Industry Veteran to Lead Company's Efforts to
Expand Market Presence and Penetration in Telecommunications Services
Sector
Mountain View, CA, June 5, 2003 -- VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN),
the leading provider of critical infrastructure services for Internet
and telecommunications networks, today announced that it has named Vernon
Irvin as Executive Vice President of VeriSign's Telecommunications Services
Group.
"Hundreds of carriers and service providers
already rely on VeriSign's Telecommunication Services Group to provide
critical services that allow their customers to connect and communicate
over wireline and wireless networks," said Stratton Sclavos, CEO
and President of VeriSign. "Vernon Irvin is a proven leader who
we believe can take our unmatched infrastructure, technology and people
to the next level of performance and success on a global basis. We are
thrilled to have him join our executive management team as we look to
deliver a purpose-built utility for the digital age of communications
and commerce."
Central to the VeriSign's mission is making telecommunications
and Internet networks more reliable, more intelligent and more secure.
VeriSign Telecommunications Services play a vital role in delivering
on that promise by providing the intelligent network services that support
innovation, interoperability and efficiency in today's telecommunications
markets.
"VeriSign is unique in that no other company
has the combination of Internet and telecommunications offerings that
carriers, services providers and Fortune 1000 companies rely on to conduct
digital commerce and communications," said Irvin. "I am excited
to be joining the VeriSign team to help drive the next wave of intelligent
network services that help solve our customers' current challenges around
cost, complexity and compliance."
Irvin joins VeriSign with more than 17 years of
experience in the communications and media enterprises. At American
Management Systems (AMS), Irvin was the executive vice president and
general manager of the Global Communications, Media, and Entertainment
(CME) practice. Irvin was responsible for managing these rapidly growing
lines of business with operations on four continents and 2002 revenues
exceeding $200 million. At AMS, Irvin built the company's first sales
and marketing organization, re-organized CME, acquired and integrated
the assets of Quintessent Communications, assumed leadership of AMS's
European operations, and diversified CME's customer and industry portfolio.
Prior to AMS, Irvin was at BT Ignite, the broadband and Internet services
business of British Telecommunications plc (BT), where he held several
executive positions. He was the founding manager and president of BT
Ignite Content Hosting and Media Services, a $500 million applications
infrastructure business with more than 2,000 employees. Previously,
Irvin held senior management positions with several major communications
companies including e.Spire communications, WorldCom, MFS UUNET, Ameritech
and MCI. Irvin received his BS degree in Computer Science from the University
of Cincinnati in Ohio.
Contacts:
Media Relations: Brian O'Shaughnessy, boshaughnessy@verisign.com, +1 650 426-5270 Investor Relations:
Kathleen Bare, kbare@verisign.com, +1 650-426-3241
About VeriSign
VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN), delivers critical infrastructure services
that make the Internet and telecommunications networks more intelligent,
reliable and secure. Every day VeriSign helps thousands of businesses
and millions of consumers connect, communicate, and transact with confidence.
Additional news and information about the company is available at http://www.verisign.com.
Statements in this announcement other than
historical data and information constitute forward-looking statements
within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements
involve risks and uncertainties that could cause VeriSign's actual results
to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking
statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others,
VeriSign's limited operating history under its current business structure;
uncertainty of future revenue and profitability and potential fluctuations
in quarterly operating results; the ability of VeriSign to successfully
develop and market new services and customer acceptance of any new services;
the risk that VeriSign's announced strategic relationships may not result
in additional products, services, customers and revenues; increased
competition and pricing pressures; and risks related to potential security
breaches. More information about potential factors that could affect
the company's business and financial results is included in VeriSign's
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the
company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2002 and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. VeriSign undertakes no obligation
to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this
press release.
VeriSign is a registered trademark of VeriSign,
Inc. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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