Distribution Agreement with Conferencing Leader InterCall and Global Network Enhancements Extends Sametime Unyte to Global Markets

ARMONK, NY (December 09, 2008) –

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the delivery of the company’s newest cloud service for Web conferencing, the next version of Lotus Sametime Unyte www.sametimeunyte.com. IBM also announced a new distribution partnership with InterCall to deliver Lotus Sametime Unyte’s intuitive online meeting capability to InterCall customers worldwide.

By extending the capabilities of its Web conferencing service to the global market, IBM is meeting a groundswell of demand for cloud services. As more companies are investing in collaboration technology, Lotus Sametime Unyte brings an affordable, audience-friendly option for businesses that need to work together across cities and continents just as they would in the same room. The added support for open document formats, such as Lotus Symphony, along with support for nine new languages ensures companies in emerging and established markets can collaborate simply by paying a monthly subscription.

The partnership with InterCall brings together two worldwide leaders in the conferencing and collaboration space, as market indicators show a growing business demand for online collaboration services. InterCall is the latest service provider to bolster its portfolio with a cloud-based solution from IBM, enabling businesses of all sizes to use the Lotus Sametime Unyte Web conferencing service and collaborate anywhere on the globe. The integrated Sametime Unyte services will be available to InterCall users on January 1, 2009.

The marketing and sales partnership, combined with Lotus Sametime Unyte’s new and improved global network and language support, opens the door for enterprises and SMB customers around the world to take advantage of IBM’s easy to use conferencing services. Lotus Sametime Unyte can be accessed through any Web browser with no downloaded software required, making it a more audience-friendly alternative to other online services.

“Our relationship with a trusted partner like IBM helps us put simple, yet powerful Web conferencing solutions into the hands of users around the globe,” said Scott Etzler, president of InterCall. “Lotus Sametime Unyte’s easy-to-use collaboration tools fit perfectly with our mission to provide products that help customers increase their productivity and eliminate communication inefficiencies.”

“Sametime Unyte delivers the reliability businesses expect from IBM, while offering the inherent ease of access and pricing associated with cloud services,” said Sean Poulley, vice president, online collaboration services, IBM Lotus.” At a time when companies are becoming more environmentally aware and focused on reducing travel expenses without slowing their growth, IBM’s new partnership with InterCall shows how we’re helping businesses ‘go global’ at a minimal cost and ‘go green’ at the same time.”

This new release of Sametime Unyte has network acceleration enhancements that allow faster access to the service from anywhere on the globe. In keeping with its efforts to bolster collaboration across the globe, Sametime Unyte is now available in nine different languages, including French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Brazilian Portuguese, as well as English. By enabling these businesses to communicate in real-time with a worldwide network of employees, partners and customers, Sametime Unyte is helping these growing businesses take their place as global trading partners.

IBM has also integrated Sametime Unyte with Lotus Notes and Lotus Sametime, allowing users working by email or instant message to join a Web conference with a single click of a button. The newest features also include a participant “waiting room” to gather attendees before the call, improved alerts for meeting organizers, new support FireFox 3.0 browsers, as well as publishing of PDF and ODF files in addition to existing PPT, DOC and XLS files support.

The promise of online collaboration technology acting as a growth catalyst for SMBs is evident in businesses like Padgett Communications, a provider of audience response systems. Using software to measure participant reactions at corporate events, meetings and media events, Padgett Communications maintains a global customer base with a staff of 25 full-time employees.

“Lotus Sametime Unyte gives us the ability to show our clients how our audience response system works through a visual demonstration, rather than just telling them about it,” said Lauren Traviesa, director of business development, Padgett Communications. “We have drastically reduced the costs of travel for our sales and support team, which is a huge windfall of cost-savings that we’re able to pass along to our customers. If our customers have questions about our service, we can connect directly to them with the push of a button, from any computer in our office, at home, or on the road.”

For Martin Memorial Health Systems, a network of not-for-profit healthcare facilities comprised of two hospitals, three MediCenters, and numerous clinics spanning a 35-mile stretch of Florida’s east coast, the common-sense benefits of Web conferencing are apparent.

“Even before the cost of gas went sky-high this summer, I appreciated the reduced travel between facilities just because it added more time to my day,” said Chuck Cleaver, assistant vice president of finance, Martin Memorial Health Systems. “With Lotus Sametime Unyte, I can meet with all the key players in our finance operations, and see the same documents that are on their screens, without leaving my office and without needing help from our technical support team.”

For more information on Lotus Sametime Unyte 8.2 or to sign up for a free 14-day trial of Sametime Unyte, go to www.sametimeunyte.com.
About InterCall

InterCall, a subsidiary of West Corporation, is the largest service provider in the world specializing in conference communications. Founded in 1991, InterCall helps people and companies be more productive by providing advanced audio, event, Web and video conferencing solutions that are easy-to-use and save them time and money. Along with a team of over 500 Meeting Consultants, the company employs more than 1,500 operators, customer service representatives, call supervisors, accounting, marketing and IT professionals. InterCall’s strong U.S. presence, which includes four call centers and 26 sales offices, is bolstered by a global reach that extends to Canada, Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, China, India, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan. For more information, please visit www.intercall.com.

Source: InterCall