Lafayette Bank and Trust Selects Verilink's WAN Equipment; Verilink's Reseller, KLF Business Communications Systems, Creates New Network for Leading Bank in Indiana.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 7, 1999--Verilink Corporation (Nasdaq:VRLK), a leading supplier of access products that link corporate networks to the Internet and other wide-area network services, today announced that Lafayette Bank and Trust, a leading community bank in Indiana, has selected Verilink equipment to support its new voice and data network.

As part of a technology upgrade, Lafayette Bank and Trust purchased Verilink's Access System 2000(TM) (AS2000) integrated access system. Specifically, Lafayette Bank and Trust bought the AS2000 Multi-line Shelf (MLS) and Node Controller Module (NCM) from Verilink's reseller, KLF Business Communications Systems.

Lafayette Bank and Trust came to KLF with aggressive plans to upgrade its entire voice and data network. Previously, the bank used a mixture of dial-up modem connections and 56 kbps circuits between 13 locations in central Indiana. At the time, the bank was also in the process of acquiring four new branch offices. KLF engineered a new network for the bank consisting of switches, hubs, routers and Verilink equipment.

The WAN side of the network included new T1 lines to connect 14 sites at Lafayette Bank and Trust's data center -- the core of the network. This new network also included a regional hub in Monticello, Ind., to support the newly acquired branch offices. Additionally, KLF created a voice network, which includes phone systems that route through Verilink equipment.

The total project has been divided into three phases. The first phase included the creation of the WAN backbone that includes the data center and the newly created Monticello regional hub. The second phase consisted of bringing up the four new branches, three of which are supported by the regional hub and the other connects directly into the data center. KLF is just beginning to implement the third phase which includes the roll out of the remaining branches.

"The bank, realizing that their existing infrastructure did not and could not support future technology plans, chose to completely re-engineer their environment," said Darren Marie, KLF sales engineer. "This was an excellent opportunity to create new infrastructure for Lafayette Bank and Trust, including choosing the best equipment to do the job. The Verilink Multi-line Shelf version of the AS2000 is a product that has the capability, performance and manageability Lafayette Bank and Trust needs in this new network infrastructure."

According to Michael Elston, vice president and director of information technology for the bank, a new technology infrastructure was needed in order for the bank to remain competitive. "The new network is just part of the overall technology plan. The design of the new network needed to be capable of supporting the current environment, as well as facilitating the future growth of the bank," he said. "The modular design of the Verilink product fit into the overall model by allowing the network infrastructure to grow as Lafayette Bank and Trust's needs grow."

"As a member of Verilink's select group of value-added resellers, KLF is an expert at helping companies, such as Lafayette Bank and Trust, design and build network infrastructures," said Robert Griffith, Verilink's vice president of sales. "KLF takes that expertise one step further by also offering customer service and support for products they install, including Verilink products. Customers benefit from working with one company for all of their networking needs."

Verilink's Access System 2000 Product Family

The AS2000 family of compact, modular integrated access devices provides digital data transmission in frame relay and Internet networks over fractional T1/E1, T1/E1 and T3 lines within a single platform. The MLS version of the AS2000 offers 13 slots, which can be flexibly provisioned with a variety of feature cards including T1, E1, T3, serial data and ISDN PRI interfaces. The AS2000 also provides the ability to support dial backup, inverse multiplexing, automatic protection switching and ISDN PRI. Additionally, the NCM module of the AS2000 offers SNMP network management capability that enables efficient node administration.

About Verilink Corporation

Verilink is a leading supplier of WAN access products for telecommunications network service providers and corporate enterprises. The company's products and services are designed for easy access to multiple communication services in the changing environment of data, voice and video communications. Major market segments for Verilink include access to wide-area networks, the Internet and wireless services. The company headquarters are at 145 Baytech Drive, San Jose, Calif. 95134; telephone [phone]. Verilink stock trades on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol "VRLK." Information is available at www.verilink.com.

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