Ketchum Selects Sitara QoS Platform to Increase ROI on VoIP Applications

Sitara Solutions Provide Resource Optimization for IP Applications
Aug. 29, 2001 - Waltham, MA Sitara Networks, Inc., the leading provider of integrated QoS (Quality of Service) solutions that intelligently match the needs of applications and networks for enterprises and service providers, today announced it has partnered with Ketchum Integration to increase the return on investment of Voice over IP (VoIP) implementations. Under the agreement, Ketchum will integrate Sitara's QoS solution into its portfolio of best-of-breed VoIP offerings enabling customers to optimize their existing networks to ensure delivery of toll-quality calls.

Ketchum will resell Sitara's QoS solution as part of its VoIP ROI Consulting program which recommends the most appropriate VoIP products based on customer's criteria. With today's announcement, Ketchum's customers now have access to the QoS tools necessary to improve call completion ratios and overcome jitter and delays often experienced on a converged network.

"Partnering with companies, like Sitara, allows us to integrate best of breed products to offer our customers customized solutions that best meet their IP telephony needs," said Michael Vrh, Director of Business Development at Ketchum. "Sitara's ability to balance the competing needs of voice and data traffic strengthens our VoIP offering and allows customers to achieve better return on investment from their VoIP installations in converged networks."

"We have worked with several customers who had trouble realizing the benefits of their VoIP implementations due to data traffic interfering with the quality of their calls," said Mark Strangio, Vice President of Business Development at Sitara. "It is important for us to work with companies like Ketchum in the initial phases of the customer's implementation in order to provide them with the tools to optimize their network and set up successful VoIP from the start. We are looking forward to the addition of Ketchum into our VoIP partner program."

Ketchum joins a growing list of partners united to accelerate toll-quality Voice over IP (VoIP) deployments supported by Sitara's (Quality of Service) QoS platform. Sitara's VoIP Initiative was designed to provide a strong foundation for deployment of converged voice and data applications over enterprise and service provider networks. More information is available at: http://www.sitaranetworks.com

About Ketchum Integration:
Ketchum Integration provides unrivaled expertise in the design, implementation and management of voice/data converged networks. Ketchum Integration leverages research & development to continually innovate its competency in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) integration, where VoIP solutions enable enterprise-scale applications that enhance workplace productivity and collaboration.

About Sitara Networks
Sitara Networks designs, develops, and markets a comprehensive, integrated suite of high performance quality of service networking products for enterprises and communications service providers. Sitara Networks' products are address the inherent limitations of Internet Protocol, or IP, in order to optimize overall network performance, ensure the availability of mission critical applications, and ultimately allow service providers to deliver additional, revenue-generating services, on demand, with the level of services their customers require. Sitara Networks is also a leader in the enterprise QoS market by enabling e-business and protecting mission critical applications.

Sitara Networks is headquartered in Waltham, MA and operates subsidiaries in Canada, South America,South Africa, Europe, and Asia. More information about the company can be found on the Web at www.sitaranetworks.com.