Verizon Business First U.S. Telecommunications Company to Receive ISO/IEC 20000 Certification

Company’s Center for Federal Customers Earns Prestigious Distinction

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. -- Verizon Business has earned certification as ISO/IEC 20000-compliant for its Government Network Operations and Security Center (GNOSC), located in Ashburn, Va. The company is the first telecommunications company in the U.S. to receive this prestigious certification.

ISO/IEC 20000, the first international standard specifically aimed at IT Service Management, describes best practices and management processes for effectively delivering managed services to meet business and customer requirements.

The certification provides a framework for defining the features and processes to deliver high-quality systems. It also leads to improved quality of service through requirements such as system consistency and interoperability as well as internationally recognized third-party assessments and audits.

“This distinction is further proof of the Verizon Business Government Network Operations and Security Center’s commitment to offering the highest quality of service,” said Kevin Gahan, the company’s vice president of global network management. “Our ISO/IEC 20000 certification gives government customers the confidence that Verizon Business will continue to provide outstanding service and performance.”

The company’s federal government operations and security center opened in 2006 as a state-of-the-art facility to support the unique security and operational requirements of its federal government customers. The GNOSC performs real-time monitoring of network traffic for these customers and serves as a single point of contact for both network and security operations.

Besides monitoring network traffic and operating as a security center 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, the facility serves as an emergency command and briefing center, and provides offices for program-management and support staff. Diverse cable routing and complete network redundancy are built into the operation of the center to help maintain uninterrupted communications for the federal government.

“As the leading telecommunications service provider for the federal government, we’ve always supported the highest standards of our customers, and ISO/IEC 20000 certification substantiates our ability to deliver the caliber of managed services the federal government requires,” said Susan Zeleniak, group president, Verizon Federal, the organization within Verizon Business dedicated to serving federal government customers.

ISO/IEC 20000 certification is valid for three years with audits performed every six months by a third party. UL DQS, one of the world’s leading certification organizations, will perform these audits for Verizon Business.

“Through their achievement of ISO/IEC 20000 certification, the Verizon Business GNOSC management team has shown great dedication and commitment to excellence,” said Ganesh Rao, president and CEO of UL DQS Inc. “This shows the global market that Verizon Business is in the forefront of IT service providers.”

In 2007, Verizon Business announced ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certification for the information security management systems for two of its managed hosting centers in the U.S. and one in the U.K. The company also incorporates the ISO/IEC 27002 standard into its Security Management Program as the basis for evaluating customer security programs as well as complies with ISO 9000 guidelines for its IT Service Desk offerings.

About Verizon Business
Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a global leader in communications and IT solutions. We combine professional expertise with the world’s most connected IP network to deliver award-winning communications, IT, information security and network solutions. We securely connect today’s extended enterprises of widespread and mobile customers, partners, suppliers and employees -- enabling them to increase productivity and efficiency and help preserve the environment. Many of the world’s largest businesses and governments -- including 96 percent of the Fortune 1000 and thousands of government agencies and educational institutions -- rely on our professional and managed services and network technologies to accelerate their business. Find out more at www.verizonbusiness.com