Broadwing Installs Industry's First Network-Based IP VPN Solutions at Three Customer Sites; eClass Services Get High Marks on Customer Beta Tests.Business Editors & High Tech Writers NetWorld Interop 2000 AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 9, 2000 Networld+Interop Booth 2304, North Hall Broadwing Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary Wholly Owned Subsidiary A subsidiary whose parent company owns 100% of its common stock. Notes: In other words, the parent company owns the company outright and there are no minority owners. of Broadwing Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :BRW BRW Business Review Weekly (business magazine; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) BRW Business Report Writer BRW Barrow, AK, USA - Barrow (Airport Code) BRW Business Requirement Worksheet ), today announced that three customers are successfully completing beta trials of Broadwing's eClass(TM) IP VPN (Virtual Private Network) A private network that is configured within a public network (a carrier's network or the Internet) in order to take advantage of the economies of scale and management facilities of large networks. Services offering, the industry's first suite of network-based, business-grade IP VPN services. Broadwing's eClass services enable customers to have voice, video, and data network configurations on one seamless transport platform, in a manner that is as dynamic and fast-changing as their business needs. Broadwing will make eClass generally available to customers on June 1st. Among the early eClass services users are Anchor Pharmacies, Inc., National-Louis University National-Louis University is a Chicago-based multi-campus institution with a strong history of preparing teachers and educational leaders. Currently operates campuses in Chicago, Elgin, Skokie, Lisle and Wheeling Illinois as well as in McLean, Virginia, Washington DC, Wisconsin, , and QuantumCast. Combining the speed and reliability of Broadwing's award-winning, next-generation IP backbone with sophisticated VPN security, traffic management, and dynamically modifiable packet prioritization capabilities, eClass provides these customers with true business-grade IP VPN performance. "The vast majority of enterprise users have been dissatisfied with IP VPN services due to the lack of comprehensive service level agreements, or their relative inadequacy when compared to frame relay A high-speed packet switching protocol used in wide area networks (WANs). Providing a granular service of up to DS3 speed (45 Mbps), it has become popular for LAN to LAN connections across remote distances, and services are offered by most major carriers. services," said Joanna Makris, senior analyst at the Yankee Group (the Yankee Group, Boston, MA, www.yankeegroup.com) A major market research, analysis and consulting firm founded in 1970 by Howard Anderson. It provides general consulting and strategic planning in the computer and communications field. . "Broadwing's eClass solutions are an affirmation that IP VPN services are increasingly meeting the requirements generated by mission-critical corporate applications." Dominick DeAngelo, president of Internet/Data Services at Broadwing Communications, said, "eClass IP Services represents the next generation in communications services. Not only does eClass simplify end users' network management and reduce total cost of ownership, but it also supports the ongoing transition of application protocols to IP." eClass supports enterprise IP VPN as well as web-centric environments and eliminates the use of separate nets for IP applications, such as frame relay, ISDN ISDN in full Integrated Services Digital Network Digital telecommunications network that operates over standard copper telephone wires or other media. , IP and PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) The worldwide voice telephone network. Once only an analog system, the heart of most telephone networks today is all digital. In the U.S. . Users will now be able to integrate separate application flows for data, Internet, video, and on-net voice into a single IP network design supporting intranet/extranet site to site and remote access, as well as Internet bound transfers for voice, video and data. To provide the Quality of Service (QoS) inherent in eClass, Broadwing integrated into it's OC-48 IP backbone Nortel Networks'(1) Shasta(1) 5000 Broadband Service See broadband and broadband service provider. Node. This architectural solution assures that customers receive the highest security and service level agreement standards for IP traffic. In addition, the eClass architecture includes XACCT Technologies Inc.'s multi-source, multi-layer network usage metering and mediation solution to provide customers with smart web tools and highly accurate usage-based billing. Customers benefit from easily accessible, secure views of real-time and trended performance statistics, as well as online tools for provisioning and trouble ticket status. An early user, QuantumCast, a voice-over-IP solution provider based in Richland, Michigan Richland is a village in Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 593 at the 2000 census. The village is within Richland Township about nine miles northeast of Kalamazoo. , said it selected Broadwing's eClass because this was the only offering that would allow the company to deliver a true, business-grade VoIP solution, they call QCIP QCIP Quality Control Inspection Procedure (TM). eClass will allow QuantumCast to provide long-distance VoIP services on the same network along with its other IP services. "Until we were introduced to eClass, we had not found any solutions that were compelling enough," said John Dill Field Marshal Sir John Greer Dill, GCB, CMG, DSO (25 December 1881 - 4 November 1944) was a British commander in World War I and World War II who played a significant role in the formation of the "special relationship" between the United Kingdom and the United States. II, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of QuantumCast. "We are building our QCIP network, based on the Quality of Service, or QoS, functionality found in eClass. We could not have done this with any other solution on the market." Anchor Pharmacies, Inc. selected Broadwing's eClass services because they are network independent and because Broadwing's high-speed network is easily integrated into existing infrastructures. Broadwing installed eClass Services to provide a high-speed connection between 15 of Anchor's retail pharmacies throughout the U.S., and a central processing center. Prior to the installation, Anchor had used dial up connections to the stores' AnchorWare computers, telephones, faxes, and a paper-based recording system to collect data from each location. Now each Anchor store has a secure link to the central facility, enabling the company to quickly and safely transmit accounting, order restocking and other daily reports. "Broadwing has taken IP transmission, moved it to business grade, and prioritized it," said P. Alan Armentrout, director of Information Technologies at Anchor. "We can now move data at high speeds over a public network securely and cost effectively." Broadwing is also providing a wide area network to the 15 campuses of National-Louis University, based in Chicago, replacing the university's frame relay, dedicated IP and collection of low-speed telephone lines with eClass. "Broadwing was able to take a complicated and suboptimal Suboptimal A solution is called suboptimal if a part of the solution has been optimized without regards to the overall objective. network, replace it with a simple design, and allow us to provide a broader and more sophisticated range of communication and access options to our faculty and students," said Jim Alexander, senior vice president of National-Louis University. These enhancements will enable National-Louis to extend its traditional leadership in adult and continuing education continuing education: see adult education. continuing education or adult education Any form of learning provided for adults. In the U.S. the University of Wisconsin was the first academic institution to offer such programs (1904). and degree completion programs tailored to working adults. For example, eClass will allow National-Louis for the first time to offer an IP video-based distance-learning program, an important addition to the university's offerings. "This capability will provide even greater flexibility to our programs through challenging, exciting and interactive educational experiences for students who aren't on campus," Alexander added. About Broadwing Broadwing Communications is a wholly owned subsidiary of Broadwing Inc. Broadwing Inc. (NYSE:BRW) is an integrated communications powerhouse delivering voice, data and Internet solutions to a variety of customers nationwide. Broadwing combines unparalleled customer service with a premier next-generation fiber network and award-winning IP backbone, to create data and Internet solutions that are innovative, reliable, and provide businesses a competitive advantage. Broadwing sets the standard for customer accountability with its first-in-the-industry Installation Guarantee. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio with 6,000 employees in 38 cities, Broadwing can be found on the Web at www.broadwing.com (1) Nortel Networks and Shasta are trademarks of Nortel Networks |
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