Crown Services Chooses Vertical Networks' InstantOffice Integrated Communications Platform to Deliver Voice and Data Services to Multiple Branch Offices.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 22, 2000

Solution Provides Western Roofing Contractor Cost Savings and

Management Benefits for 16 West Coast Offices

Vertical Networks, Inc., announced today that Crown Services Inc., a West Coast roofing contractor based in San Jose, Calif., has selected Vertical Networks' InstantOffice(TM) system to provide integrated voice and data communications for 16 West Coast branch offices.

The InstantOffice system enables Crown Services to provide PBX functionality, voice mail, multiprotocol routing, and full LAN connectivity through integrated broadband access. Crown Services plans to expand its deployment of the InstantOffice system to additional offices later this year.

Crown Services chose the InstantOffice system for its superior management capabilities and its ability to offer full-featured voice and data at a lower cost than other products. By consolidating all of its communications onto a single, high-bandwidth T1 trunk, Crown Services can realize significant cost benefits.

"Because of the rapid growth of our organization through acquisition, we've inherited several legacy voice and data networks," said Michael W. Dyer, IT director at Crown Services. "Managing this variety of networks can pose a challenge for our administrative resources. By migrating our organization to the InstantOffice, we can leverage its remote, centralized management tools to respond quickly to network problems via the Web interface.

"We simply use its remote management console to go up and take a look at problems ourselves, which provides a tremendous advantage in speed and control. The InstantOffice system is a natural fit for what we're doing."

Prior to selecting the InstantOffice system, Crown Services evaluated a number of competitive products, but none provided the required management and circuit- and packet-switching technologies in one integrated system at a comparable price. Crown Services has deployed the InstantOffice solution at its eight Bay Area offices as well as at sites in Sacramento, Nevada, and Southern California.

The company is leveraging the InstantOffice data applications for Frame Relay and LAN connectivity, data routing, and voice applications for PBX functionality, voice mail, IP telephony, and automated attendant.

"The InstantOffice system provides all the administrative tools we need to deploy and manage our voice and data services," said Dyer. "The platform's speed and flexibility lets us quickly set up an office and get it going, sometimes within a few hours."

The InstantOffice Release 2.0 provides a common management and configuration interface for multiprotocol routing, circuit- and packet-switched voice, and voice/data applications and services, including Voice over IP (VoIP) support for H.323 and MGCP. By consolidating the network into one infrastructure, administrators also can streamline management resources, reduce costs, and quickly deploy new functionality.

"InstantOffice system is an ideal solution for growing companies because it allows them to take advantage of broadband services in a scalable, integrated platform," said Matthew Howard, vice president of marketing at Vertical Networks. "As the organization continues to mature, Crown Services can roll out improved data networking and management for its branch offices, while laying the groundwork for additional packet-based voice communication in the future."

Full-Featured Networking Provides Substantial Flexibility

Vertical Networks is the first company to offer packet switching, circuit switching, IP voice, traditional voice, secure Internet connectivity, and open applications support in a single integrated solution. Its integrated VoIP gateway allows branch offices to create "virtual tie line" IP voice connectivity between sites to lower the cost of interoffice calling and to conserve bandwidth for other applications.

Because the InstantOffice system supports a variety of WAN access types -- T1, Frame Relay, ISDN Primary Line Interface (PRI), Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), and analog -- its virtual tie-line application provides much more flexibility than conventional private network tie-line services that are limited to point-to-point connections. With its virtual tie-line capability, the InstantOffice system offers branch offices a low-cost, low-complexity, and low-risk solution for integrating VoIP into their communication networks.

Uniform Dialing Plan, Consistent User Experience

The InstantOffice Release 2.0 provides a consistent user experience and a single, integrated dialing plan for both circuit- and packet-switched voice calls. Employees at any branch offices can contact co-workers at any other location by simply dialing their extension.

The policy-based system allows administrators to easily configure calls over any type of connection and simplifies a company's migration to VoIP. With uniform dialing, the InstantOffice system's use of VoIP is also entirely transparent to end users.

About Crown Services

A leader in the multi-billion-dollar roofing industry, Crown Services, Inc., is a West Coast contractor based in San Jose, Calif. Crown Services consolidates the large and highly fragmented roofing industry on a regional basis by offering a broad range of roofing services including re-roofing, repair and maintenance, and new roof construction.

Regional clusters in western states allow Crown to share labor and equipment providing unparalleled value and service to its customers. Crown has acquired and entered into agreements with a number of high profile roofing companies throughout the West Coast. Referred to as "founding companies," these organizations are among the industry leaders in growth, income, and profitability.

The founding companies consolidated pro-forma income statement reflects annual sales of approximately $130 million and an adjusted EBIT of approximately $11.7 million for FYE 1999, making it one of the largest roofing companies in the U.S.

About Vertical Networks, Inc.

Vertical Networks is the leading developer of Integrated Communications Platforms, a new class of integrated voice and data solutions designed to simplify communications for branch offices and small businesses worldwide. Vertical Networks' solutions are flexible and adaptable to ensure support for both today's and tomorrow's needs. These solutions enable companies to cost effectively take advantage of new communications capabilities while improving operational efficiency.

To ensure total customer satisfaction, Vertical Networks' strategic network service provider, reseller, and systems integration partners offer comprehensive support services including 7x24 on-site support. Vertical Networks' InstantOffice system received 1999 Hot Product honors from Data Communications magazine. For more information about Vertical Networks products, visit the company's World Wide Web site at www.vertical.com or call 800/826-6769.