Teliris Telepresence Short Listed for BCS IT Awards

LONDON, November 11 /PRNewswire/ --
Teliris(1) Telepresence(2) was short listed by judges for the 2008 prestigious BCS IT Industry Awards(3) in the 'Business to Business' and 'Environment' categories.
The BCS IT Industry Awards, supported by Intellect and NCC, are the leading hallmark of success amongst practitioners today. The cross industry awards form a central element to the BCS professionalism in IT initiative and recognise, promote and acclaim excellence, professionalism, innovation and the outstanding achievements to which individuals and groups contribute.
Martyn Lewis(4), EU Chairman of Teliris, comments, "By choosing Teliris, BCS has recognised that Teliris Telepresence goes beyond Sustainable IT and into the arena of sustainable transport(5). With ICT equipment currently accounting for 3-4% of the world's carbon emissions and travel currently accounting for 20%, technologies like Teliris Telepresence offer the IT industry an opportunity to position itself as one of the key industries in the fight against climate change."
David Clarke, BCS chief executive says, "In the current economic situation it is rewarding to see that IT is continuing to lead through innovation and deliver real business benefits. These projects reflect the fact that technology is an integral and expected part of everyday life and is at the heart of literally every business."
Notes to Editors:
(1) Founded in 2001, Teliris develops, implements and manages the world's most widely deployed immersive telepresence and immersive collaboration environments, realistically replicating the human dynamics of a live meeting. Teliris has deployments in over 30 countries with the largest installed base of Fortune 500 companies, including Fidelity, Sony Ericsson, Tate & Lyle, Merck, Pearson, GlaxoSmithKline, and Royal Bank of Scotland, among others.
Headquartered in New York and London, the company combines a fully managed service with end-to-end integration that offers businesses a 24/7 multipoint capability with a 99%+ availability guarantee, ensuring they can respond and collaborate as needed.
In 2007, Fidelity Ventures and Columbia Capital made an equity investment in Teliris and the company received the Global Award for Market Leadership from Frost & Sullivan for holding the largest telepresence market share globally at 44%. The company offers the only guaranteed platform that can interoperate with telepresence systems from other vendors as well as any standards-based traditional videoconferencing systems.
For further information regarding Teliris, visit the company's web site at http://www.teliris.com or email Teliris at info@teliris.com.
(2) First there was teleconferencing, then videoconferencing and now there is telepresence. Telepresence means that intimate, intuitive and effective interactions are occurring over distance, without the need for physical travel. This is achieved by using state of the art audio, video, and networking technologies, which allow meetings to take place remotely in real time. The meeting experience is transparent, intimate and effective -- enabling colleagues to read verbal and non-verbal cues, sense the true tone of the meeting and feel each other's presence across the table.
(3) Established in 1957, the British Computer Society (BCS) is the leading body for those working in IT.
With a worldwide membership now over 65,000 members in over 100 countries, BCS is the qualifying body for Chartered IT Professionals (CITP).
BCS was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1984. Its objects are to promote the study and practice of computing and to advance knowledge of and education in IT for the benefit of the public. BCS is also a registered charity.
To find out more about the BCS IT Awards and to purchase tickets for the gala dinner, visit http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=nav.5818 or call BCS on +44-(0)20-7234-3535.
(4) Martyn Lewis is a co-founder and the EU chairman of Teliris, and has played a strategic role in the development of the company, its products and its services.
Martyn is one of Britain's best-known broadcasters. In a television career spanning 34 years, he has presented every mainstream national TV news programme on ITV and the BBC, and reported from around Britain and the world.
(5) The Sustainable Development Commission (SDC), Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) have published new reports calling for telepresence to be integrated into the UK's transport infrastructure.
The SDC and IPPR report 'Breaking the holding pattern - A new approach to aviation policy making in the UK' calls for the UK Government to 'reduce business travel by encouraging greener travel in public sector and business by speeding the uptake of technology alternatives such as telepresence.'
According to the report, a leading financial company eliminated the need for approximately 200 transatlantic flights and 60 European flights using Teliris Telepresence. The firm estimated its savings at US$3,407,200, which included the cost of avoided flights and accommodation, and saved over 450 tonnes of C02 emissions.
Further information:
Please contact David Jullienne or Joel Derbyshire at Fuel PR, Tel: +44(0)20-7498-8211 or email davidj@fuelrefuel.com
David Jullienne, davidj@fuelrefuel.com, or Joel Derbyshire, both at Fuel PR, +44(0)20-7498-8211, for Teliris Telepresence