Accenture and InfoVista Deploy Network Management System to Deliver Converged Services

InfoVista Provides Performance Management Platform to Support New Offerings

TORONTO; Jan. 24, 2006 – Accenture and InfoVista today announced that they have deployed a sophisticated network management system that can prevent network outages and measure network performance more effectively to allow the smooth rollout of new converged services for Bell Canada.

Bell Canada is improving network performance and offering business and residential customers new converged services, which combine computing and communications functions over a common platform to ensure reliability and ease-of-use.

The company tapped Accenture to deploy network support solutions to help meet both objectives. Together, Bell Canada and Accenture selected an advanced performance management solution from InfoVista with a service-centric technology and adaptive architecture to support new services as they emerge.

“Carriers around the world are realizing the important role that network performance management plays in the successful deployment of new converged voice, data, video and wireless services for both business and residential customers,” said, Larry Socher, partner, Accenture Communications and High Tech. “This is bringing about a major shift from siloed support for each type of service to solutions that meet the requirements of all of these services. Bell Canada has taken a leading role in readying its network for this challenge.”

As part of a four-year network transformation program, Bell Canada and Accenture implemented InfoVista’s performance management solutions for multiple services beginning with early warning and predictive response functions that can help thwart network outages at customer sites before they happen.

Accenture and InfoVista then worked with Bell Canada to expand these capabilities to the core of the Bell Canada network as part of the launch of a set of new service capabilities on Bell’s IP-based Virtual Private Network service (VPN). This service allows customers to leverage Bell Canada’s IP MPLS infrastructure to provide offices with a secure, scalable network which supports IP applications such as voice and video. Customers can enjoy the security and benefits of private networks without the complexity and cost of building and maintaining their own.

“With InfoVista, Bell Canada can now embed performance management and service level management reporting into all of its services today and in the future,” said Jean-Luc Valente, senior vice president global marketing and strategic alliances, InfoVista. “Bell Canada’s multi-lingual portal-based reporting capabilities provide customers with easy access to actionable performance and service level agreement compliance information. Intuitive dashboards and detailed real-time analysis give customers the ability to efficiently manage their critical network services. This successful implementation is a major milestone, enabling us to deliver significant value to Bell Canada, and reinforces our successful partnership with Accenture.”

Based on a series of successes working in partnership to optimize network management for service providers and enterprises, InfoVista is now part of the Accenture Communications Solutions suite of business offerings. These proven ready-to-use components are packaged with a robust common integration framework and aligned with industry standards to drive high performance for communication service providers.

About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Committed to delivering innovation, Accenture collaborates with its clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. With deep industry and business process expertise, broad global resources and a proven track record, Accenture can mobilize the right people, skills, and technologies to help clients improve their performance. With more than 126,000 people in 48 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$15.55 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2005. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

About InfoVista
InfoVista is the Service-Centric Performance Management Software Company that assures the optimal delivery of business-critical IT services. Driven by a uniquely adaptive and real-time technology foundation, InfoVista solutions improve business effectiveness, reduce operating risk, lower cost of operations, increase agility and create competitive advantage. Eighty percent of the world’s largest service providers as ranked by Fortune®, as well as leading Global 2000 enterprises, rely on InfoVista to enhance the business value of their technology assets. Representative customers include ABN AMRO, Allstream, Banques Populaires, AXA, Banque de France, Bell Canada, British Telecom, Broadwing Communications, Cable & Wireless, Com Hem, Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), Deutsche Telecom, France Telecom, Savvis Corporation, SingTel, Telefonica, and US Cellular. A Software Magazine 500 company, InfoVista stock is traded on the NASDAQ (IVTA) and on Eurolist by Euronext (FR0004031649). For more information about the company, please visit www.infovista.com.

###

Alex Pachetti

+1 (917) 452 5519

alex.pachetti@accenture.com