Qovia joined 3Com? VoIP Solution Provider Program (VSPP)


MARLBOROUGH, Mass. and FREDERICK, Md., April 2, 2004 /Wi-Fi Technology News/- ? 3Com Corporation (NASDAQ: COMS) announced Qovia, Inc. of Frederick, Md. has joined the 3Com? Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Solution Provider Program (VSPP). Qovia is the first "3Com Approved" partner focused on developing and deploying VoIP monitoring and management tools for the 3Com VCX? V7000 and NBX? IP telephony solutions.

Under terms of the agreement, Qovia is named a "3Com Approved" partner, the top tier in the 3Com Voice over IP Solution Provider Program (VSPP). The 3Com Approved level partnership, by invitation only, is awarded to companies whose products will be installed, rigorously tested and approved by 3Com. Qovia is also authorized to sell its VoIP Monitoring and Management System (VMMS) software and hardware through 3Com's channel of authorized VoIP resellers.

Qovia, Inc. is a technology leader in monitoring and management products designed-from-the-ground-up for voice networks. Qovia? VMMS is currently running on more than a hundred 3Com VoIP networks across the U.S. and in Latin America. 3Com Latin America also uses Qovia internally to monitor and manage its own NBX? IP phone system.

The Qovia? VoIP Monitoring and Management System (VMMS) for 3Com consists of the Qovia? Element series of software modules; Qovia? Central aggregation/viewing software; and Qovia? Ion hardware appliances.

"VoIP phone systems don't run themselves," said Richard Tworek, CEO and co-founder of Qovia. "Though today's IP Telephony systems such as 3Com's NBX and VCX are state-of-the-art, VoIP phone systems still require monitoring and management. Qovia was founded to provide designed-from-the-ground-up tools specifically for VoIP. We are supporting 3Com because they have long been leaders in the VoIP market. Today, by bringing Qovia into its VSPP program, 3Com has again shown leadership by addressing their customers' desire for strong monitoring and management tools. By adding Qovia's VMMS to their networks, 3Com customers will get even more out of their investment in 3Com IP phone systems."

"3Com has always been committed to bringing our customers the best products and tools on the market," said Pat Rudolph, 3Com director of solutions architecture, enterprise voice solutions. "We do this by developing world-class products internally and by identifying the right strategic partners to complement our own development expertise. By bringing Qovia into the 3Com VoIP Solution Partner Program, we now can offer our customers state-of-the-art network management tools to complement our built-in tools. In addition, our close working relationship with Qovia's technical team gives us the opportunity to pursue an even tighter integration of Qovia technology into 3Com's family of Internet telephony products."

Using Qovia? VMMS, enterprises running 3Com IP telephony systems can monitor the health of their network; receive alerts of network issues before call quality is affected; and use Qovia VMMS as a pair of "virtual hands" to perform remote management without rolling a truck or dispatching an IT technician. The results are higher VoIP network reliability and lower overall operating costs. Qovia? Element software modules for 3Com include an Operations Management module; Carrier Interface/T1 monitor; Remote Access Module; a UPS Monitoring module; a Discovery module and others. New modules are under constant development by Qovia.

Qovia? VMMS is currently shipping for 3Com NBX and will be available for the 3Com VCX later in 2004.

VSPP Driven By End-User Needs
Under the newly created two-tier system, 3Com has established a "3Com Approved" status for select developers whose products will be installed, rigorously tested and approved by 3Com. Additionally, the company provides "Reseller Approved" status to applicants sponsored by 3Com voice resellers that agree to install, test and provide first-line application support.

VSPP has been created to meet reseller sales demand that requires unique collaboration with application developers. The 3Com VCX has generated significant interest among leading suppliers because of its unrivaled open-standards, carrier-class architecture.

Based on the preferred session initiation protocol (SIP), the VCX architecture features a multi-tier, modular platform ideal for software flexibility and survivability. Because the VCX solution was originally designed to operate in carrier networks with geographically dispersed deployments and tens of thousands of users, new applications can be deployed and managed easily and cost effectively to multiple sites, on a modular basis from one central location.

"The 3Com VoIP Solution Provider Program is designed with our enterprise customers in mind," said Rudolph. "By working with companies like Qovia throughout the development cycle, we can ensure that both we and our partners deliver the right products to our customers. We believe that all our partners will enjoy the benefits of being associated with a strong brand like 3Com, but our customers will be the real winners."

"Qovia's selection as a member of the new VSPP program is a validation of our experience in developing monitoring and management tools specifically for VoIP networks," said Eric Bear, vice president of product management for Qovia. "We have a strong commitment to 3Com and their customers. Using Qovia, enterprises will be able to get the most out of their IP telephony investment with an ROI of less than a year and a demonstrated significant savings in network management costs over the life of the network."

About 3Com
3Com is a leading provider of innovative, practical and high-value voice and data networking products, services and solutions for enterprises of all sizes and public sector organizations. For further information, please visit http://www.3com.com.

About Qovia, Inc.
Qovia's Voice over IP Telephony monitoring and management technologies and products help ensure the quality, network reliability and enhanced operation of enterprise Internet Telephony systems. The Qovia? VoIP Monitoring and Management System (VMMS), consists of a series of software tools that significantly ease management, monitoring and maintenance of Internet phone systems, protect data assets and increase the productivity of IT investments. Qovia was founded in June 2002 and received funding from Nokia Venture Partners; Anthem Capital; and the State of Maryland. The company has earned several key industry awards, including Internet Telephony Magazine 'Product of the Year' and Maryland Tech Council 'IT Product of the Year' for Frederick County. Qovia's products fill a key void in VoIP. http://www.qovia.com.