AVOTUS ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH GLOBAL SYSTEM INTEGRATOR, GETRONICSAgreement will provide comprehensive telecommunications expense management solutions, VoIP assessment and management technologies
TORONTO and BILLERICA, Mass. - July 26, 2005 - Avotusr Corporation and Getronics today announced a strategic marketing partnership under which Getronics will use Avotus' Intelligent Communications ManagementT solutions and services to help deliver communications expense management (TEM) and cost-effective migration to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications technology to its clients in North America.
Under the agreement, Getronics' Converged Communications Practice will offer the entire Avotus ICM TEM solution set, consisting of automated e-Procurement, Expense Management and Usage Management to its enterprise clients. Getronics will utilize Avotus' ICM Usage Management to manage its clients' VoIP communications in conjunction with its Cisco Call Manager deployments. In addition, Getronics will use the Avotus VoIP Network Supervisor (VNS) to help plan and provision VoIP telephony conversions for both small and medium business (SMB) and enterprise clients.
Getronics previously performed network assessments as part of its VoIP services and has implemented several successful conversions. Working with Avotus technologies, Getronics will be able to automate the assessment in order to better model network load projections, advise its clients, and optimize networks. VNS evaluates current and historical traffic on traditional, switched telephony systems and translates this traffic information into network bandwidth load projections for converged networks.
"The momentum for VoIP is building. We already have a number of implementations completed, including Getronics' own telephone system for 8,000 employees in 15 countries. Avotus ICM gives us the tools to more easily and accurately design systems and then to help our clients effectively operate their VoIP systems," said Romolo Pallini, director of global information systems converged networks, Getronics. "Of even greater importance is our ability, working with Avotus, to bring significant and lasting savings, control, and management to our clients' entire communications environments. Avotus' best practices-based solutions and our expertise make a tremendous force for positive change in an enterprise."
Avotus' telecommunications expense management (TEM) capabilities, offered through ICM Expense Management and ICM Usage Management, will enable Getronics to add to its substantial service offerings. ICM Expense Management helps customers validate communications bills; reconcile inventory to bills, contracts, and tariffs; manage disputes and pay invoices in a timely manner.
ICM Usage Management enables traditional, wireless and VoIP communications to be tracked and allocated to the proper division, cost center, or individual. This capability has become even more important with new financial, healthcare and security regulations which require call records and histories to be readily available.
Under the agreement, Getronics will offer Avotus ICM capabilities as an onsite implementation, a hosted service or as a completely outsourced managed service. Both companies are Cisco partners and have extensive experience with internet telephony and converged networks.
"Avotus is the only company that can bring an integrated and comprehensive set of automated solutions to bear on the enormous communications challenges that face corporations today," said Alan Gold, Avotus chief marketing officer. "We're empowering Getronics to further expand into communications by adding our TEM solutions to its wide range of desktop and network management offerings. The combination of their integration and consulting expertise along with our proven track record of significant cost reduction and improved management control and visibility will be of enormous benefit to nearly any size company. We are very excited to be working together."
About Getronics
With some 28,000 employees in over 30 countries and approximate revenues of USD $4.1 billion, Getronics is one of the world's leading providers of vendor independent Information Technology (IT) solutions and services.
Getronics designs, integrates and manages IT infrastructures and business solutions for many of the world's largest global and local companies and organizations, helping them maximize the value of their information technology investments. Getronics headquarters are in Amsterdam, with regional offices in Boston, Madrid and Singapore. Getronics' shares are traded on Euronext Amsterdam ("GTN"). For further information, visit www.getronics.com/us.
About Avotus
Avotus is the leader for groundbreaking technology-based telecommunications and data expense management (TEM) solutions. The company has a 20-year history of empowering companies of all sizes to gain lasting control over their complete worldwide communications environment through the effective management of their voice, data and converged communications spend. Only Avotus brings together e-Procurement, expense, and usage management into a fully integrated solution. Avotus provides dramatic and verifiable cost savings of as much as 50% of an enterprise's current communications spend and a triple digit in-year ROI. Combining technology, automation, communications experts, and industry best practices, Avotus solutions make it possible to not only realize significant spend reduction but to continuously verify and permanently implement all cost and process improvements. Avotus offers the widest, deepest and most flexible solution set available including an onsite enterprise implementation, a hosted Application Service Provider (ASP) model, and a completely outsourced value-added managed solution.
For more information about Avotus communications management solutions, customers, and partners, visit www.avotus.com.