PictureTel and Enron Communications form strategic to deliver Visual Collaboration for the `Net.ANDOVER, Mass. & PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 9, 1999-- PictureTel Corporation (Nasdaq: PCTL PCTL Percentile PCTL Prioritized Candidate Target List ), the world leader in visual collaboration, and Enron Communications, Inc., a leader in the delivery of high bandwidth business information and applications, today announced a strategic alliance agreement that will utilize the Enron Intelligent Network (EIN EIN Employer Identification Number EIN Employee Identification Number EIN European Ideas Network (think tank) EIN Environmental Information Network EIN Equivalent Input Noise EIN Elderhostel Institute Network ) to deliver PictureTel's suite of conference applications as part of its Visual Collaboration for the `Net (VCN VCN Vancouver Community Network VCN Visionary Communications, Inc. (ISP for Wyoming, Montana, etc) VCN Virtual Circuit Number VCN Vice City News (Grand Theft Auto game) VCN Visual Communications Network ) strategy. VCN combines the power of PictureTel's full range of visual collaboration products See collaborative software. and services, the quality of broadband IP networks and intelligent delivery platforms like the Enron Intelligent Network, and the global reach of the Internet. It enables organizations to communicate visually on high-quality broadband lines, in a cost-effective manner. VCN is a network-centric, web-based visual-collaboration strategy designed to bring the full benefits of visual collaboration - from live, real-time videoconferences and streaming-video meetings, briefings and broadcasts to the archiving and retrieval of streamed videoconferences for later playback - to customers around the world. A major component of VCN is PictureTel's Visual Collaboration Application Service (VCAS VCAS Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services VCAS Vice Chief of Air Staff VCAS Vitreous Calcium Aluminosilicate VCAS Visual Collaboration Application Service (Picturetel) VCAS Vibration Control Actuation System VCAS Vitrified Canister Assay System ), which provides a web-based video portal that allows for collaborative conferencing, streaming, and broadcasting of events via a single web interface. Accessing the portal with a standard web browser The program that serves as your front end to the Web on the Internet. In order to view a site, you type its address (URL) into the browser's Location field; for example, www.computerlanguage.com, and the home page of that site is downloaded to you. , users will select from a suite of VCAS functions that enable them to schedule and conduct both ISDN- and IP-based conferences and briefings, access and view previously stored events, conduct distance-learning sessions and more. Enron Communications' intelligent network architecture and its channel distribution strategy, in collaboration with Internet Service Providers Internet service provider (ISP) Company that provides Internet connections and services to individuals and organizations. For a monthly fee, ISPs provide computer users with a connection to their site (see data transmission), as well as a log-in name and password. (ISPs) and competitive local exchange carriers, guarantees the quality of service (QoS), low latency Low latency allows human-unnoticeable delays between an input being processed and the corresponding output providing real time characteristics. This can be especially important for internet connections utilizing services such as online gaming and VOIP - VOIP is not as important as and unlimited bandwidth for delivery of such visual-collaboration applications. "We created our VCN strategy so that many more customers around the world will be able to enjoy the full benefits of visual collaboration," said Bruce R. Bond, PictureTel's chairman and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. . "In order to deliver this powerful web-based solution to businesses, we need to align ourselves with leading intelligent network application service providers. That's why PictureTel is pleased to announce our relationship with Enron Communications. The high-bandwidth capacity of the rapidly growing Enron Intelligent Network will bring the many benefits of Visual Collaboration for the `Net to Internet service providers and, ultimately, their customers, who will be able to communicate and collaborate more productively." Customer applications for VCN range from distance learning and training, e-commerce, and broadcasts of corporate events, to web hosting Making a Web site available on the Internet. Many ISPs host a few personal Web pages for an individual at no additional cost above the monthly service fee, but the address is subordinate to the ISP; for example, www.friendlyisp.com/pat_smith. and interactive customer meetings. "Enron Communications has built a next generation applications delivery platform that is focused entirely on both the delivery of rich media content over the Internet and a dramatically enhanced Internet experience for the end user," said Joe Hirko, president and CEO, Enron Communications. "PictureTel is the leader in video conferencing See videoconferencing. (communications) video conferencing - A discussion between two or more groups of people who are in different places but can see and hear each other using electronic communications. world wide. That position, combined with the high quality of service, low latency and unlimited bandwidth of the Enron Intelligent Network enable the delivery of this new suite of high bit rate video conferencing applications and an Internet experience for the enterprise customer never before possible." About Enron Communications Enron Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary Wholly Owned Subsidiary A subsidiary whose parent company owns 100% of its common stock. Notes: In other words, the parent company owns the company outright and there are no minority owners. of Enron Corp. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : ENE), is a leader in the delivery of high-quality, high-bandwidth business information and applications. Enron Communications is building a long-haul fiber-optic network on strategic routes throughout the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. to create a data-centric national Pure IP(tm) backbone known as the Enron Intelligent Network. The fundamental principle of Enron Communications is to dramatically improve the experience of the Internet. It is extending the capabilities of its network through agreements with ISPs and carriers seeking to generate new revenue sources and improved services. About the Enron Intelligent Network The Enron Intelligent Network is an application delivery platform based on a unique approach to networking through distributed servers, Enron Communications' InterAgent(R) middleware and Enron Communications' Pure IP(tm) technology. The intelligence of the network comes from Enron Communications' standards-based InterAgent, a real-time intelligent messaging An earlier messaging system from Banyan Systems that ran on NetWare and VINES servers and incorporated Banyan's popular Streettalk directory service. It included a basic mail program, which could be upgraded to the more advanced BeyondMail system. See ePresence. technology that supports the development and maintenance of distributed applications across diverse network environments. The Enron Intelligent Network brings to market a reliable, bandwidth-on-demand platform for delivering data, applications and streaming rich media to the desktop. The Enron Intelligent Network allows customers to access on-the-fly capacity, tiered QoS, data, application and content capabilities purchased entirely on an as-used basis. About PictureTel PictureTel Corporation is the world leader in developing, manufacturing and marketing a full range of visual- and audio-collaboration and network-centric streaming-video solutions. The company's systems meet customers' collaboration needs from the desktop to the boardroom. PictureTel also markets network conferencing servers and a comprehensive portfolio of enterprise-wide services. Additional PictureTel information is available on the Internet at www.picturetel.com. PictureTel collaboration products and services eliminate the barrier of distance, enabling people to be Anywhere Now(tm). This release includes projections and other forward-looking statements forward-looking statement A projected financial statement based on management expectations. A forward-looking statement involves risks with regard to the accuracy of assumptions underlying the projections. about the company's future performance. Actual results could differ materially from forecasts due to many factors such as, for example, competitive pressures, changes in technology and the difficulty of forecasting in overseas markets and indirect channels. Additional information concerning risks that could cause actual results to differ is contained in the company's annual report on Form 10K as filed with the SEC. The company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or other factors. PictureTel is a registered trademark and Anywhere Now is a trademark of PictureTel Corporation. Other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. |
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