PHOENIX, Jan. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Inter-Tel, Incorporated (NASDAQ:INTL)
and Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE:IM)
have entered into a distributorship agreement for Inter-Tel's Vocal'Net Internet Telephony Gateway. Ingram Micro will distribute Inter-Tel's Vocal'Net turnkey systems, Vocal'Net boards and software, and installation and service contracts administered by Inter-Tel. Ingram Micro currently has Inter-Tel's IP Telephony products in inventory for distribution to domestic and select international resellers.
"We are very excited about providing Ingram Micro's global VAR customer base with exposure and access to Inter-Tel's Vocal'Net products and to bringing IP Telephony to more people, around the world," said Robert DiGangi, vice president of Distribution Sales for Inter-Tel. "As a result, VARs will be able to strengthen their relationships with customers by developing IP- based telephony solutions that enhance customer service, increase productivity and reduce costs to the end user."
"Internet Telephony is one of the highest demand CTI solutions with proven return on investment for the end user." This agreement will create significant opportunities for both data and telecom resellers, who are looking for ways to cross over into new markets," said Laura Skinner, vice president and general manager of Ingram Micro's Telecom Integration Division. "Inter-Tel is an industry-leading innovator in IP Telephony and we look forward to delivering those innovations to our customers."
The Inter-Tel Vocal'Net allows organizations to bypass traditional public telecommunications networks and reduce long distance costs by providing a gateway between circuit-switched phone systems and packet-switched Intranets or the public Internet. As a result, organizations can maintain their current phone system, while choosing to route long distance calls across the same network they use for data communications. Designed to meet the needs of businesses, the Inter-Tel Vocal'Net is available in multiple port sizes. In addition, since the Inter-Tel Vocal'Net does not rely on the server's CPU for compression and packetization, the server may be able to handle additional functions as well. Vocal'Net will interact with telephone systems that support standard telecom interfaces such as T-1, E-1, ISDN, and analog single lines. Calls are placed by simply using a desktop telephone.
Planned applications for the Inter-Tel Vocal'Net include virtual telephone networking for multi-location companies, telephony-enabled web pages to connect users to a call center agent from a company's web site, and virtual office applications for traveling employees.
Inter-Tel is a single point of contact, full service, solutions integrator providing Internet Connectivity products such as the Inter-Tel Vocal'Net, "AXXESS" and "Axxent" digital business communication platforms, "AXXESSORY Talk" voice processing platforms, call processing and voice processing software along with various other productivity enhancing software applications, computer telephone integration, and network services and long distance calling services, as well as maintenance, leasing and support services. The Company's Common Stock is quoted on the Nasdaq National Market System under the symbol INTL. For more information, contact Inter-Tel at 602/302-8900 or http://www.inter-tel.com/ on the World Wide Web.
About Ingram Micro Inc.
Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE:IM)
, headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif., is the world's leading wholesale distributor of technology products and services, with 1996 sales of $12 billion. The company and its affiliates operate in 31 countries and distribute more than 145,000 products to more than 100,000 resellers in 120 countries.
Source: Inter-Tel, Incorporated
Contact: Steven G. Mihaylo, Chairman and CEO, Thomas C. Parise, President
and COO, or Kurt R. Kneip, Vice President and CFO, all of Inter-Tel
Incorporated, 602-302-8900