Critical Links and NOK Partnership Brings Complete Outsourced Converged Network Services to SME Market

Coimbra and Lisbon, Portugal, August 21st, 2006 – Critical Links, an international networking technology company, and NOK, an IT managed services provider, today announced a partnership to bring to market an edgeBOX-based innovative managed services offering to NOK customers.

edgeBOX is an “all in one” intelligent networking device allowing SMEs and remote branch offices to benefit from the latest converged networking technologies without the need for specialist in-house IT knowledge. Managed Services Providers such as NOK can deliver everything an SME or Enterprise Branch Office (EBO) needs in one integrated platform, at a lower cost of ownership, yet without compromising security, scalability or ease of management.

“This partnership enables NOK to extend its IT managed services offering with leading edge technology”. Said Renato Paço, NOK Managing Director.“We believe that edgeBOX features such as VoIP communications; Hotspot network management and network access control will bring NOK customers business benefits and competitive advantages”

The edgeBOX can provision, support and maintain voice and data services such as a fully featured IP-PBX and VoIP gateway, security, QoS, collaboration, WiFi, router and file storage.“There is an emerging SME market for VoIP communication services in Portugal ” stated João Carreira, Critical Links’ CEO “The edgeBOX enables leading edge managed service providers such as NOK to provide complete outsourced converged network services to the SME market. It supportss a simple, secure, fully integrated service, enabling businesses to profit from easy to manage, low TCO converged network services” .

Critical Links is launching worldwide the award-winning edgeBOX 4.0, an innovative and cost-effective networking device providing complete converged voice and data network services for SME’s and Branch Offices. edgeBOX has been identified as a key player in the emerging “Business Gateway” market by leading analyst house InStat and won the Best Broadband Appliance award at the World Broadband Forum in 2005. It was recently selected a finalist by IDG Communications’ Techworld for its 2006 “Small Business Product of the Year”.

About Critical Links
Critical Links (www.critical-links.com) is an international networking software company and provider of edgeBOX, a converged multi-function device or business gateway targeted at SMBs and Enterprise Branch Offices. edgeBOX is available in a wide range of scalable hardware platforms, including standard servers, and has the best feature to price ratio in the market, making it the ideal choice for cost savvy SMBs. edgeBOX typically replaces 4-7 single-function devices required to deliver an equivalent set of services, fully remotely managed, with significantly lower TCO. Network integrators market edgeBOX to enterprises for deployment at their branch offices, while Telecom Service Providers and Managed Services Providers offer it as a service to their SMB customers.
edgeBOX is available from business partners in the UK, Brazil, India, Singapore, China, South Africa and Portugal. Critical Links provides support and update services that keep edgeBOX secure and reliable.
Critical Links is a wholly owned subsidiary of Critical Software SA, established in 1998, with over 100 employees, headquarters in Portugal and subsidiary offices in the UK and USA. The company is CMMI Level 3 compliant and has a reputation for producing mission and business critical networking and telecoms solutions for the telecoms, public sector, industry, aerospace and defence markets, with customers such as Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Infineon Technologies, NASA, EADS and ESA.

About NOK
Founded in 2002, NOK (www.nok.pt) is an IT managed services provider for SME’s operating in Portugal. It’s services portfolio include IT helpdesk; IT technical support; IT infrastructure operation and management oustsourcing.NOK customers include a number of business leaders and top government organizations in Portugal.

For more information:
Carlos Taveira; Email: carlos-taveira@criticalsoftware.com