Applied Voice & Speech Technologies, Inc. (AVST) is a leading developer of communications solutions for businesses of all sizes. Through its world-class unified communications platform, CallXpress®, AVST offers the industry's most powerful suite of next generation communications solutions including call processing, voice messaging, unified messaging, fax, speech-enabled applications (including automated attendant and hands-free mobile worker access), and notification.

The CallXpress unified communications platform is designed to facilitate the enterprise migration from legacy TDM call processing and voice mail solutions to IP-enabled unified communications by delivering the interoperability, scalability, feature depth and flexibility, and administrative capabilities that enterprise IT and Telecom teams are demanding.

Headquartered in Orange County, California, AVST maintains facilities in Bellevue, Washington and the United Kingdom and has remote sales offices across the United States. With over 40,000 systems installed worldwide, AVST's communications solutions are sold and supported by an extensive network of resellers and OEM partners including Altura Communications Solutions, Black Box Network Services, Cincinnati Bell, NetVersant Solutions, Qwest Communications, Shared Technologies, Verizon Business, Westcon Group, and Ericsson AB.

AVST was established in September 2003 from the combined businesses of Sound Advantage (established in 1997) and the AVT division (established in 1982) of Captaris, Inc. (NASDAQ: CAPA). A privately-owned company, AVST's two major institutional investors are Ignition Partners, Seattle, WA (www.ignitionpartners.com) and Dolphin Equity Partners, New York, NY (www.dolphinequity.com). Captaris, Inc. (www.captaris.com) is also a minority shareholder in AVST.