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SYDNEY, NSW. (April 26, 2006) — United States-based Vocera Communications, a leading wireless communications company delivering instant, voice-driven solutions for mobile personnel, today announced the official opening of its Australasian subsidiary and named an area sales manager to head up the local operation. Vocera has appointed an experienced sales and business development professional, Tony Lee, to the position of area sales manager for Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Lee, a 27-year veteran of the local ICT industry, brings to Vocera an extensive knowledge of the Australian market.

In addition to its Australasian subsidiary, Vocera continues to work through its strategic alliance with IBM Australia, delivering solutions for a number of local and New Zealand customers. Blacktown Hospital, part of Sydney West Area Health Service (SWAHS), pioneered the use of Vocera in Australasia. SWAHS, under the chief executive officer, Professor Boyages, has developed a significant wireless capacity within its hospitals. The emergency department of Blacktown Hospital piloted, and subsequently fully installed, the Vocera Communications System.

The director of the emergency department, Dr. Michael Hession, said, “Vocera is a significant part of our armamentarium. It addresses communication within the emergency department and gives another level of sophistication to communication with departments outside emergency. It is an efficiency gain for us, and it is an efficiency gain for patients.”

Christchurch Hospital, part of New Zealand’s Canterbury District Health Board, also installed Vocera in its emergency department (ED) resulting in productivity gains of up to 22 percent. According to Dr. Paul Gee, a consultant in Christchurch’s ED, “The Vocera System has had a direct impact on improving workflow and saving time in a way that is both measurable and significant.” In October 2005, Christchurch Hospital received an Innovations Award from the District Health Board based on the Vocera deployment, and they are currently being considered for the 2006 National Health & Innovations Awards in Improving Communications.

“It is an exciting time for Vocera because our solutions truly facilitate collaboration in a variety of industry sectors where instant communications are essential,” said Lee. “Australasian customers have been extremely receptive to new communications technologies, and Vocera feels now is the right time to take advantage of this heightened interest. We are already seeing a growing interest from hospitals and potential partners.”

The Vocera Communications System enables hands-free voice communication throughout any 802.11b networked building or campus. Vocera is designed to increase business productivity, teamwork, and customer service levels. The system enables fluid, instant voice conversations among team members, across groups, and throughout an organization of mobile professionals.

There are two key components to this solution: the Vocera System Software and the Vocera Communications Badge. The Badge is controlled using natural spoken commands. Instead of responding to pagers or keying in phone numbers, a nurse in a hospital, for example, can use the Vocera Communications Badge to “Call Dr. Smith” or “Call pharmacy.” The voice prompt instantly connects staff to the people they need, reducing phone tag, paging, or the need to physically search for a person.

Through PBX integration, this voice-controlled communications system allows staff to make and receive calls from traditional phones and cellular networks. Vocera also integrates with third-party software applications like nurse call systems or patient monitoring systems allowing users to receive calls as text messages on their badges which can then be read or played aloud through the Badge.

Vocera has more than 250 installations in the United States, with most based in hospitals, where the system has demonstrated increased efficiency and productivity. Vocera also serves the hospitality and retail markets where instant voice communication facilitates collaboration in high-touch customer situations. Other market verticals of interest include manufacturing, warehousing and distribution, education, government, or any organization with a highly mobile staff within a campus/building environment.

Vocera Communications

Vocera Communications produces an innovative new solution that enables instant voice communication among mobile workers. Vocera is ideal for leading institutions and companies requiring enhanced customer service, productivity, and teamwork. The company, with sales offices in the United Kingdom and Australia, serves its global customer base from its headquarters in Cupertino, California. For more information on Vocera’s operations in Australia and New Zealand, please contact +61 (0) 2 9006 1622, or visit the Web site at www.vocera.com.

Contact:
Emilio Robles
Fleishman-Hillard
+61 2 8905 6314
roblese@fleishman.com