SAN MATEO, Calif. and LONDON, April 7, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Avistar Communications Corporation (Nasdaq: AVSR) has launched a new Professional Services business unit to support very large scale deployments of its desktop videoconferencing and collaboration products. The new service offerings give enterprise clients dedicated access to the full extent of Avistar's years of expertise with comprehensive design and planning for video networks that cover thousands of users. Full time, on-site service in the United States and United Kingdom is available.

"Avistar's implementations of desktop videoconferencing are among the world's largest," said Mike Horn, VP of Operations at Avistar. "One of our clients, a leading global investment bank, recognized the benefit of having an enhanced level of service, following its decision to more than double the number of Avistar users to a total of around 6,000. Desktop videoconferencing has become a mission critical application for that enterprise and its partner community, so instant access to the expertise that Avistar offers for very large scale video communications networks is well justified.

"We have now established Professional Services offerings to extend this capability to other enterprises planning large scale deployments of Avistar solutions. Our customers, especially those who have deployed desktop video at scale, look to our extensive base of experience in order to maximize the value of their collaboration technology investment through improved adoption across their user community, technical network optimization and shared best practices."

Avistar's Professional Services team is available to work closely with clients' engineering and technical operations for both short- and long-term projects. Support can be provided at any stage of deployment, from initial design and planning through to ongoing service maintenance. Clients can opt to have dedicated Avistar personnel on-site, and available round-the-clock, to ensure complete security in service delivery across global operations with many sites and thousands of users.

About Avistar Communications Corporation

Avistar creates technology that provides the missing critical element in unified communications: bringing people in organizations face-to-face, through enhanced communications, for true collaboration anytime, anyplace. Its latest product, Avistar C3, draws on over a decade of market experience to deliver a single-click desktop videoconferencing and collaboration experience that moves business communications into a new era. Available as a stand-alone solution, or integrated with existing unified communications software from other vendors, Avistar C3 users gain instant messaging-style ability to initiate video communications across and outside the enterprise. Patented bandwidth management enables thousands of users to access desktop videoconferencing, Voice over IP (VoIP) and streaming media, without requiring substantial new network investment or impairing network performance.

Avistar's desktop videoconferencing and collaboration installations are among the world's largest, including more than 18,000 seats in more than 40 countries. Clients report as much as a 20 percent reduction in travel expense and carbon emissions, increases in productivity, and immeasurably improved relationship building within their organizations, as well as with suppliers and customers. Avistar holds a portfolio of 80 patents for inventions in video and network technology and licenses IP to videoconferencing, rich-media services, public networking and related industries. Current licensees include Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI), Polycom, Inc., Tandberg ASA, Radvision Ltd. and Emblaze-VCON.

For more information, visit www.avistar.com

SOURCE Avistar Communications Corporation