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Press Release
FaceTime Selected for Enterprise Instant Messaging Initiative
FaceTime to Supply Key Technology for MSN Enterprise Instant Messaging Solution
FOSTER CITY, Calif., Nov. 13, 2002 -- Furthering its established leadership as
the premier provider of network-independent enterprise messaging solutions for
the management and control of instant messaging (IM), FaceTime Communications
today announced that the company has entered into a collaboration with
Microsoft for FaceTime to supply its industry-leading IM Director server
technology to help enterprises take advantage of the global reach of the MSN
Messenger Service. As instant messaging continues to evolve into an essential
business productivity application, the relationship between FaceTime and
Microsoft Corp. will benefit enterprise customers by providing enhanced
enterprise solutions utilizing the power of real-time communications on an
enterprise scale.
The new MSN Messenger Connect for Enterprises product, which gives businesses
licensed access to the MSN Messenger Service, enables companies to manage
corporate identities with Microsoft Passport services and interfaces with
FaceTime's server solutions for IM management.
FaceTime's solutions enable companies to leverage the power of IM by extending
it into their processes while addressing the business concerns of security, IT
control, namespace management, enterprise directory integration, logging and
monitoring for regulatory compliance.
"By 2006, more than 200 million corporate employees worldwide will be using
instant messaging," said Robert Mahowald, research manager at IDC. "FaceTime's
relationship with Microsoft further strengthens FaceTime's positioning as a
leading supplier in the emerging market for enterprise IM applications."
Microsoft and FaceTime have worked together in the past to deliver enterprise
solutions in the areas of call centers, eCRM, helpdesk, and regulatory
compliance. FaceTime has been selected as a Microsoft ISV to interface with MSN
Messenger Connect to provide advanced security, management, control, logging,
auditing and compliance capabilities for all MSN enterprise users. As a result,
all of FaceTime's enterprise customers currently utilizing the MSN Messenger
network for business will be able to upgrade to the MSN Messenger Connect
service.
"We selected to work with FaceTime on the new MSN Messenger Connect for
Enterprises offering because of its knowledge of the IM market and experience
working with the MSN Messenger service," said, Steve Liffick, general manager
MSN Messenger Connect for Enterprises, Microsoft. "FaceTime's server platforms,
as well as its experience in delivering applications for management and control
of instant messaging in the enterprise, are a compelling combination as a
choice for using with the MSN Messenger Connect Service."
"FaceTime has worked closely with over 100 enterprise customers, including
Alaska Airlines, Thomas Weisel Partners, and Jefferies & Company, Inc., to
help them extend the MSN network for enterprise business use," said Glen D.
Vondrick, president and CEO of FaceTime Communications. "This strategic
relationship with Microsoft demonstrates FaceTime's long-term vision of
extending the role of global IM networks as enterprise quality solutions and
enables customers to harness the power of the MSN IM network in enterprise
business environments. As customers increasingly adopt and realize the benefits
of IM as a critical business tool, FaceTime will continue to innovate solutions
in this space," added Vondrick.
FaceTime's unique technology advantage, IM expertise, and ability to provide
customers with authorized application access and integration to any network,
enables the company to deliver practical, and reliable value-add server
solutions on multiple IM network infrastructures. FaceTime's solutions also
provide the ability for extending IM and presence into other business
applications via network-independent APIs. FaceTime's IM solutions are
installed behind corporate firewalls and feature IT administrative controls
that extend the IM networks, both private and public. Key functionality enables
customers to extend IM and presence into other business applications via
network-independent APIs, control access, manage and interoperate with all IM
networks. FaceTime's IM solutions provide IT professionals with the confidence
and information security controls to manage public and private IM networks in
the enterprise.
About FaceTime Communications
Founded in 1998, FaceTime Communications is the leading provider of security solutions for the management and
control of greynet applications such as adware/spyware, instant messaging, webmail, P2P file sharing, web
conferencing and instant voice. FaceTime delivers the industry's first IMPact Index, which assesses "point-in-time"
risks posed by viruses, worms and other malware propagating through greynet applications. FaceTime's award-winning
solutions are used by over 600 customers, among them seven of the eight largest U.S. financial institutions.
FaceTime supports or has strategic partnerships with all leading public and private IM network providers, including
AOL, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, IBM, Bloomberg, Jabber and Reuters.
FaceTime is headquartered in Foster City, California. For more information visit http://www.facetime.com or call 888-349-FACE.
About BA Venture Partners
BA Venture Partners, a venture capital partnership, leads start-up to expansion
stage investments in networking, semiconductor, software, and biotechnology
companies. The firm closed BA Venture Partners VI, a $500 million fund, in
2000. BA Venture Partners' sole limited partner is Bank of America. More
information available at: http://www.baventurepartners.com.
Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their
respective owners.
PR Contact:
Emily Chamberlin
650-762-2945
echamberlin@ar-edelman.com
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