Verizon Business Listed in Leaders Quadrant in North American Help Desk Outsourcing Services Magic Quadrant

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. - Verizon Business announced Tuesday (April 3) that it has been listed by leading industry analyst firm Gartner Inc. in the Leaders Quadrant of its annual report, “Magic Quadrant for Help Desk Outsourcing Services, North America, 2006.”

“We believe this placement confirms our help-desk outsourcing expertise, customer-centric approach and top-tier, help-desk services and tools,” said Nancy Gofus, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Verizon Business. “Help-desk outsourcing services are among our many key offerings to help enterprises manage information technology infrastructures so they can remain focused on core business strategies.”

In the report, Gartner analyzed 22 leading providers of help-desk outsourcing services, which handle technology issues and queries from employees at client companies, based on each provider’s completeness of vision and ability to execute. Criteria for quadrant designation included strategic planning, pricing acceptance, relationship management, operational tools and expertise, effective resourcing and client references.

Verizon Business today handles more than 2 million help-desk calls annually and supports hundreds of thousands of users. As the basis for its delivery of IT Service Desk offerings, the help-desk quality management system is ISO 9001:2000 certified - for the seventh consecutive year - and employs best practices defined by Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL).

About the Magic Quadrant
The Magic Quadrant is copyrighted 2007 by Gartner Inc. and is reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner’s analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the Leaders quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Verizon Business
Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a leading provider of advanced communications and information technology (IT) solutions to large business and government customers worldwide. Combining unsurpassed global network reach with advanced technology and professional service capabilities, Verizon Business delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world. For more information, visit www.verizonbusiness.com.