Cypress Provides Top Law Firm Next-Generation Communications.

Reliability and productivity from multimedia applications, cost are key benefits

ATLANTA -- Cypress Communications is providing a next-generation communications solution for one of the country's largest, most prestigious law firms - Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. As a completely outsourced solution, Cypress relieves Pillsbury of the burdens associated with telecom systems and includes all the hardware, software and network services for the firm's 1,800 employees.

The Cypress C4 IP solution will boost Pillsbury's productivity by enabling employees to interact with clients more efficiently and communicate among themselves seamlessly throughout the firm's 11 offices nationwide with multimedia desktop applications like instant messaging, presence, conferencing, video and Microsoft Outlook integration.

Because Cypress owns and manages everything from the advanced IP phones on employees' desks to the Local Area Network and nationwide Internet backbone, upfront investment is avoided and reliability and quality of service is assured.

"While planning to replace our aging telephone and voicemail systems, we wanted the productivity benefits of Voice over IP, like unified messaging, Web conferencing and remote communications, but we also wanted to retain the reliability and sound quality of our traditional telephone systems," said Warren Jones, chief information officer for Pillsbury. "In assessing the many options, we soon became concerned about the high initial investment required, and felt we might have to make difficult choices between features and reliability. After listening to our business requirements, Cypress presented a unique solution that combined a state-of-the-art comprehensive Voice over IP system with management and support that ensure the quality of service we require."

Jones continued, "Cypress is providing a fault tolerant network infrastructure, local and long distance service, instant messaging and voice and Web conferencing; and cool new features that our lawyers and staff love like the latest Bluetooth-enabled Nortel telephones - all with no upfront investment or consulting fees. With Cypress C4, we can equip our people throughout the country with the latest telecommunications technology to enhance productivity, creating real value for our clients while sustaining voice quality and lowering our total cost of ownership."

"The advanced communications applications that Pillsbury is benefiting from have been talked about for years," said Frank Grillo, executive vice president of enterprise services for Cypress Communications. "Now that companies are starting to implement them, they are seeing that it is just too complicated to buy all the hardware from multiple vendors, line up the service providers, hire developers to integrate it together, manage all the pieces and pray it works. With Cypress, we have a proven solution and can do it all for them - even manage the changes when employees change offices."

Advanced multimedia features of the Cypress IP service include:

* Softphone, IP Phone and Converged Desktop A desktop IP phone provides a traditional calling experience, while the softphone running on a laptop supports mobile users while away from the office.

* Microsoft Outlook Integration Integration with Microsoft Outlook allows users to click on a name in their address book to initiate a call, or to click on an email or instant message to call the sender.

* Presence Users always know who's available or on the phone, making it easy to connect and communicate with other employees across the enterprise.

* Collaboration Video calling and conferencing, file and whiteboard sharing, Web push and secure instant messaging connect users as if they are in the same room -- no matter where they are located.

* Bluetooth Integration With Bluetooth integration and a headset, users can move around the office -- even if they're only going for coffee -- and still maintain optimum productivity levels.

* Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Calls can be queued and distributed between team members for efficient call handling and improved customer satisfaction. Real-time call center statistics, agent performance and traffic reports, customized on-hold music and messages, and user-defined customizations boost productivity.

* Unified Messaging Integrated with Microsoft Outlook, voice mails are delivered to email inboxes and can be saved or forwarded just like any other email.

* Find Me/Follow Me Users can implement advanced call routing based on day, time or their availability. Calls can go to voice mail, a cell phone or any other phone.

About Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is a dynamic full-service law firm with market-leading strengths in the energy, financial services, real estate and technology sectors. The firm's lawyers serve clients throughout the U.S. and internationally from strategic locations including key global financial centers such as New York, London, Tokyo and Shanghai. Industry-driven client teams and a multidisciplinary approach to crucial business issues of the day also ensure clients receive thorough counsel on all aspects of a matter.

The 2007 Corporate Counsel survey of Fortune 500 companies named Pillsbury a "Go-To Firm" in five practice areas -- corporate transactions, litigation, IP litigation, IP patent counseling, and labor and employment. Pillsbury placed among the nation's top 20 law firms in number of minority partners according to the Minority Law Journal 2007 Diversity Scorecard and was also named as one of Working Mother magazine's 100 Best Companies in 2006.

Pillsbury has offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Orange County, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Houston.

About Cypress Communications

Boasting a 20-year legacy and more than 6,500 customers coast-to-coast, Cypress is one of the nation's largest providers of end-to-end managed communication solutions for mid-sized businesses. Cypress provides advanced IP phones and voice over IP services with cutting-edge multimedia desktop applications like Microsoft Outlook integration; unified messaging; video calling; and audio, video and Web conferencing. As a Deloitte Fast 50 and Fast 500 award recipient, Cypress is also recognized as one of the fastest growing telecommunication companies in North America. Cypress is headquartered in Atlanta, GA. The company's Web address is www.cypresscom.net.