First Virtual Communications' Click to Meet Conference Server 7.0 Breaks New Performance and Scalability Barriers.

Business Editors

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 22, 2003

First Virtual Communications (Nasdaq: FVCX):

Up to 200 H.323 Endpoints at 512K Can Connect to a Single

off-the-Shelf Server

First Virtual Communications (Nasdaq: FVCX), a premier provider of rich media web conferencing and collaboration solutions, today announced the immediate availability of Click to Meet(TM) Conference Server 7.0, the most powerful and scalable software-based Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) available today, with more ports deployed worldwide than any other hardware or software-based IP based solution.

"Perfect timing for a great product," said George-Erick Brinckmann, president of Brinckmann & Associates, Inc. "Many of our customers who have been using this industry-leading software-only MCU are ready to grow and expand further with the new features and functionality of this release. More robust and scalable than anything else in the market, we believe this new version will benefit a variety of our customers, including John Wieland Homes, Bank of America and a very large video visitation application with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in Florida."

This new release provides immense scalability and key feature improvements. These improvements help the Conference Server better serve as the multimedia routing and collaboration engine for the Click to Meet web conferencing family, as well as support standards-based legacy conferencing equipment. As a stand-alone, standards-based MCU, the Conference Server delivers robust functionality to standards-based conferencing environments. It is also the core collaboration server included in the Click to Meet family of products and is currently installed in mission critical government, enterprise, education and military applications worldwide.

In an industry-first milestone, Conference Server achieves scalability and performance that is virtually unmatched in a software-only solution. New optimizations of Conference Server 7.0 allow a single server to scale up to two hundred H.323 endpoints at 512K connections, or over one hundred endpoints with higher bandwidth 768K connections on a single, off-the-shelf server using standard operating systems.

"Proprietary hardware is expensive to buy, maintain and ultimately replace. With the development of a powerful and robust software solution such as Conference Server 7.0, exceptionally powerful and scalable videoconferencing solutions are easy to put together and optimize for the tasks required, whether that is a 'ground-up' deployment, or augmenting current equipment investments," stated Andrew Davis, managing partner at Wainhouse. "Combined with Click to Meet web conferencing solutions, Conference Server provides one of the most comprehensive solutions on the market today."

Conference Server's Intelligent Linking(TM) technology allows multiple servers to be linked together to provide several key benefits. Multiple servers can be organized to deploy a distributed topology that can be optimized to reduce bandwidth across wide area networks. Intelligent Linking maintains individual attendee's identities across linked conferences, making conferences across multiple servers appear as one, large, virtual conference. This enables applications that use standards-based Continuous Presence or Click to Meet's Intelligent Continuous Presence to have more granular end-user conference control and use less bandwidth. Intelligent Linking also supports better scalability and performance than the "simple cascading" approach used in hardware-based MCUs.

Conference Server 7.0 supports an extensive collection of third party standards (including H.323, SIP, T.120), as well as the Click to Meet product family. New features have made Conference Server even easier to deploy into new and existing configurations with the addition of the following:

-- Per conference RSVP support for QoS

-- Polled SNMP for H.323 MIBs for remote monitoring of server

status

-- SOAP support to execute remote programmatic commands to the

Conference Server across HTTP connections

-- Enhanced streaming media drivers provide better performance

when streaming live, interactive conferences to a wider

one-way audience through RealNetworks (Nasdaq: RNWK), Windows

Media or Apple(R) Quicktime(TM) streaming servers.

-- An updated Windows Installer for simpler deployment

A software solution as robust, reliable and more scalable and cost effective than hardware, Conference Server makes the use of proprietary hardware deployments unnecessary in many common deployments where the assumption has traditionally been that software solutions weren't appropriate. Conference Server 7.0 provides extremely high scalability and performance, making it the industry-leading price/performance solution in this space.

Proven mission critical deployments

The Conference Server's unique ability to use multicast across Intelligently Linked Conference Servers, its ability to scale and deliver mission critical performance and reliability and its interoperability between different vendors' products has made it an ideal component in the deployment of many high-profile US Government programs, including:

-- The Defense Collaboration Tool Set (DCTS) Over 8000 Conference

Server ports have been deployed to support standards-based

collaboration in various military settings.

-- The Battlefield Video Teleconference (BVTC) This system, using

Conference Server, allows tactical commanders to effectively

disseminate orders, clearly convey their intent and

collaboratively plan courses of action with subordinate

commanders and key staff elements using video, audio and data

collaboration in real time.

-- Joint En-route Mission Planning and Rehearsal System (JEMPERS)

Click to Meet Express provides a capability that supports

effective en-route collaboration and access to rear-based

information systems across limited worldwide mobile (air and

land) reach-back satellite links.

-- Secure En-route Communications Package (SECOMP II) This

communications package, that includes Conference Server,

enables key leaders to maintain multimedia communications

continuously during crisis deployment, exchanging information

all the way to the area of operations.

-- Home Land Security C2 ACTD Click to Meet components and the

underlying Click to Meet Conference Server linked seven major

sites which included 14 Department of Defense (DoD) agencies,

seven Federal agencies, 14 State agencies and five

Intelligence organizations connecting 200 simultaneous users

providing video, audio and data collaboration.

-- Internet Voice Distribution System (IVoDS) A custom

development of the Click to Meet user interface coupled with

the Conference Server gives NASA operations staff the ability

to collaborate with 32 NASA and International Space Station

Sites worldwide in real time.

"The Click to Meet Conference Server not only bridges connections between a wide variety of standards-based endpoints in an immensely scalable way, but also bridges 'legacy videoconferencing' products with Click to Meet web conferencing solutions," said Bob Romano, vice president of marketing at First Virtual Communications. "Conference Server is the industry-unique media engine that allows true integration of room- and desktop-based legacy video systems, standard telephones and today's desktop rich media web conferencing."

Pricing and Availability

Click to Meet Conference Server is available now and priced at $11,900 US for a 10 port concurrent-user license and is also available in 25, 50, 75, 100, 150 and 200 port license configurations. Intelligent Linking and concurrent licensing model that doesn't require "named" endpoints provides optimum flexibility in deploying across multiple locations and topologies. Streaming Media, G.722/G.729 and H.323 Continuous Presence software options are available at extra cost. Conference Server is available for Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows, RedHat (Nasdaq: RHAT) Linux and Sun (US:SUNW) Solaris. Additional pricing information can be obtained from First Virtual Communications and its authorized reseller channel by sending email to [e-mail]

Conference Server 7.0 will be making its debut on the Microsoft Windows 2003 Server platform at the Microsoft Windows 2003 roll-out event in San Francisco this week on Thursday, April 24, as the media routing engine for the Click to Meet Express 2.0 demonstration.

About First Virtual Communications

Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, First Virtual Communications is a premier provider of next generation web conferencing and collaboration solutions. It delivers award winning integrated communications solutions that address the needs of business people who need to work together remotely to collaborate, train, demonstrate or sell. The Company has defined the next generation of web conferencing by adding optional video with easier enterprise deployment and a potentially greater return on investment. The Company's products provide business quality communication by supporting a wide range of industry standards and works in existing customer environments. The Company's solutions integrate seamlessly with existing tools and methodologies, such as email and web browsing, while extending the advantages of instant messaging and collaboration environments, such as MSN Messenger and Microsoft Exchange. The Company's innovative solutions are deployed in over 1,400 customer sites worldwide, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and service providers with installations of up to 8,000 seats. Additional information about First Virtual Communications can be found on the Web at http://www.fvc.com.

Cautionary Statement

Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words, "believes,'' "anticipates,'' "expects'' and words of similar import. Such forward-looking statements have known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of First Virtual Communications, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others: the success of and timely release of Click to Meet(TM) products, the continued increase in sales of the Company's Click to Meet(TM) and Conference Server products, First Virtual Communications' variability of operating results, market acceptance of web conferencing technology, potential inability to maintain business relationships with integrators, distributors and suppliers, rapid technological changes, competition and consolidation in the web conferencing industry, the importance of attracting and retaining personnel, and other risk factors referenced in First Virtual Communications' public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002.

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