Farmers Insurance Group Selects RedSky Technologies' E-911 Call Management System.

Business Editors

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 17, 2003

Capitalizing on a new technology to add workplace protections within its telecommunications system, Farmers Insurance Group(R) has unveiled one of the nation's premier 911 call management systems at its west suburban Aurora service center.

Farmers installed an enhanced 911 (E-911) call management solution from RedSky Technologies, Inc. to offer additional emergency communications support for employees in its three-story, 100,000-square-foot facility.

Now, whenever any of the 500 Farmers employees working from its service center call 911, emergency response personnel automatically get the person's name, phone and office number, and floor location. Previously, 911 dispatchers only received the building address and relied on callers to verbally indicate their locations.

By providing station-specific location information automatically, rescuers can get to the exact location as quickly as possible, thus protecting the victim, the company and first responders. The new call management system is especially relevant for Farmers because about 20 percent of its employees are in the office before or after normal business hours when the company is least capable of providing in-house emergency response assistance.

"Farmers takes employee safety very seriously," said Clinton Gardner, Farmers' Vice President and Executive Director. "With RedSky's E-911 system, we now have greater peace of mind knowing that our employees are better protected whenever they're in the office. We don't have to worry that paramedics or police are going to have trouble locating a 911 caller, perhaps at a time when an employee desperately needs assistance."

Farmers selected RedSky over several other providers because it offered the most comprehensive solution, including outstanding service during the implementation process, said Linda Pierce-Heard, Farmers' Information Systems Office Services Manager.

"Our employees tend to move their locations regularly," Pierce-Heard explained, noting that about one in four workers within the building relocated this year. "With RedSky's solution, whenever someone moves, our telephone system automatically makes the change to the 911 database. A manual solution would have been a nightmare for us."

When the company purchased the RedSky solution, it knew the application was highly scalable and could easily accommodate growth. While the system is currently active at the Aurora facility, Farmers can easily expand it to other offices nationwide and control all offices with one database.

"There's a false sense of security among many workers and employers that they'll get immediate help if there's an emergency in an office building," said Tony Maier, RedSky's president and CEO. "RedSky's solution is fully automated and integrates with whatever telephone system you have in place. It ensures that if and when something does go wrong, your communications system is fully capable of relying important information so you can get help without unnecessary delays."

About RedSky: RedSky Technologies, Inc. (www.redskytech.com) is a telemanagement software and services provider that enables enterprises to realize maximum returns on their telecommunications investments. Its Cielo Software Platform dramatically increases business agility and performance for E-911 service, call accounting and internal directory management. A Premier member of the Avaya (NYSE:AV) Developer Connection program, RedSky serves a diversified portfolio of corporate and government clients throughout America.