Sonus Networks and Westcon Group to Make Enablement and Security of Real-Time Communications Easily Accessible to U.S. Government

Agencies Can Now Procure Sonus’ Session Border Controller Portfolio at Pre-Negotiated Terms via Westcon Group GSA Program

Key Takeaways:

The entire Sonus Session Border Controller (SBC) portfolio is available for the first time to U.S. government agencies through the General Services Administration (GSA) IT Schedule 70 program.
The agreement between Sonus and Westcon Group will allow U.S. government agencies to expedite the procurement of Sonus SBCs at pre-negotiated pricing and terms.

WESTFORD, Mass. – Sonus Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: SONS), a global leader in enabling and securing real-time communications and Westcon Group - the value-added distributor of security, Unified Communications, network infrastructure and data center solutions - today announced that Sonus’ complete line of Session Border Controllers (SBCs) is now available to U.S. government customers via the distributor’s General Services Administration (GSA) program. The reseller agreement marks the first time Sonus SBCs are available to both civilian and Department of Defense (DoD) agencies through the GSA’s IT Schedule 70 − the most widely used acquisition vehicle in the U.S. federal government.

Sonus solutions play a critical role in enabling real-time communications, such as Voice over IP (VoIP) and video solutions, to deliver superior call quality and value-added features − such as least-cost routing and advanced network security against denial-of-service flooding, hacking and other network attacks. Sonus offers the most complete portfolio of SBCs on the market today, ranging from virtualized instances to hardware-based devices that are architected to support up to 150,000 concurrent SIP sessions.

Sonus SBCs support Microsoft Lync, Broadsoft and other Unified Communications environments out-of-the-box and enable technologies such as high-definition (HD) voice services and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP trunking), which can significantly reduce communications costs and provide better customer service. The complete portfolio of Sonus SBCs includes the Sonus SBC 1000, Sonus SBC 2000, Sonus SBC 5110, Sonus SBC 5210, Sonus SBC 7000 and Sonus SBC Software edition (SWe).

The Westcon Group GSA program enables U.S. federal government agencies to expedite the purchase of IT products rather than engage in a long and detailed bidding process. The distributor currently offers a variety of products through its GSA program to address a broad range of IT solutions − including Unified Communications, security, mobility and wireless. U.S. federal government agencies can now purchase Sonus SBCs directly from the Westcon Group GSA Catalog at pre-negotiated prices and terms through the reseller agreement with Westcon Group.

Quotes:
“Westcon and Sonus have had a strong commercial relationship in place for a number of years,” said Brenda Reynolds, director of Government Programs, Westcon Group. “Sonus’ market-leading SBC products − combined with our expertise in government purchasing, logistics and pricing − create a very compelling proposition for meeting the VoIP and Unified Communications needs of the government. Our extensive reseller program adds even more value by providing focused partners on every voice and Unified Communications project.”

“Through Westcon, government agencies can now conveniently procure Sonus solutions as they seek to secure and enable voice and video communications,” said John Winters, vice president of Sales at Sonus and president of Sonus Federal. “Sonus has built a strong partnership with Westcon and the reseller agreement with the Westcon Group ensures that our government customers receive pre-negotiated pricing with all of the appropriate Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clauses included.”

Other Facts:

The Sonus SBC 5110 and Sonus SBC 5210 Session Border Controllers meet the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) Unified Capabilities Requirements (UCR2013) and are included in the JITC’s Approved Products List (APL).
Sonus was positioned in the Leaders Quadrant of the “Magic Quadrant for Session Border Controllers,” published October 21, 2013 by Gartner, Inc.

Additional Resources:

Click here to download electronic versions of Sonus’ educational guides, published in partnership with John Wiley and Sons, Inc., publisher of the world’s best-selling For Dummies® reference series: Lync Enterprise Voice for Dummies, SIP Trunking for Dummies, Session Border Controllers for Dummies and WebRTC for Dummies.
View complete information about the Sonus SBC portfolio at www.sonus.net.

Tags:
Sonus, SONS, Sonus Federal, Westcon Group, Session Border Controller, SBC 1000, SBC 2000, SBC 5110, SBC 5210, SBC SWe, IT Schedule 70, GSA Program

About Sonus:
Sonus enables and secures real-time communications so the world's leading service providers and enterprises can embrace the next generation of SIP and 4G/LTE solutions including VoIP, video, instant messaging and online collaboration. With customers in nearly 100 countries and nearly two decades of experience, Sonus offers a complete portfolio of hardware-based and virtualized Session Border Controllers (SBCs), Diameter Signaling Controllers (DSCs), policy/routing servers and media and signaling gateways. For more information, visit www.sonus.net or call 1-855-GO-SONUS.

About Westcon Group:
Westcon Group, Inc. is a value added distributor of category-leading unified communications, network infrastructure, data center, and security solutions with a global network of specialty resellers. The company goes to market under the Comstor and Westcon brands. Westcon Group’s teams are located in 60+ countries around the globe, create unique programs and provide exceptional support to accelerate the business of its global partners. Strong relationships at every level of the Westcon Group organization enable partners to receive support tailored to their needs. From global logistics and flexible customized financing solutions to pre-sales, technical and engineering assistance, the company works with partners to respond with agility and speed to changing market conditions so they can achieve the fastest time to revenue. Westcon Group’s portfolio of market-leading vendors includes: Cisco, Avaya, Polycom, Check Point, F5, Palo Alto and Blue Coat, among others. For more information, please visit www.westcongroup.com, “Like” our Facebook page or track our LinkedIn page.

Important Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:
The information in this release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Although Sonus believes that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this report are forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. For further information regarding risks and uncertainties associated with Sonus’ business, please refer to the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” sections of Sonus’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements represent Sonus' views only as of the date on which such statement is made, and should not be relied upon as representing Sonus' views as of any subsequent date. While Sonus may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point, Sonus specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, except as required by law.

For Sonus Networks:

Sonus Networks
Wendy Tullo, +1-978-614-8167
wtullo@sonusnet.com

Lois Paul & Partners
Siobhan Nguyen, +1-617-986-5784
Siobhan_Nguyen@lpp.com

For Westcon:
Craig Librett, +1-914-357-1747
craig.librett@westcongroup.com