Vertical Adds Comprehensive Features to Popular Small Business Converged IP Telephony Solution

SBX IP 320™ Release 2.0 delivers extensive voice mail/auto attendant enhancements along with increased voice mail storage and a cordless phone option.

SBX IP 320 Release 2.0 Enhancements
In addition to its already comprehensive feature set, Release 2.0 offers a number of high-value new capabilities most of which are available through a simple software upgrade. Among the notable enhancements:

• Expanded Voice Mail Storage - New voicemail card that offers 4 ports and up to 8 hours of total voice mail storage capacity
• Ranger™ Cordless Digital Telephone - A multi-line digital cordless telephone which may be used as an independent extension or paired with a desktop phone
• Voice Mail/Auto Attendant and other New Calling Features - Dozens of new features are now available to improve call answering, increase customer service, enhance productivity. Among the most popular new features are:
  • Park and Page - Allows a caller reaching a mailbox to select an option to be placed into a system park zone and have the mailbox user paged
  • Company Directory - Allows a caller to ‘spell’ the name of a subscriber and be directed to their extension
  • Multiple Mailbox Buttons - Work group members may assign voice mailbox buttons on their phones to assist in processing each others’ voice mail messages
  • Paging for IP remote extensions - IP phones can initiate and receive paging announcements
  • And much more.

"After learning the capabilities of other telephone systems on the market today, it was clear that Vertical’s SBX IP 320 was the solution to fit our company’s communications requirements," said Rodney Bearden, President of Carpet Universe Mills. "Like Carpet Universe Mills, the SBX IP 320 is innovative and an excellent choice for businesses with one or more locations. It is so technically advanced with an impressive list of features, more than we expected in one compact, affordable telephone system." He added, "With plans to expand our telecommunications network using IP, we’re excited to know our investment in the SBX IP 320 will allow us to easily add our remote distribution centers located throughout the country. There are many ways where we see the SBX IP 320 can help us to save telecom costs and work more efficiently without the need to add other peripherals. With my business at stake, I am confident with my decision to partner with Vertical to address today’s requirements as well as tomorrow’s unknown challenges."

"The SBX IP 320’s new system Release 2.0 is the result of a significant cooperative development effort with Vertical channel partners and end-customers to identify and deliver new high-value features," said Peter Bailey, Sr. Vice President of Product Management for Vertical Communications. "Overall, we are very excited by the rapid pace of the evolution of SBX - this being our second major release this year - as well as its fast growing base of satisfied customers like Carpet Universe Mills. The combination of world-class quality, hundreds of features, VoIP support, simple install tools, and a fantastic price-point make SBX IP 320 the clear leader in small business telephony systems."

About SBX IP 320 VoIP is made simple with Vertical SBX IP 320. It’s easy to manage, easy to install and easy to use. Developed in partnership with LG-Nortel, a worldwide leader in telecommunications and strategic partner of Vertical Communications, SBX IP 320 supports both traditional and IP endpoints as well as SIP trunking in a single system providing businesses with complete flexibility on when and how VoIP is deployed, offering large enterprise-class features at a small business price.

About Vertical Communications, Inc.

Vertical Communications, Inc. is one of the largest telephony vendors in North America and a global leader in next-generation IP-based voice and data and digital communications systems for business, with a current installed base of over 200,000 customers. Vertical combines voice and data technologies with business process understanding to deliver integrated IP-PBX and application solutions that enhance customer service and business productivity. Vertical’s customers are leading companies of all sizes, from small to large and distributed, and include CVS/pharmacy, Staples and Apria Healthcare. Vertical delivers its solutions through a worldwide network of over 1800 business partners. With headquarters in Cambridge MA, Vertical has sales, engineering and operations facilities in Charlottesville VA, Phoenix AZ, Santa Clara CA, Sarasota FL, Munich Germany and Hyderabad India. For more information about Vertical, please call 877-VERTICAL or visit our Website at www.vertical.com.

###

PRESS CONTACT:
Ruth Seigel
Vertical Communications, Inc.
480-443-6313

"Safe Harbor" Statement

This communication contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, particularly those statements regarding deregistration of the Company’s common stock and those preceded by, followed by, or that otherwise include the words, “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “estimates,” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements relating to expectations about future results or events are based upon information available as of today’s date, and there is no assumed obligation to update any of these statements. The forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may vary materially from the results and expectations discussed. These forward-looking statements are made subject to significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated including, without limitation, the risk that Vertical will not realize anticipated benefits and/or cost savings from the deregistration of our common stock, the risk that deregistration of our common stock will not beneficially affect our operations, financial condition or shareholder value, and the risk that our deregistration process will not be completed in the timeframe mentioned above. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Vertical Communications, Inc. undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
 
Trademark Information
Vertical Communications and the Vertical Communications logo and combinations thereof are trademarks of Vertical Communications, Inc.  Artisoft, TeleVantage, InstantOffice and Vertical Networks are registered trademarks of Artisoft, Inc. All other brand and product names are used for identification only and are the property of their respective holders.