LightEdge Launches Hosted Unified Communications Service for SMBs

First service provider to fully integrate BroadSoft's hosted business voice with Microsoft's communications and collaboration software.

DES MOINES, Iowa, REDMOND, Wash., and GAITHERSBURG, Md., Feb. 10 -- LightEdge Solutions Inc., the leading hosted services partner dedicated to the communications and IT needs for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), Microsoft Corp. and BroadSoft Inc. today announced the general availability of Hosted Unified Communications, a new service based on BroadSoft's BroadWorks(R) Voice-over-IP (VoIP) application platform and Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration. The solution provides one platform for voice, e-mail, instant messaging and calendaring, allowing a user to work anywhere and collaborate in real time. Hosted Unified Communications is part of the LightEdge Connected Office suite of products, and helps SMBs more easily and cost-effectively obtain unified communications (UC) as a hosted service. LightEdge Connected Office suite includes Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 for hosted e-mail, BroadSoft BroadWorks Hosted PBX VoIP, Office Communications Server 2007 for instant messaging and presence, Microsoft Office Live Meeting and Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. The solution can be purchased incrementally or as an entire integrated bundle to support a business' e-mail, calendaring, conferencing, voice and collaboration needs.

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"Our goal is to offer SMBs a better and more cost-effective way to provide communications and IT systems to their employees," said Jeff Springborn, president and COO of LightEdge. "Hosted Unified Communications helps us reinforce this aim, by providing an attractive alternative to purchasing, implementing and maintaining business communications systems in-house."

Hosted Unified Communications offers a higher guaranteed level of service, managed and maintained 24x7 with faster provisioning than on-premises systems. The new solution streamlines communications for employees, allowing them to locate and communicate with the right person, in real time. It delivers PC-to-PC voice and video, webconferencing, and enterprise instant messaging and presence awareness while helping SMBs maintain operational control by converting a traditional upfront capital expense to a monthly operational expense.

"In today's economy, it's important to offer SMBs the flexibility to choose whether to deploy a UC solution in a hosted environment or on-premises, depending on their individual needs," said John Zanni, general manager of Worldwide Software + Services Industry for the Communications Sector at Microsoft. "Hosted Unified Communications utilizes the BroadSoft(R) platform and Microsoft software to deliver a protected, fully hosted unified messaging and communications solution that allows SMBs to focus on their core business, without spending their time, money and resources managing a complex VoIP infrastructure."

"Forward-thinking providers like LightEdge understand the powerful capabilities that result from combining best-of-breed solutions -- business communications from BroadSoft and Microsoft's business productivity software

-- and are able to deliver UC in an innovative way," said David Bukovsky, vice president of products at BroadSoft. "There's a growing demand among SMBs for UC to be delivered in a software as a service model as it enables them to reap all the productivity benefits of UC without the burden of deploying and maintaining UC solutions on their own. The LightEdge deployment validates the delivery model for integrated BroadSoft-Microsoft applications and represents a milestone for bringing hosted UC to the underserved SMB market."

LightEdge also announced that it has achieved Microsoft Gold Certified Partner status in the Hosting Solutions Competency, distinguishing itself as an expert in the hosting industry. Microsoft's Hosting Solutions Competency, introduced in 2008, provides hosting partners with access to a unique set of resources including hosting tools, sales and support strategies, and training opportunities.

More information on Hosted Unified Communications and the LightEdge Connected Office suite of hosted communication services can be obtained by calling (877) 771-3343 or visiting http://www.lightedge.com/.

About LightEdge

LightEdge is the only hosted services partner fully dedicated to the providing a full breadth of communications and IT services to small and medium-sized businesses looking for a better way to focus on their core business, not the technology that supports it. For more information, visit www.lightedge.com.

About BroadSoft

BroadSoft(R) provides VoIP application software that enables the delivery of hosted telephony and multimedia services. After the 2008 acquisitions Sylantro and the GENBAND M6 product line, BroadSoft has emerged as the undisputed market leader of VoIP application servers. BroadSoft's family of carrier-class products, including its award-winning flagship BroadWorks(R) technology, empowers wireless, wireline and cable carriers to deliver next-generation voice and multimedia applications and advanced features that enable them to increase revenue, enhance competitive differentiation and elevate customer satisfaction. BroadSoft's products deliver the scale, open architecture and reliability that the world's leading telecommunications companies demand to serve mission-critical enterprise and residential broadband customers. BroadSoft provides VoIP applications to eight of the top 10 and 14 of the top 25 largest carriers worldwide, as measured by recent annual revenue, including KPN, Korea Telecom, Qwest, SingTel, Sprint, Swisscom, Telefonica de Espana, Telstra, T-Systems, and Verizon. For additional information, go to www.BroadSoft.com.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

LightEdge Solutions(R) and the LightEdge Solutions logo, and Scale-on- Demand(TM) are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of LightEdge Solutions, Inc.

BroadSoft and BroadWorks are registered trademarks of BroadSoft, Inc. All other names are trademarks of their respective owners.