Ascendent Systems works with Sprint to Deliver Enhanced Mobile Desk Phone Functionality with BlackBerry Mobile Voice System Integration

Redwood City, CA - Ascendent Systems today announced that Sprint has certified the latest version of the award-winning Ascendent® Voice Mobility Suite (VMS) to enable fixed mobile convergence in the enterprise. Ascendent VMS v4.5 can now integrate with BlackBerry® Mobile Voice System (MVS) Services on BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, allowing BlackBerry® smartphone users to have menu-driven desk phone features and providing corporate IT and telecom departments with better control of their mobile usage and costs.

Ascendent VMS enables mobile workers to have one enterprise phone number, consolidated voicemail and easy access to desk phone features on any mobile device. When Ascendent VMS is integrated with BlackBerry MVS, an even more optimized and intuitive experience is enabled as desk phone features are built into the visual menus of the BlackBerry phone application. With a simple click, users can transfer a call, dial the extension of a colleague or seamlessly move a call between their desk phone and their BlackBerry smartphone.

With BlackBerry MVS, IT and telecom administrators can also now allow mobile workers to use their BlackBerry smartphones as a securely authenticated mobile desk phone and gain more control over how mobile phones are used. Administrators have the ability to control and set ’voice’ policies so that incoming and outbound calls made from a BlackBerry smartphone are routed through the corporate PBX. Users can be automatically authenticated to help ensure that only authorized users are making calls through the corporate phone system and that mobile calls can be logged. This feature is important for organizations that require calls to be logged for audit and compliance purposes.

“With the help of our strategic partner, Ascendent Systems, Sprint has made it easier for businesses to extend the workplace to virtually anywhere work needs to get done by extending the capabilities of the desk phone and voicemail to mobile workers, which simplifies the user experience and enables greater productivity for the organization,” said Darlene Braunschweig, Vice President of Converged Network Solutions at Sprint. “We continue to build upon Sprint’s leadership in providing enhanced in-building and campus-wide network consulting, integration and fixed mobile convergence solutions. As mobile workforces grow rapidly, this type of solution can help control costs and provide enhanced usability and security which is at the forefront of customers’ minds.”

“As more organizations look to ’cut the cord’ they will be looking for a solution that seamlessly leverages their existing telephony infrastructure while providing the capabilities and controls afforded by the BlackBerry platform and Ascendent VMS,” said Theron Dodson, Director of Sales and Marketing for Ascendent Systems. “Sprint and Ascendent Systems have enjoyed a longstanding partnership and we’re pleased to be working together to bring this next generation solution to customers.”

About Ascendent Systems
Ascendent Systems, a subsidiary of Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM), is the premier provider of enterprise voice mobility solutions that allow companies to be more responsive to customers and crisis by giving them the power to reach anyone, anywhere, immediately. The Ascendent Voice Mobility Suite of applications provides single number reachability, real-time notification and conferencing, and voice continuity. These solutions allow users to automatically extend the identity and functionality of their business desk phone to any other device. Partnered with major mobile carrier and infrastructure providers, Ascendent has solutions deployed in Fortune 500 corporations across many industry verticals including manufacturing, finance, healthcare, government, hospitality, and education. For more information: http://www.ascendentsystems.com.

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Ascendent is a registered trademark of Ascendent Systems. The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited. RIM, Research In Motion and BlackBerry are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be pending or registered in other countries. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. RIM and Ascendent Systems assume no obligations or liability and make no representation, warranty, endorsement or guarantee in relation to any aspect of any third party products or services.