Gateways, the VerazView Management System, and a set of prepackaged applications. For more information regarding the company, please visit www.veraznetworks.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future events or results. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, the possibility that the transaction will not close or that the closing may be delayed, the anticipated synergies of the combined companies may not be achieved after closing, the combined operations may not be successfully integrated in a timely manner, anticipated revenues, gross margin and operating income may not be achieved, general economic conditions in regions in which either company does business may have a negative effect on their respective businesses, and the possibility that Veraz or Dialogic may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Additional risks and uncertainties that could cause Veraz results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include but are not the other risks and uncertainties described more fully in Veraz documents filed with or furnished to the SEC. More information about these and other risks that may impact Veraz’ business is set forth in the “Risk Factors” section in Veraz Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 as filed with the SEC. This filing is available on a website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov/. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Veraz as of the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements. A copy of this press release can be found on the investor relations page of Veraz’ website at www.veraznetworks.com. (VRAZ -IR)

Additional Information about the Proposed Transaction and Where You Can Find It:

Veraz plans to file a proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to a solicitation of proxies from its stockholders in connection with a special meeting of stockholders of Veraz to be held for the purpose of voting on the issuance of Veraz common stock in connection with the proposed transaction. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION, SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER RELEVANT MATERIALS WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. The proxy statement and other relevant materials, and any other documents filed by Veraz with the SEC, may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, stockholders of Veraz may obtain free copies of the documents filed with the SEC by contacting Veraz’s Investor Relations department at (408) 750-9400 or Investor Relations, Veraz Networks, Inc., 926 Rock Avenue, Suite 20, San Jose, California 95131. You may also read and copy any reports, statements and other information filed by Veraz with the SEC at the SEC public reference room at 100 F Street, NE, Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 or visit the SEC’s website for further information on its public reference room.

Veraz and its executive officers and directors may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders of Veraz in favor of the proposed transaction. A list of the names of Veraz’s executive officers and directors, and a description of their respective interests in Veraz, are set forth in the proxy statement for Veraz’s 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 30, 2010, and in any documents subsequently filed by its directors and executive officers under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

If and to the extent that executive officers or directors of Veraz will receive any additional benefits in connection with the proposed transaction that are unknown as of the date of this filing, the details of such benefits will be described in the proxy statement and security holders may obtain additional information regarding the interests of Veraz’s executive officers and directors in the proposed transaction by reading the proxy statement when it becomes available.

Now that the Apple iPad is out of the bag and starting to arrive in homes everywhere, all sorts of embargoed information are coming out. Not only will the device transform the publishing and portable computing markets, but evidently Big Telephony and other major UC vendors have reached an agreement to standardize on the iPad device platform. Yes, we’re talking about Alcatel-Lucent/Genesys, Aspect, Avaya, Cisco, Microsoft, Mitel, NEC, Siemens, and several others. Apparently Apple CEO Steve Jobs had an interest in not just communications, but unified communications, since a long time ago, but had thought the technology was far from mature. The iPhone was really a stepping stone and learning lesson in how to partner with global communications providers. But now with the trend towards multimedia, SIP, and UC, Apple is ready to make the leap in furthering the reach of its red hot iPad tablet.

Perhaps this is a blessing to the competitive and sometimes hostile UC landscape. Jobs realized how UC technologies were fragmented and lack interoperability (and to his dismay, filled with “fugly devices”), and had the pull to bring top executives from each vendor to the same table in Cupertino to work out an all around win-win deal. It took months and countless stealth meetings — even when VoiceCon Orlando was just around the corner. Apple advised the executives not to leak this under any circumstance, especially when they were all to be present in Orlando. “Pretend that you hate each other,” was Jobs’ suggestion, according to an unnamed source at these secret meetings. Surprisingly, the deal remained a secret until now.

What these vendors have agreed on is to develop their products — PBXs, IVRs, UC servers, SIP phones, SBCs, etc. — to run on the iPad exclusively. Supposedly Avaya, Cisco, and Microsoft engineers, with the help of Apple, have already developed a few proof-of-concepts in Apple’s labs. The iPad multi-touch interface should prove to be a hit… Imagine performing MAC (that’s “moves/adds/changes”) on the PBX by tapping and dragging extensions. Or enabling presence using the built-in geolocation service (either Wi-Fi or 3G). Or dialing using the on-screen soft buttons on an iPad SIP phone. Or configuring the SBC with gestures to establish trunks. And of course, all of these tasks could be performed in either portrait or landscape mode! The possibilities are endless — only limited by the developer’s creativity…

Initially there were concerns about the iPad’s horsepower — can it really handle SIP and VoIP without sacrificing usability and stability? Apple assured the vendors that there won’t be a problem, and if so he would gladly provide more iPads (at a discount, of course) to form some sort of undocumented cluster architecture commonly seen in database design. No wonder there’s a shortage of supply, right?

Official press release below:

CUPERTINO, California—April 1, 2010—Apple’s magical new iPad will be available in all 221 US Apple® retail stores and most Best Buy stores this Saturday, April 3, beginning at 9 a.m. Starting at just $499, iPad lets users browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more, all using iPad’s revolutionary Multi-Touch™ user interface. iPad is just 0.5 inches thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds—thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook—and delivers up to 10 hours of battery life.*

“iPad connects users with their apps and content in a far more intimate and fun way than ever before,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We can’t wait for users to get their hands and fingers on it this weekend.”

Apple retail stores will offer a free Personal Setup service to every customer who buys an iPad at the store, helping them customize their new iPad by setting up their email, loading their favorite apps from the App Store, and more. Also beginning Saturday morning, all US Apple retail stores will host special iPad workshops to help customers learn more about this magical new product.

“But there’s one more thing…”

Apple is pleased to announce major strategic partnerships with Unified Communications (UC) vendors, including Alcatel-Lucent, Aspect, Avaya, Cisco, Microsoft, Mitel, NEC, Siemens, and others, to offer a unified platform for UC products and SIP interoperability. Soon not only will a user read books and play games on iPad, but also operate it as an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, Public Branch Exchange (PBX), Session Border Controller (SBC), and more. More importantly, iPad will become the UC industry standard platform, eliminating the fragmentation and lack of interoperability among these vendors’ products.

Apple expects most of these UC and SIP iPad applications to be ready by third quarter of 2010.

Pricing & Availability
iPad will be available in Wi-Fi models on April 3 in the US for a suggested retail price of $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB. The Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available in late April for a suggested retail price of $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB and $829 for 64GB. iPad will be sold in the US through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores, most Best Buy stores, select Apple Authorized Resellers and campus bookstores. The iBooks app for iPad including Apple’s iBookstore will be available as a free download from the App Store in the US on April 3.

*Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

Press Contacts:
Natalie Harrison
Apple
harri@apple.com
(408) 862-0565

Natalie Kerris
Apple
nat@apple.com
(408) 974-6877

NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple’s PR website, or call Apple’s Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042.

Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Multi-Touch and Apple Store are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

A lot of people are wondering why Skype isn’t here at VoiceCon Orlando. Skype was the company that catapulted VoIP to the spotlight the technology enjoys now. When a company can make grandma want to use a computer to video chat with her grandchild, or have a news agency use its software to break news, then you know it deserves a booth at a conference about communications technologies.

Well, Skype isn’t here but that doesn’t mean they’re sitting idle. Two major announcements came out on Monday regarding Skype for SIP certification with AudioCodes equipment and Grandstream IP PBX and gateways.

This is not your grandma’s Skype anymore. Skype wants to become a serious contender in the market for IP-enabled enterprise communications.

Yes, I think Skype is popular enough to become a verb, no? As in, “Skype me when you have a moment.” That’s how you know you’ve made it big (e.g. “to Google”).

Skype is moving in a direction that’ll certainly make other VoIP phone vendors nervous, but that could only mean more choices for the enterprise. Today at VoiceCon Orlando Israel-based AudioCodes announces its business gateway obtaining Skype for SIP certification (oh, there’s also the PR about a new chief strategy officer, too):

Lod, Israel and Luxembourg – March 22, 2010 - Skype and AudioCodes (NasdaqGS: AUDC), today announced that the AudioCodes Mediant 1000 Multi-Service Business Gateway has been certified as interoperable with Skype for SIP. This will enable the majority of the world’s small and medium-sized businesses, who are still using legacy TDM PBXs and Key-Systems to communicate more efficiently by directing their outbound calls to mobile phones and landlines around the world through Skype. It will also allow them to receive inbound calls from Skype users.

“In today’s tough economy, executives of small and medium-sized companies realize that effective communication with customers, partners and employees is a key to helping them grow their business,” said David Gurle, VP and General Manager of Skype for Business. “By certifying the AudioCodes Mediant 1000 Multi-Service Business Gateway as interoperable with Skype for SIP, we are enabling businesses that are using TDM equipment to connect to the IP world and helping them save money, save time and stay ahead of the competition.”

Interoperability with Skype for SIP means that small businesses can take advantage of the cost savings provided by Skype’s low-cost global calling rates when their employees call landlines and mobile phones around the world. A company can also receive inbound voice calls from any of the more than 521 million registered Skype users around the world via a global click-to-call button on its Web site. By certifying the AudioCodes Multi-Service Business Gateways with Skype for SIP, customers can benefit from interoperability with hundreds of TDM PBXs, Key Systems, and IP-PBXs that have not been able to connect to Skype so far. In addition, if a company buys and associates an online Skype number with their AudioCodes Mediant 1000 Multi-Service Business Gateway solution, it can then receive inbound calls via Skype from business contacts and customers calling from landline and mobile phones.

“Partnering with Skype is an important milestone in AudioCodes’ strategy of interoperating with the leaders in the Internet communications market,” said Jeff Kahn, Chief Strategic Officer at AudioCodes. “We are excited about Skype for SIP interoperability since it opens the market for customers to get the benefits of Skype, without replacing their existing PBX equipment. The AudioCodes Mediant 1000 Multi-Service Business Gateway offers ultimate flexibility and modularity, supporting many types of TDM and IP-PBX connectivity options, integrated with routing, firewalling, Enterprise SBC and application hosting capabilities. Our ability to connect to TDM PBXs and IP-PBXs simultaneously enables customers to smoothly migrate from TDM telephony to the IP world.”

Certification testing of Skype for SIP with the AudioCodes Mediant 1000 Multi-Service Business Gateway was conducted by tekVizion Labs™, an independent test facility in Richardson, Texas, which specializes in IP communications interoperability testing.

For more information about Skype for SIP, please visit http://www.skype.com/business/products/pbx-systems/sip/.

For more information about the AudioCodes Mediant 1000 Multi-Service Business Gateways, please visit http://www.audiocodes.com/msbg

AudioCodes will be exhibiting at VoiceCon, Orlando, March 22-24, 2010 in booth #428.