Top Voices of IP Communications

Pete Bonee, Sylantro Systems
Pete has 25 years of leadership experience in companies focused on emerging communications technologies and markets. Prior to Sylantro, Pete was Vice President of Product Operations at Latitude Communications, a leading innovator in enterprise conferencing. As one of Latitude�s early executives, he was responsible for product development, manufacturing operations, customer support, international product approvals, and distributor channel support. �IP communications improves our lives by making enhanced communications services available across all sectors of society,� stated Bonee. �For example, hosted-VoIP services give small businesses access to the most sophisticated services previously only available to large firms with expensive IT infrastructure. Consider that in the U.S., small businesses comprise 99.7 percent of total businesses, and employ about half of the total employee pool. With �on demand� services that can be delivered cost-effectively over broadband, these small businesses can raise their levels of productivity and competitiveness.�



Scott Erickson, Telcordia
In his last assignment as Executive Vice President of Global Sales & Marketing at Telcordia, Mr. Erickson and his team were directly responsible for bringing new revenue streams in to the company while reinforcing Telcordia�s position as one of the telecommunications industry�s largest providers. While Mr. Erickson has since moved on from Telcordia, he still believes the significance of IP is its insignificance. Sort of. �The significance of IP,� Ericskon says, �actually, is that it should be insignificant to the consumer. IP offers the vital flexibility to support the new, interactive, real-time multimedia services that are currently on operators� drawing boards, but operators need to ensure they have the network software framework to ensure that IP �best effort� service never becomes an issue with consumers again. �If IMS is to succeed in unlocking the potential of IP to be the foundation of services such as video streaming, multi-party gaming, and driving the success of user-generated content, then it must be backed by a fast-flowing service chain management process. In the same way that supply chain management enables retail businesses to improve the service they offer to consumers in dynamic markets, so service chain management will provide the basis for operators to quickly create, provision and launch new multimedia services over an effective IMS network.�

Eli Borodow, Telephony@Work (News - Alert), Oracle (News - Alert)
Eli Borodow founded Telephony@Work in 1997, an IP communications technology company, which defined the hosted contact center space with its industry-leading technology and its partnerships with leading service providers around the world. Eli led Telephony@Work as Chairman and CEO from inception until 2006, when the company was acquired by Oracle. He is currently Vice President Of Product Management & Strategy at Oracle. According to Borodow, �In every generation, increases in productivity have fueled increases in our standard of living. IP Communications offer the all-important promise of future productivity gains by unifying locations and people across geography and rationalizing the management of the devices, networks, and technologies that we rely upon to stay in touch. �IP communications, coupled with presence management technologies, are already enabling geographically distributed workforces to come together as unified workgroups. This pooling of skills across geography provides compelling efficiency gains for organizations that previously had to manage geographically-dispersed employees in separate resource pools. This offers particular benefit for contact centers, who can now route their customers to the agents best-qualified to resolve each issue in the shortest period of time, regardless of their physical location. �Ultimately, the significance of IP Communications is that it will help simplify how we work even as we layer on additional technology to make us more efficient. It will also empower us to stay better connected with each other whether we are in the office, in our homes, or on the road.�

Hunter Newby, telx
As Chief Strategy Officer of telx, Hunter Newby is responsible for identifying the trends in the industry and formulating strategies that shape the company�s direction, vision, and leadership position in the marketplace. With over 10 years of experience developing interconnection processes in the deregulated telecommunications industry, Mr. Newby is a recognized industry expert and has hosted several industry conferences and written numerous articles and reports on the subjects of Carrier Hotels, Ethernet transport and Voice Peering. Newby currently pens a monthly column in Internet Telephony magazine. According to Newby, �The significance of IP communications is broad, but in its most general sense it represents that we, as a global community, are all evolving collectively to a higher level. That level encompasses personal and business relationships that transcend multiple spoken and written languages with one common denominator � the need for each of us to be connected in order to communicate. The logical conclusion to address the underlying issue of scale and ubiquity is the need for a common machine language that can support the global need for communications. Internet Protocol has filled that role. We, the accessible and interconnected, as a whole, are now ready for the future as a result. What is to be built upon this foundation is only limited by our imaginations.�

Larissa L. Herda, Time Warner Telecom (News - Alert) Inc.
Ms. Larissa Herda and currently holds the title of Chairman, President and CEO of Time Warner Telecom, Inc. Under her direction, Time Warner Telecom introduced comprehensive data, voice over IP and metro Ethernet products; expanded its optical network footprint and regional connectivity between cities; launched switched telephone services; built a national IP backbone; and made three acquisitions � a regional Internet service provider and two competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs). Ms. Herda does not hold back her enthusiasm for IP. �IP technologies and communications networks change everything!� she says. �From voice to video, intranet to Internet, IP technologies deliver a robust and scalable solution to increasingly complex communications networks. For the first time in the telecom industry, IP communications enables the end-user to control how the network performs, what applications are available and how they integrate into the enterprise network. Through this level of control the end user can build their phone systems around their business process needs � not the other way around � to achieve business efficiencies, economies of scale and lower total costs of ownership. IP communications makes the promise of convergence � integrating voice, data, internet and video applications over a common network � a reality today.�

David Endler, Tipping Point, VOIPSA
David Endler is the Director of Security Research for 3Com (News - Alert)�s security division, TippingPoint. In this role, he leads 3Com�s internal product security testing, VoIP Security Center, and vulnerability and malware research. As Chairman of VOIPSA, he is responsible for leading and managing the business of VOIPSA to provide clear direction and focus, ensuring that VOIPSA committees and projects are structured and run according to a culture which upholds the highest standards of integrity and adherence to VOIPSA�s open and vendor-neutral vision. According to Endler, �IP Telephony (IPT) has finally come of age and is being embraced with rapid adoption across most markets. In order for IPT to thrive however, it must be secured. This requires a collaborative partnership between standards groups, vendors, carriers, and end users. �In order for the exciting promise of IPT to be fully realized, we need to address its security concerns today rather than wait for a compelling event to derail its adoption curve.�

Michael Doyle, Ubiquity Software (News - Alert)
Michael co-founded Ubiquity Software in 1993. Michael has over 20 years of telecoms experience and is responsible for all technology functions of the Group. Prior to joining Ubiquity, Michael held various positions at GEC Telecommunications in the software engineering group working on System X. He subsequently became lead network designer at a medical monitoring company which provided one of the first distributed healthcare information systems in the UK. Doyle believes that IP has fundamentally changed the face of global communications. �Consumers want convergence of their communications options � the ability to migrate seamlessly between mediums such as wired and wireless phones, GSM/CDMA and IP and to receive content in a variety of interesting forms such as pictures, IPTV (News - Alert), RSS feeds, IMs or just plain voice. IP Communications empowers this convergence bringing a more fruitful and challenging world of opportunity to us all.�

Tom Kershaw, VeriSign (News - Alert)
Tom Kershaw, Vice President � Next Generation Services for VeriSign, is responsible for a suite of new service offerings for next-generation networks worldwide. Tom joined VeriSign with more than twelve years of product development and marketing experience in telecommunications and technology. Tom basically believes that IP Communications is all about control. �In other words, the user defines the network, rather than the network defining the user. In traditional communications, the user is defined by the network relationship � the user is a �phone number,� or a piece of wire, a device or an endpoint. In IP Communications, the User can define many relationships to content, applications and other users, and the network carries out that request in the most efficient and effective way possible. �IP Communications will define a communications model that is limited only by the imagination and needs of users, and the network will learn to adapt to these needs on its own, without human intervention, network design overhauls, and switch upgrades. IP Communications is global, immediate, and always changing � it is a living thing rather than a static, inorganic maze of boxes and wires.�

Robert Mimeault, Versatel Networks (News - Alert)
Mr. Mimeault brings over 25 years of technology marketing and sales leadership and general management experience to Versatel. Earlier, as founder and CEO of Televitesse, an affiliate of Newbridge Networks, Mr. Mimeault recruited and led a team that designed and sold industry�s first network-based Personal Video Recorders (PVRs), concluded key partnerships with Oracle, Bell Canada, Verizon (News - Alert), and CNN and secured three patents. He has also acted in an advisory and director role for several startups, successfully directing strategic partnerships and acquisitions. In Mimeault�s view, IP Communications will naturally gain tremendous traction with the next generation of users, those he refes to as the �point-and-click� generation. �From the user�s perspective, IP communications signifies a sense of freedom and increased productivity for people of all ages,� he says. �You no longer have to deal with several devices for each form of communication... voice, video or data. Now, one device can integrate all forms of collaboration and information into a single seamless event. �When you leave your home just carrying your phone, it�s like you have a complete communication center with you containing your entertainment as well as an Internet information portal at your fingertips. There is also peace of mind knowing that you can always stay in touch with your family, friends, and business associates at all times. Even the �over 50� crowd are finding IP communications quite user friendly and once they get the hang of it, they simply enjoy this new technology!�

Shawn Lewis, VoIP Inc. (News - Alert)
Shawn M. Lewis oversees all technological and engineering activities of VoIP, Inc. Prior to accepting the CTO position, Mr. Lewis was President and CEO of Caerus, Inc. and its three subsidiaries, Volo Communications, Caerus Networks, Inc., and Caerus Billing & Mediation, Inc. Lewis wrote the patent for the first Softswitch and SS7 Media Gateway (News - Alert) for XCOM Technologies, Inc., a CLEC he co-founded at the time of the Telecommunications Act in 1996 and directed before its acquisition by Level 3 in 1998 for common stock, options and warrants valued at $154 million. Level 3 proceeded to make these patents public, which created the packet communications industry. His next venture, set-top box vendor, River Delta, sold to Motorola (News - Alert). His third successful venture, Caerus, Inc. empowered carriers and service providers to begin selling advanced services and realizing revenues and profits immediately.

Jeffrey A. Citron, Vonage (News - Alert)
Jeffrey A. Citron was Vonage�s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from January 2001 through February 2006. He resigned from his position as Chief Executive Officer and became Vonage�s Chief Strategist in February 2006. In 1995, Mr. Citron founded The Island ECN, a computerized trading system designed to automate the order execution process. Mr. Citron became the Chairman and CEO of Datek Online Holdings Corp. in February 1998 and departed The Island ECN and Datek in October 1999. To hear Citron tell it, we are on the verge of great things with regard to IP Communications: �The transition to IP communications services has brought about a worldwide shift from tools and services that have been historically controlled and provisioned by network operators to services that are now controlled by customers,� he says. �We are on the precipice of a global shift to applications that are customizable, ubiquitous and flexible, enabling you to choose how you integrate communications tools into your life, on your terms.�

Jeff Bonforte, Yahoo! Inc.
Jeff Bonforte is the Senior Director of Real Time Communication Product Management, including Yahoo! Messenger with Voice and Yahoo! Voice. Bonforte oversees the product and business operations for Yahoo!�s consumer instant messaging and voice initiatives. Bonforte is also responsible for enhancing and extending Yahoo!�s voice platform across Yahoo!�s network of services. Prior to joining Yahoo!, Bonforte was President of SIPphone, Inc., a leading VoIP startup, where he championed the development and launch of the Gizmo Project, a free Internet telephone. He was Senior Vice President for Larry Ellison�s New Internet Computer (NIC (News - Alert)), where he managed all business development and marketing for the startup. According to Bonforte, �VoIP�s lasting impact will certainly not be cheap phone calls. Instead, VoIP�s potential stretches well past the dialtone. VoIP�s future promises a more integrated experience, incorporating voice into our online lives. Real convergence unites our presence, our applications, our content, our communities, and our voices. By doing so, voice and presence open critical emotional connections, increase accessibility and convenience, and broaden the capabilities and power of what we do online.�

Cathy Martine, AT&T (News - Alert)
As Senior Vice President, AT&T Internet Telephony, Ms. Martine�s responsibilities include accelerating AT&T�s entry into the local and DSL markets, new product development, unit cost management, and monitoring investments to improve the portfolio. She was recently appointed to lead all of AT&T�s VoIP initiatives across the corporation. Earlier, Ms. Martine led the AT&T Consumer Long Distance Services organization, serving nearly 60 million customers during her tenure. She was responsible for marketing, strategic pricing, product management, as well as profit-and-loss accountability for all AT&T subscription-based and transaction-based residential long-distance services representing $10B in revenue.

Richard Notebaert, Qwest (News - Alert)
Richard C. Notebaert is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Qwest Communications International Inc. From August 2000 to June 2002, Mr. Notebaert was President and Chief Executive Officer of Tellabs (News - Alert), a communications equipment provider. Prior to that, Mr. Notebaert was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ameritech Corporation from April 1994 to December 1999, and, in his 30-year career with that organization, had numerous other appointments including President of Ameritech Mobile Communications (1986), President of Indiana Bell (1989), President of Ameritech Services (1992), and President and Chief Operating Officer (1993) of Ameritech Corporation. Ameritech Corporation is a telecommunications provider that was acquired by SBC Communications Inc. in 1999.

Craig Walker, Grand Central Communications
Craig Walker, erstwhile CEO of Dialpad Communications, which was acquired by Yahoo! last year, is involved in helping others. Walker�s latest venture involves offering free voice-mail service to the homeless through local shelters. Users will be able to dial in from anywhere to access messages from, say, family members, social workers, or potential employers. GrandCentral Communications is further developing next generation consumer communications applications and services, with a projected service launch date of this fall.

Ivan Seidenberg, Verizon
Ivan Seidenberg is chairman of the Board and chief executive officer for Verizon. Mr. Seidenberg became chairman of the Board on January 1, 2004. He has served as the sole CEO since April 1, 2002, after serving as co-CEO when Verizon was formed in 2000. As chief executive of Bell Atlantic, and previously of NYNEX, Mr. Seidenberg was instrumental in reshaping the communications industry through two of the largest mergers in its history: the merger of Bell Atlantic and NYNEX in 1997 and the Bell Atlantic merger with GTE in 2000. He also led efforts to form Verizon Wireless, operators of America�s most reliable wireless network. As chief executive of Verizon, Mr. Seidenberg is transforming the company through its merger with MCI and through major initiatives to provide broadband communications services to customers.

Michelle Minus Swittenberg, Verizon
As Executive Director in Verizon Communication�s Retail Markets group Michelle Minus Swittenberg responsibilities include developing and implementing the strategy and product offer for Verizon�s Voice Over IP solution for consumers, VoiceWing. Prior to this role, Michelle served in a planning role within Retail Markets, where her responsibilities included developing the strategy for Verizon�s WiFi (News - Alert) hotspot initiative. During her career with Verizon and the former GTE, Michelle has held positions in Strategy and Product Management.

Lior Haranaty, Elon Ganor, VocalTec
Lior Haramaty was a co-founder of Vocaltec and was a major contributor in creating and propelling the Internet Telephony industry. Mr. Haramaty served as director since the company�s inception and held multiple executive positions until mid 2000. Currently he serves as a consultant to various companies. Dr. Elon A. Ganor served as Chairman of the board of directors from 1993 to 2005, and as Chief Executive Officer from 1993 to October 1998 and again from November 1999 to November 2005. Prior to joining VocalTec in 1990, Dr. Ganor, had nearly a decade of international business experience and several years as a practicing physician. He holds a medical degree from Tel Aviv University Medical School. IT

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