I'm in pretty regular contact with the team for Sphere Communications. Todd Landry has been a podcast guest, and we're circling around to chat with him again before long here. This is an interesting piece of news I just picked up from them. This topic, and the new release of Sphericall are what I've got slated to talk with Todd about in the next few weeks.

Business leaders concerned about making the switch to converged communications solutions now have a safe alternative with Sphere Communications’ Sphericall IP PBX system. The technology just received certification from the U.S. Department of Defense under the Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) for Information Assurance (more information is included in the press release pasted below my e-signature).

This certification validates the reliability and performance of Sphere’s Sphericall IP PBX system in several mission critical areas, including application security, database security policies, secure and non-secure communications within Command & Control (C2) military environments, system access controls and IP network vulnerability. With the Information Assurance accreditation, Sphericall can now be used in all national defense communications systems.

And, if Sphericall can provide the U.S. government peace of mind in terms of security, it should start to convert the minds of the 50 percent of business leaders who responded to a recent survey conducted by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) who said that they did not trust the security vendors offered with IP telephony solutions.

Sphere Communications announces Information Assurance Accreditation by U.S. Department of Defense
Sphericall awarded the Defense Information Systems Agency Information Assurance Certification

Lincolnshire, IL – March 19, 2007 – Sphere Communications announced today that Sphericall IP PBX is certified by the U.S. Department of Defense under the JITC (Joint Interoperability Test Command) testing for Information Assurance. Sphericall is available under the APL (Approved Product List) for purchase and deployment in defense communications. This is the second accreditation for Sphericall under the JITC PBX1 program and further validates its reliability and performance.

The Information Assurance accreditation is required by congressional mandate for all defense communications systems. Compliance is enforced by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). The IA certification process confirms mission critical security in several areas including: application security, database security policies, secure and non-secure communications within Command & Control (C2) military environments, system access controls, and IP network vulnerability. Vulnerability testing is done in accordance with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-42 - Guideline on Network Security Testing and focuses on information integrity, and system availability in conditions such as denial of service attacks.

“These tests are the ultimate validation of performance, reliability and security for an IP PBX system and for Sphericall,” says Pat Henkle, Director of Product Management with Sphere. “Both government and commercial businesses can rest assured knowing that Sphericall has achieved this level of certification.”

Sphericall IP PBX is an open, software application that operates on industry standard operating systems and servers. Sphericall is compatible with standards-based IP telephony devices, runs on multi-vendor IP networks, and provides a rich set of IP PBX and unified communications services that scale to 30,000 ports on a single system.

“We’re delighted that Sphere continues to gain these important certifications. The Sphere system provides best in class features and has an architecture that is aligned with next generation IP defense communications networks.” said Robert Frisbee, CEO, Pacific Star Communications, Inc. (PacStar™). PacStar develops advanced communications solutions for U.S military, federal and state government agencies and utilizes Sphere technology in their PacStar series of deployable communications systems (www.pacstar.com). “The Sphericall certified software technology is a key element of our PacStar 5500 solution for military and government applications, and stringent certifications are an absolute requirement”, said Frisbee.

The Sphericall solution is deployed across hundreds of enterprises, institutions, and federal organizations of varying sizes. Its scalability, performance, and robust PBX and unified communications capabilities provide mission critical communications that have proven to increase effectiveness in business.

The accredited Sphericall system is available now and Government agencies should refer to the DSN Approved Product List or contact Sphere’s Federal Sales directly via email at sales@spherecom.com or +1.888-774-3732 for more information on ordering.

About Sphere Communications
Sphere Communications is the first to deliver IP PBX technology as a business application for Service Oriented Architecture. A software company, Sphere delivers the most robust IP-based software communications technology available in the marketplace. The Sphericall platform hosts an extremely rich PBX and unified communications feature set and is proven in deployments that scale to more than 20,000 users. Sphere provides OEMs, ISVs and application developers with the Sphericall Web Services SDK, enabling communications to be easily integrated into business applications and purpose-built communications systems. Founded in 1994, Sphere Communications is headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois and provides its products to a wide variety of customers worldwide. For more information please see the Sphere Communications web site at www.spherecom.com or contact us at 1-888-774-3732.