AVST Produces Educational Webcast and Newsletter Featuring Leading Analyst Firm; Industry Leaders Address Corporate Strategies for Advanced Unified Messaging and Speech Deployments

Business Wire, August 9, 2005

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. -- Applied Voice & Speech Technologies Inc. (AVST), a leading provider of communications solutions for the enterprise market, today announced the availability of a webcast titled "Building an Enterprise Communications Strategy" that features leading analyst firm Gartner Inc. In addition, AVST has published the second edition of its quarterly newsletter, "Market Insight," featuring unified communications business case studies, tools for deployment and valuable research from Gartner.

The webcast and newsletter come at a time when many businesses are assessing the viability of existing voice mail systems. Enterprise communications is becoming an increasingly important issue for medium and large enterprises as their workforces evolve and communications infrastructure nears the end of its functional life. AVST strongly believes in the value of educating IT decision makers about the options available to them when seeking to replace or upgrade enterprise communications solutions.

"In addition to providing best-of-breed unified communications solutions to businesses of all sizes, AVST has taken an educational approach to the market by presenting a continuing series of webcasts, e-Seminars, newsletters and marketing campaigns," said the company's vice president of marketing, Denny Michael. "This particular webcast and newsletter edition are especially critical for enterprise decision makers because they include the insight and advice of highly respected Gartner analysts that many enterprises turn to for strategic technology guidance."

Featured presenters of the 30-minute webcast include industry veterans Bern Elliot, vice president and area lead for Gartner Research, and Jay Lassman, research director for Gartner Research, as well as AVST's president and CEO, Hardy Myers. These experts will provide insight on critical issues that should be considered when developing communications strategy and deploying next-generation solutions. Topics include:

--Questions to Ask When Investing and Evaluating Next-Generation Communications Solutions

--Unified Messaging vs. Unified Communications

--The Expanding Role of Speech

--The Future of Enterprise Communications

--How Companies Use Unified Communications

--The Impact of Mobile Employees on the Communications Infrastructure

--Benefits of Unified Communications

--Developing an Enterprise Communication Strategy

--What to Know When Selecting an Enterprise Communication Solution

The goal of the "Market Insight" newsletter is to educate IT professionals about their communications options and ease the burden of researching how and when to make the switch to next-generation solutions. The new edition provides recommendations on choosing IP telephony and unified communications solutions that complement each other. The issue includes an interview with Rich Costello, research director for Gartner Inc., as well as access to the webcast featuring Gartner.

You can sign up to receive "Market Insight" via e-mail by visiting AVST's Web site at www.avst.com. The current issue can be viewed online at http://mediaproducts.gartner.com/gc/webletter/avst/issue2/index.html.> The webcast, available on-demand beginning Aug. 9, 2005, is free and can be accessed at any time during the next 12 months at www.avst.com.

About AVST

Applied Voice & Speech Technologies Inc. (AVST) is a leading developer of enterprise communications solutions for businesses of all sizes. Through its world-class unified communications solution platform, CallXpress(R), and its innovative speech applications module, Seneca(R), AVST offers the industry's most powerful suite of enterprise communications solutions. AVST's solutions enable direct access to an enterprise's communications infrastructure including voice mail, e-mail and fax messaging from any voice or data device via a touch-tone, GUI or speech interface. Established in September 2003, AVST was formed from the combined businesses of Sound Advantage (established in 1997) and the AVT division (established in 1982) of Captaris Inc.

With headquarters in Orange County, Calif., AVST maintains facilities in Seattle and the United Kingdom, and has remote sales offices across the United States. With over 35,000 systems installed worldwide, AVST's communications solutions are sold and supported internationally by an extensive network of resellers and OEM partners. For more information contact Denny Michael, VP of marketing, at 949-699-2300 or access the company's Web site at www.avst.com.