Sonus SBC 1000, SBC 2000 Session Border Controllers Microsoft Lync 2013 Qualified

WESTFORD, Mass. --(Business Wire)--

Sonus Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: SONS), a global leader in SIP communications, today announced that the Sonus SBC 1000 and Sonus SBC 2000 are Microsoft (News - Alert) Lync 2013 qualified for session border controller (SBC) and survivable branch appliance (SBA) deployments.

A Microsoft Gold Communications Partner, Sonus helps enterprises optimize Microsoft Lync voice deployments by securing Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking services at the network border and providing a more seamless flow of SIP-based multi-vendor media for Unified Communications (UC) deployments. Access to UC applications such as instant messaging (IM), collaboration, conferencing and voice empowers enterprises to communicate in the most efficient and cost-effective ways - whenever and wherever.

The Sonus portfolio provides the industry's only end-to-end SBC solution delivering SIP-enabled applications from the enterprise headquarters to the branch office. SBCs are the critical access technology to enable customers to unify disparate UC architectures across an enterprise.

According to the January 2013 Webtorials study, "Enterprises Place 2013 Unified Communications (News - Alert) Bets: How Many Horses in This Race " there is considerable enterprise awareness and interest in Microsoft Lync as a platform for UC and enterprise voice. A full 58 percent of those surveyed already plan to deploy Microsoft for IM and presence, and it appears to have the inside track with many buyers when it comes to more advanced UC functions like Web meetings, desktop sharing and advanced directory services.

A recent Nemertes Research report, "Microsoft Lync Reality Check," indicated that most companies are implementing a gradual transition strategy to Microsoft Lync voice, starting small and either augmenting existing telephony systems or gradually migrating those groups most well suited to a softphone-centric working model. For this reason, it is critical that different networks and different network elements from a variety of vendors can communicate effectively with one another. Sonus SBCs are designed and tested to provide interoperability with legacy equipment (TDM, H.323), multiple SIP vendors and standards, application providers and international standards.

With the industry's broadest portfolio of Microsoft Lync qualified SBCs, Sonus gives enterprises and service providers more choices to communicate more effectively, more efficiently and more intelligently. The award winning SBC 1000 and SBC 2000 are designed to help medium sized businesses and branch offices safely and cost-effectively embrace new SIP-based communications. These Sonus SBCs deliver built-in media transcoding, network security (such as encryption, authentication and denial of service (DoS) protection), robust SP interworking, intelligent call routing and multi-vendor interoperability.

Quotes:

"Microsoft Lync is making in-roads in the enterprise IP telephony market, with 11.2 percent of companies implementing or planning to implement it as a PBX (News - Alert) replacement by the end of 2013, more than double the adoption rate of a year ago. With the release of Lync 2013, we expect that Microsoft will continue to capture an increasing percentage of telephony endpoints," said Irwin Lazar, vice president and service director, Nemertes Research. "However, the transition to Lync will take some time; and IT professionals express growing interest in leveraging session border controllers and session management to ease Lync telephony migrations."

"We are very proud to have received this qualification," states David Tipping, vice president and general manager, SBC Business Unit, Sonus. "As the Unified Communications functions provided by Microsoft Lync are increasingly utilized in mission-critical applications, the survivable branch application of the Sonus SBC 1000 and SBC 2000 provides essential capabilities for enterprises to ensure that their intra-branch communications and business-continuity are maintained, even in the event of a wide area network failure."

Other Facts:

Sonus is positioned in the Leaders quadrant of the "Magic Quadrant for Session Border Controllers," published October 9, 2012 by Gartner (News - Alert), Inc.
The SBC 1000 and SBC 2000 have been performance verified by Miercom. To access the Miercom report, visit http://www.sonus.net/miercom/

Additional Resources:

Download the complete Webtorials report, "Enterprises Place 2013 Unified Communications Bets: How Many Horses in This Race "
Download Sonus' December 2012 Webtorials report: "Mobile Unified Communications: The Emergence of 4D Convergence"
Sonus recently published the third edition of the Session Border Controllers for Dummies reference book in partnership with John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Download a free copy here.

Tags/Keywords:

Sonus, SONS, Microsoft, Microsoft Lync, Webtorials, Unified Communications, UC, SIP, session management, cost savings, employee productivity, smartphones, tablets, savings report, study, trends, session border controller, SBC

About Sonus Networks (News - Alert):

Sonus helps the world's leading communications service providers and enterprises embrace the next generation of SIP-based solutions including VoIP, video and Unified Communications through secure, reliable and scalable IP networks. With customers around the globe and 15 years of experience transforming networks to IP, Sonus has enabled service providers and enterprises to capture and retain users and generate significant ROI. Sonus products include session border controllers, policy/routing servers, subscriber feature servers and media and signaling gateways. Sonus products are supported by a global services team with experience in design, deployment and maintenance of some of the world's largest and most complex IP networks. For more information, visit www.sonus.net or call 1-855-GO-SONUS.

Important Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

The information in this release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Although Sonus believes that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this report are forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. For further information regarding risks and uncertainties associated with Sonus' business, please refer to the "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Risk Factors" sections of Sonus' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements represent Sonus' views only as of the date on which such statement is made, and should not be relied upon as representing Sonus' views as of any subsequent date. While Sonus may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point, Sonus specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, except as required by law.