Avistar Announces Membership in IBM PartnerWorld; Avistar to Showcase

    Business Editors/High-Tech Editors
    Lotusphere 2005
    Booth #717

    REDWOOD SHORES, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 24, 2005--Avistar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ:AVSR), a video collaboration platform provider, today announced its membership as an independent software vendor (ISV) in IBM PartnerWorld. As part of this relationship, Avistar intends to integrate its video collaboration platform with IBM Workplace Client Technology(1) V2.5 to video-enable IBM collaboration solutions. Avistar will showcase the first stage of integration with the just released beta version of Workplace Client Technology V2.5 at IBM's Lotusphere 2005 Conference (January 24 through 26) at booth #717.
    IBM Workplace Client Technology currently allows end-users to connect and collaborate through various means including email, instant messaging, and eMeetings. The integration of Avistar's video operating software (AvistarVOS(TM)) with IBM Workplace Client Technology, will add video to the mix, enabling richer communication. With IM, email, and video options, end-users will have the ability to choose the desired communications medium from an integrated technology platform. This video integration utilizes presence information associated with user names to facilitate interactions while in the context of a message or document.
    While Avistar's integration with IBM Workplace Client Technology brings real-time, presence-based, "face-to-face" communications to IBM's collaboration platform, it will also enable video content creation and playback, essential to rich media applications. This combination is expected to foster relationship building, speed decision making, and improve productivity -- resulting in increased sales and enhanced customer and supplier relationships at all levels.
    "Companies are seeking to create true enterprise-wide Collaborative Business Environments, which are the nexus for knowledge sharing, collaboration and the business itself. The goal is to leverage people and knowledge, which create environments that help people work more effectively," said Jonathan Spira, CEO and chief analyst, Basex Inc. "Products such as Avistar's video platform are ideal for creating feature-rich, cost-effective visual collaboration because, they provide an excellent means to communicate, transfer knowledge and build relationships between members of a team, regardless of location. Adding video to IBM Workplace Client Technology provides the ultimate in workplace productivity tools."
    "Avistar's video collaboration platform adds a new dimension, that of a face-to-face meeting, to IBM Workplace Client Technology," said Jerry Burnett, Chairman and CEO, Avistar Communications. "Avistar's technology currently is being used by global enterprises to manage outsourced environments, by financial services firms to broadcast morning meetings, and to connect teams regardless of location. It helps improve communications, speed decision making, simplify complex work environments and save customers time and money."
    Avistar provides a video collaboration platform that is unique in the market based on its full suite of video applications. Powered by the AvistarVOS software, Avistar's video applications are delivered at scale to the desktop in a seamless, integrated manner including, interactive calling, broadcast origination, video recording, video publishing to emails and web sites, video-on-demand and document sharing.

    About Avistar Communications Corporation

    Avistar Communications Corporation develops, markets, and supports a video collaboration platform for the enterprise, all powered by the AvistarVOS(TM) software. From the desktop, Avistar delivers TV-quality video calling, recording, publishing to web and emails, video-on-demand, broadcast origination and distribution, and document sharing. Avistar video-enables business processes by integrating visual communications into the daily workflow and connecting communities of users within and across enterprises. Founded in 1993, Avistar is headquartered in Redwood Shores, California, with sales offices in New York and London. Avistar's technology is used in more than 35 countries.
    Collaboration Properties, Inc. (CPI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Avistar, holds a current portfolio of 66 patents for inventions in the primary areas of video and network technology. CPI pursues patents for presence-based interactions, desktop video, recorded and live media at the desktop, multimedia documents, data sharing, and a rich-service network video architecture to support Avistar's product suite and customers. CPI offers this intellectual property by licensing its patent portfolio and Avistar's video-enabling technologies to companies in the video conferencing, rich-media services, public networking, and related industries.

    For more information, visit www.avistar.com.

    Forward Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward-looking statements including statements regarding the performance, impact and benefits of Avistar's suite of video applications and the integration of such applications with IBM's Workplace Client Technology. In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "expects," "expected to," "intends to," or "plans." Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including such factors, among others, as technical difficulties, difficulties and delays in completion of the integration process, the development of competitive technology and solutions and delays in adoption or acceptance of video collaboration technology. We refer you to the documents that Avistar files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, in particular the section entitled "Factors Affecting Future Operating Results" in Avistar's annual report on Form 10-K and its quarterly reports on Forms 10-Q.

    Copyright (c) 2005 Avistar Communications Corporation. All rights reserved. Avistar, AvistarVOS, and the Avistar logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Avistar Communications Corporation.

    (1) IBM, IBM Workplace Client Technology, and Lotusphere registered trademarks. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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CONTACT: Avistar John Carlson, 650-610-2965 jcarlson@avistar.com or SIPR Cordell Koland, 650-286-2999 cordell@sipr.com

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA TRACK INDUSTRY KEYWORD: HARDWARE ADVERTISING/MARKETING TELECOMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE NETWORKING TRADESHOW MARKETING AGREEMENTS SOURCE: Avistar Communications Corporation

Copyright Business Wire 2005