"Enterprises today need greater flexibility, choice, performance and reliability in orchestrating essential business applications within more complex IT infrastructures, often the result of acquisitions, consolidations or choices based on features, application performance or architectural requirements," said Jim DeMerlis, Verizon Business vice president of managed services marketing. "The challenge of maintaining and securing multiple operating systems puts more stress on the already scarce IT resources of many organizations, which can result in poor performance of critical business applications."

According to a Forrester Research study, "More firms prefer multiple suppliers to get best-of-breed. For example, 59 percent of firms surveyed use either different vendors for client and server or multiple vendors in both categories." In the October 2005 report, "The State of the Corporate PC and Server," 39 percent of respondents cited the ability to get best-of-breed products from different sources.

By leveraging more than a decade of hosting experience, Verizon Business support will include essential IP Application Hosting services such as hardware break/fix, software administration, patching, monitoring and backups. Verizon Business also supports common applications such as Web and application servers and database software.

"This strengthens the breadth of hosting operating system support from Verizon Business," said Rona Shuchat, research director at industry analyst firm IDC. "Further enhanced by its networking capabilities and its flagship MPLS-based offering, Private IP, Verizon Business is ensuring that mission-critical business requirements such as Web-enabled enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) applications can be fully supported in line with evolving enterprise landscapes."

Verizon Business delivers an extensive portfolio of IT and hosting services that offer varying levels of service management and include Data Center Colocation, Data Center Outsourcing, Remote Backup and Restore, Hosted Messaging, IT Service Desk, IP Application Hosting and Remote IP Application Management.

About Verizon Business
Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a leading provider of advanced communications and information technology (IT) solutions to large business and government customers worldwide. Combining unsurpassed global network reach with advanced technology and professional service capabilities, Verizon Business delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world. For more information, visit www.verizonbusiness.com.