Intervoice Announces Alliance with Vocent to Help Fight Against Fraud and Identity Theft

Business Wire, Feb 14, 2005

DALLAS -- OEM Agreement with Vocent to Further Increase Security of Intervoice Customer Service Applications with Enhanced Voice Authentication Capabilities

Intervoice, Inc. (Nasdaq:INTV), the world leader in converged voice and data solutions, today announced that it has signed an OEM agreement with Vocent Solutions Inc., the leader in voice security solutions, to further increase the security of Intervoice speech-enabled solutions in the fight against fraud and identity theft. Integrating with the Intervoice Omvia(R) Voice Framework, Vocent's voice authentication solutions combine voice biometrics with data analytics and risk modeling to further enrich the award-winning, reliable platform from Intervoice while minimizing exploitative opportunities for today's criminal via the telephone channel.

Last year alone, it is estimated that over 10 million people were victims of identity theft, resulting in a loss of customer trust and loyalty. When interacting with entities such as banks, insurance providers and the government, a person's identity is essentially personal information which resides in hundreds or even thousands of places both online and offline. While most companies are focused on protecting data networks and the Internet, the telephone remains vulnerable. Criminals gravitate towards the telephone because it is inherently faceless, hard to trace, inexpensive, and they know that companies are relying on information alone for identity verification. It is much easier to answer a few security questions over the faceless telephone than to hack through a series of firewalls and encryption systems. When an account is created or accessed, fraud and identity theft is at the highest point of risk.

According to a recent report from Datamonitor, from the perspective of overall growth, the firm expects voice authentication to accelerate between 2003 and 2007 at a CAGR of nearly 110%.(a) "As an added layer of defense, voice authentication's high degree of accuracy and simplicity of use make it an excellent choice to add to existing security provisions," said Peter Ryan, CRM Analyst, Datamonitor.

Vocent's packaged applications easily integrate with the Intervoice Omvia platform and InVision(R) Studio development platform. The combined solution secures the telephone by quickly and accurately verifying caller identities before information is accessed or transactions are completed. Multiple factors are used to ensure tight security while boosting caller convenience, including voice biometric results, content knowledge, presence information, past behavior and profile data.

"Today's call center environment is a breeding ground for criminals whereby new security measures must be taken for customer identity verification," said Bob Ritchey, President and CEO of Intervoice. "The alliance with Vocent Solutions will provide us the flexibility to offer our customers other alternatives to increase the security of their voice applications with leading-edge authentication technology."

"To fight fraud and identity theft, call centers must move beyond simple security questions when verifying caller identities," said Jeff Scheel, President & CEO of Vocent. "We are excited to partner with Intervoice to deploy voice security solutions that help our customers build trusted relationships with their customers, boosting loyalty and profitability."

About Vocent

Vocent is the leader in packaged voice security solutions. For the call center, Vocent's solutions offer a tactical way of combating fraud and identity theft while giving customers peace of mind and saving millions of dollars per year. For the help desk, Vocent's solutions automate high-risk requests, such as password resets, eliminating a costly task while maximizing security. At the heart of all of Vocent's products, Vocent DecisionMaker(TM) analyzes all available data to ensure the best possible authentication decision.

Vocent's packaged applications can be fully deployed in less than 60 days, with seamless interoperability with leading voice platform, speech technology, enterprise software, and call center infrastructure products. Customers that have selected Vocent include US Bank, The Hartford, Cox Communications, Southern Company, First Tennessee Bank, and Inovant (a Visa Solutions company). For more information about Vocent, visit www.vocent.com or call 650-316-3000.

About Intervoice

Intervoice, Inc. (Nasdaq:INTV) provides leading enterprises, network operators and developers with the platform, software, applications and services necessary to optimize the customer experience through voice automation solutions. Omvia(R), the open, standards-based Intervoice product suite, offers unparalleled flexibility for advanced multi-media messaging, portal, IVR and payment applications. The Company's two business units focus on enterprise and network markets, providing solutions that improve operational efficiencies, drive revenue and increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. Building on more than 20 years of systems integration and service delivery experience, the Professional Services Agility Suite from Intervoice is designed to provide proven best practices toward design, implementation, and optimization of voice applications. Intervoice systems are proven in more than 23,000 implementations worldwide across all industries including: Ameritrade, Amtrak, Atmos Energy, Citibank, CSX Transportation, MasterCard, O2, Rogers Wireless, SBC, Travelocity, Verizon and Vodafone. A Microsoft Certified Partner and Certified Partner for Learning Solutions, Intervoice is headquartered in Dallas with offices in Europe, the Middle East, South America, Africa and Asia-Pacific. For more information, visit www.intervoice.com.