FAIRFIELD, NJ, January 10^th 2011 –   Critical Links, a pioneer in delivering Information & Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure solutions for School 2.0 - the next-generation of schools, announced today that it will be showcasing its education appliance platform for School 2.0 at the British Education & Training Technology (BETT) show in London, UK, from January 12th through January 15th 2011. Critical Links will be located at hall/stand J 69.

"We are excited to share our comprehensive education portfolio which transforms K-12 education by bringing several new integrated capabilities that create a content-rich and collaborative experience for schools" said Abdul Kasim, Vice President, Global Marketing & Business Development at Critical Links. “We welcome guests to our booth to discover the power of our education portfolio and explore various solution possibilities that satisfy their unique requirements”.

Please e-mail us to schedule a one-to-one meeting with the Critical Links team at BETT, and get a first-hand experience of our latest School 2.0 portfolio. BETT attracts more than 30,000 visitors every year who are interested in the latest offerings and innovations in education technologies.

Critical Links is a pioneer in delivering innovative ICT infrastructure solutions for Schools 2.0—the next generation of Schools. Critical Links’ School 2.0 portfolio provides the learning, networking, and administration capabilities necessary for delivering a highly collaborative and interactive educational experience. In addition it also strives to dramatically simplify the administration of both the IT and data infrastructure of schools.

The Critical Links Education Appliance is the flagship product of the School 2.0 portfolio and can support up to 3000 students. It has been deployed at over 1200 schools in the world’s largest school modernization program and has been recognized with numerous industry awards.  

Critical Links is an active member of the Intel Learning Series alliance and is also a Microsoft Gold Partner.

Jai Edathil

FAIRFIELD, NJ, January 5^th 2011 – Critical Links, a pioneer in delivering Information & Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure solutions for School 2.0 - the next-generation of schools, announced today the launch of its School 2.0 Alliance^TM. The School 2.0 Alliance establishes an eco-system for best-of-breed solutions built around the Critical Links Education Appliance. The School 2.0 Alliance^TM comprises of partners in three areas: 1. Applications & Content Providers 2. Device Manufacturers (printers, interactive white boards etc.) and 3. Support Services (training, customization, localization etc.).

The Critical Links School 2.0 Alliance leverages the expertise of its members to deliver comprehensive, world-class solutions that are integrated with the Critical Links Education Appliance, which is the core platform for bringing integrated learning, networking and administration infrastructure to schools.

Membership in the alliance involves progressively value-added activities from co-marketing and co-branding to validating inter-working, and extends to joint solution development and customized offerings. Critical Links’ School 2.0 Alliance^TM guarantees that products and services are integrated and certified to inter-operate with the Critical Links Education Appliance.  For more information on membership in the School 2.0 Alliance^TM please contact:  education@critical-links.com.

Critical Links’ Education Appliance is the world’s first fully integrated, and field tested solution for schools that combines learning, networking and administration capabilities on a single server platform. The Critical Links education appliance has been deployed at over 1200 schools in the world’s largest school modernization program and has been recognized with numerous industry awards.

“We are confident that the Critical Links School 2.0 Alliance^TM will bring substantial value to our partners and customers alike and fills a void in the education ICT infrastructure market. We have been gratified by the tremendous response from market leaders who share our vision and will begin announcing members joining the alliance, shortly", said Joao Carreira, CEO at Critical Links.

Critical Links is a pioneer in delivering innovative ICT infrastructure solutions for Schools 2.0—the next generation of Schools. Critical Links’ School 2.0 portfolio provides the learning, networking, and administration capabilities necessary for delivering a highly collaborative and interactive educational experience. In addition it also strives to dramatically simplify the administration of both the IT and data infrastructure of schools.

The Critical Links Education Appliance is the flagship product of the School 2.0 portfolio and can support up to 3000 students. It has been deployed at over 1200 schools in the world’s largest school modernization program and has been recognized with numerous industry awards.  

Critical Links is an active member of the Intel Learning Series alliance and is also a Microsoft Gold Partner.

For more information, contact:

Abdul Kasim, VP, Marketing & Global Business Development Critical-Links akasim@critical-links.com 973.276.9006 x1004 www.critical-links.com/PR

FAIRFIELD, NJ, October 19, 2010 - Critical Links, a pioneer in delivering Information & Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure solutions for School 2.0 - the next-generation of schools, announced today that it is partnering with ITU (International Telecommunication Union, the UN agency for information and communication technologies) and the Government of Portugal to assist participating countries design and implement state-of-the-art ICT infrastructure for their public schools.

Critical Links’ Education Appliance is the world’s first fully integrated and comprehensive solution for schools and combines learning, networking and administration capabilities on a single server platform. The Critical Links Education Appliance has been deployed at over 1200 schools in the world’s largest school modernization program and has been recognized with numerous industry awards.

Critical Links will collaborate with ITU, the Portuguese Government and other vendors to ensure the success of this program, which was officially launched by ITU last month. Twenty countries will benefit from the first phase, with the initiative supporting the launch of one connected school project per country. Each project will test innovative approaches using ICT in the classroom, measure the impact, showcase the benefits and share the lessons learned. Portugal will help participating countries leverage the benefits of integrating ICT in schools by sharing its own pioneering and successful experiences. The Portuguese Government has assigned the overall management of  e-School International program to Fundação para as Comunicações Móveis (Foundation for Mobile Communications).

“We are certain that this project will help transform the lives of children and their families around the world by connecting them to a better future. Our partnerships with ITU and a wide array of companies such as Critical Links, a world-leader in school ICT infrastructure solutions, demonstrate our seriousness and commitment to this program", commented Daniel Oleirinha Adrião, an advisor to the Portuguese Government.

Joao Carreira, CEO at Critical Links, is excited about this unique opportunity to engage in a public-private initiative and is hopeful that this will become a template for schools across the world. “The main goal of this partnership is to help participating countries leverage the benefits of ICT in schools and classrooms. At Critical Links, we have a great track record of working with countries such as Portugal in streamlining and simplifying the deployment and management of 1:1 e-learning infrastructure”, he commented.

The Critical Links School 2.0 portfolio comprises of the Education Appliance models EA60™, EA100™, EA500™ and EA1000™ that support schools of up to 3000 students. These platforms offer a host of learning, networking & administration capabilities. These include comprehensive voice & data communications, collaboration (wikis, blogs, social forums, content creation and sharing), data security, content filtering, policies and student and ICT administration capabilities (Intel-powered Classmate PC management, Theft Deterrence, backup/restore etc). They also feature full-fledged learning management (LMS), activity management (LAMS), client management, asset management and a student information system (SIS).

More information on the Critical Links education portfolio and Critical Links’ education initiatives can be found at the new School 2.0 portal: http://education.critical-links.com/PR. (Contact sales@critical-links.com for information on purchasing the Critical Links Education Appliance)

About Critical Links

Critical Links is a pioneer in delivering innovative Learning & Networking infrastructure solutions for Schools 2.0—the next generation of Schools. Critical Links’ Education Appliance (EA) portfolio provides the learning, networking, and administration capabilities necessary for a highly interactive and content rich educational experience; apart from a host of networking and communication capabilities, it also offers comprehensive learning management, client management, asset management, and a student information system. The EA 60 and EA100 appliances deliver e-learning ICT platforms for up to 500 students, while the EA 500 and EA 1000 appliances provide scalable platforms that support sophisticated learning and ICT capabilities for schools of up to 3000 students.

The Critical Links Education Appliance has been deployed at over 1200 schools in the world’s largest school modernization program and has been recognized with numerous industry awards. Critical Links has also introduced features such as edgeXL, which is a sophisticated caching technology that can speed up the web experience ten-fold, especially in regions with poor internet infrastructure.

More information on the Critical Links Education Appliance portfolio and Critical Links’ education initiatives can be found at the new School 2.0 portal: http://education.critical-links.com/PR. Follow Critical Links' Education Appliance on Twitter.

For more information, contact:

Abdul Kasim, VP, Marketing & Global Business Development Critical-Links akasim@critical-links.com 973.276.9006 x1004 www.critical-links.com/PR

FAIRFIELD, NJ, September 22, 2010 – Critical Links, a pioneer in delivering Information & Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure solutions for School 2.0 - the next-generation of schools, announced the availability of two new server-class versions of their education appliance, featuring the Intel® Xeon® processor 3400 series. The Critical Links education appliance™ EA500/EA1000, based on the Intel® Server Board S3420GP, can scale to support schools with 3000 students and manage 1000 concurrent users of the Intel-powered classmate PC, with high levels of stability and availability.

The Intel® Solution Brief on the Critical Links education appliance can be downloaded from the Intel website here

Please click here for the full press release

For more information, contact:

Abdul Kasim, VP, Marketing & Global Business Development Critical-Links akasim@critical-links.com 973.276.9006 x1004 www.critical-links.com/PR

FAIRFIELD, NJ, April 27th 2010 – Critical Links, a pioneer in delivering Information & Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure solutions for School 2.0 - the next-generation of schools, announced today that it is partnering with JP Sá Couto, S.A. to provide comprehensive 1:1 e-learning solutions including the Critical Links education appliance™ to K-8 schools world-wide.

Critical Links is a member of the Intel® Learning Series Alliance and its School 2.0 portfolio of software and hardware is developed based on Intel-powered education appliance recipe and works with the Intel® Learning Series.

This partnership will now allow JP Sá Couto and Critical Links to offer a combined, bundled solution that is unparalleled in the market. This comprehensive solution features JP Sá Couto’s Magellan Notebooks (based on Intel-powered Classmate PC) and the Critical Links education appliance™, the infrastructure solution approved for use with the Intel-powered Classmate PC.

Founded in March 1989, JP Sá Couto is a Portuguese company dedicated to designing and marketing technology solutions and to developing a pioneering global initiative for education powered by ICT technologies. JP Sá Couto also works closely with Intel, and the two companies have worked together to deploy more than 800,000 Magellan Notebooks in Portugal and Venezuela and will surpass the 1.5 Million mark in 2010 based on existing agreements and projects running. JP Sá Couto is the largest OEM worldwide to deploy these platforms, operating currently in more than 50 Countries directly or through partners.

Critical Links’ education appliance is the world’s first fully integrated and comprehensive solution for schools that combines learning, networking and administration capabilities in a single server platform. The Critical Links education appliance has been deployed at over 1200 schools, in the world’s largest school modernization program, and this been recognized with numerous industry awards.

“At JP Sá Couto, our primary focus is on manufacturing and deploying best-in-class hardware such as Magellan and Tsunami, in collaboration with leaders such as Intel. Critical Links’ education appliance has proven to be the most comprehensive, robust education infrastructure solution out there and they are committed to the Intel Learning Series Alliance, just like we are. So this partnership makes a lot of sense for us”, commented Jorge Sá Couto of JP Sá Couto. “We can also achieve a lot of cost synergies through this partnership”.

Joao Carreira, CEO at Critical Links, commented on this opportunity to closely partner with a hardware leader in the industry: “Our partnership with JP Sá Couto brings a pre-tested and well-integrated e-Learning solution to the market that has the full-support of the two companies. Our customers will be the ultimate beneficiaries because they can now buy a complete solution that delivers an enriching & effective learning environment for students, streamlines teaching and administrative activities, while significantly minimizing the costs of maintaining such infrastructure especially for large-scale deployments”.

The Critical Links School 2.0 portfolio comprises of the education appliance series eA60™ for 60 students and education appliance series eA1000™ for up to 1000 students (education appliance SeriesTM 60, 100, 500 and 1000 depending on the number of students). These platforms offer a host of learning, networking & administration capabilities for the next generation of schools. These include comprehensive voice & data communications, collaboration (wikis, blogs, social forums, content creation and sharing), data security, content filtering and student and ICT administration capabilities (Intel-powered Classmate PC management, Theft Deterrence, backup/restore etc). They also feature full-fledged learning management (LMS), activity management (LAMS), client management, asset management and a student information system (SIS).

More information on the Critical Links education portfolio and Critical Links’ education initiatives can be found at the new School 2.0 portal: http://education.critical-links.com.

About Critical Links

Critical Links is a pioneer delivering innovative Information & Communications Technology (ICT) and Learning infrastructure solutions for School 2.0 – the next generation of Schools.

Critical Links’ School 2.0 portfolio provides the 1:1 learning, Networking and Administration necessary to support a highly interactive and content rich & collaborative educational experience; apart from a host of networking and communication capabilities, it also offers comprehensive learning management, client management, asset management and a student information system.

The School 2.0 portfolio is comprised of the Critical Links education appliance (eA) series that can be deployed in both a classroom and on a school wide basis. The Critical Links education appliance (eA) comes in versions to support anywhere from 60 to 1000 students and beyond.

Critical Links’ education appliances have been deployed globally including in the world’s largest school modernization program. More information about the edgeBOX portfolio and Critical Links’ educational offering can be found at http://education.critical-links.com. Follow our School 2.0 initiatives on Twitter now: http://twitter.com/School20

About JP Sá Couto

Founded in March 1989, JP Sá Couto is a Portuguese company dedicated to designing and marketing technology solutions and to developing a pioneering global initiative for education, powered by ICT technologies. JP Sá Couto is dedicated to the manufacture of computer equipment of high quality, Tsunami and Magellan, the leading brands in Portugal. The Magellan is a portable computer, lightweight, shock resistant and small and designed based on ethnographic studies. It is the ideal companion for all students, in order to meet the varied needs of education. Accessible to all levels of knowledge, the Magellan contains a set of specific applications for collaborative education and other educational applications.

Based in Matosinhos with manufacturing plants, JP Sá Couto stands for strength, competitiveness, innovation and quality of its offerings. In the year 2009 they reached a turnover of around 387 million Euros. For more information: rh@jpsacouto.pt or visit www.jpsacouto.pt.

For more information, contact:

Abdul Kasim, VP Marketing Critical-Links akasim@critical-links.com 973.276.9006 x1004 www.critical-links.com/PR

Carlos Taveira Get Global, Marketing Communications Consultancy +351 213502551 +351 918711884 carlos.taveira@getglobal.pt

FAIRFIELD, NJ, April 13th 2010 – The ZDNet article titled “The Intel Education Appliance – Where do I get one?” penned by Christopher Dawson highlights the benefits of a comprehensive, on-site ICT (Information & Communications Technology) solution for small and medium sized schools. He adds that the Education Appliance from Critical Links, the approved infrastructure solution for Intel® Learning Series, is exactly what he had in mind for such a solution. Critical Links is a pioneer in delivering ICT infrastructure solutions for School 2.0 - the next-generation of schools. Critical Links is a member of the Intel® Learning Series Alliance and its School 2.0 portfolio of software and hardware are developed based on Intel® Learning Series Educational Appliance recipe.

The article goes into some depth about the Education Appliance – including the three core areas where the appliance provides an integrated education solution, namely, LEARNING, NETWORKING, and ADMINISTRATION. To quote from the article, “In terms of learning, the box enables wikis, blogs, forums, and chat. It contains a complete learning management system, integrates with interactive whiteboards, allows screen sharing between teachers and students, and can stream presentations out to student computers. It even integrates a gradebook”. The author also highlights the security features of the Education Appliance, “The Education Appliance handles everything from DHCP to content filtering and intrusion protection. Much like an average school firewall/content filter, the appliance takes care of networking needs that would otherwise be handled by a variety of equipment in a larger, enterprise setting.”

The Critical Links education appliances are the first fully integrated IP based platforms for schools that combine comprehensive learning, networking and administration capabilities on a single platform. The Critical Links Education Appliance has been deployed at over 1200 schools in the world’s largest school modernization program and has been recognized with numerous industry awards.

The Critical Links School 2.0 portfolio comprises of the Education Appliance series eA60TM for 60 students and education appliance series eA1000TM for all the way up to 1000 students (education appliance SeriesTM 60, 100, 500 and 1000 depending on the number of students). These platforms offer a host of learning, networking & administration capabilities for the next generation of schools. This includes comprehensive voice & data communications, collaboration (wikis, blogs, content creation and sharing), data security and content filtering and student and ICT administration capabilities (Classmate PC management, theft deterrence, backup/restore etc). They also feature full-fledged learning management (LMS), activity management (LAMS), client management, asset management and a student information system (SIS).

More information on the Critical Links education portfolio and Critical Links’ education initiatives can be found at the new School 2.0 portal: http://education.critical-links.com/.

About Critical Links

Critical Links is a pioneer delivering innovative Information & Communications Technology (ICT) and Learning infrastructure solutions for School 2.0 – the next generation of Schools.

Critical Links’ School 2.0 portfolio provides the 1:1 learning, Networking and Administration necessary to support a highly interactive and content rich & collaborative educational experience; apart from a host of networking and communication capabilities, it also offers comprehensive learning management, client management, asset management and a student information system.

The School 2.0 portfolio is comprised of the Critical Links education appliance (eA) series that can be deployed in both a classroom and on a school wide basis. The Critical Links education appliance (eA) comes in versions to support anywhere from 60 to 1000 students and beyond.

Critical Links’ education appliances have been deployed globally including in the world’s largest school modernization program. More information about the edgeBOX portfolio and Critical Links’ educational offering can be found at http://education.critical-links.com. Follow our School 2.0 initiatives on Twitter now: http://twitter.com/School20

For more information, contact:

Abdul Kasim, VP Marketing Critical-Links akasim@critical-links.com 973.276.9006 x1004 www.critical-links.com/PR

Carlos Taveira Get Global, Marketing Communications Consultancy +351 213502551 +351 918711884 carlos.taveira@getglobal.pt

FAIRFIELD, NJ, January 13th, 2010 – Critical Links, a pioneer in delivering Information & Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure solutions for School 2.0 - the next-generation of schools, announced today that it is working with Intel as part of the Intel® Learning Series Alliance, providing software and hardware support for its Intel-powered education appliance.

The collaboration entails the use of Critical Links education appliance software in combination with the Intel-powered classmate PC world-wide. The Critical Links education appliances are the first fully integrated IP based platforms for schools that combine comprehensive learning, networking and administration capabilities on a single platform. The Critical Links education appliance has been deployed worldwide, most recently at over 1200 schools in the world’s largest school modernization program. It has been recognized with numerous industry awards.

"Our ethnographic research in classrooms around the world highlights the need to minimize the technical burden so teachers can focus on delivering a rewarding learning experience for students," said Lila Ibrahim, general manager of the Emerging Markets Platform Group at Intel.  "These research results led us to work with technology developers like Critical Links to deliver the Intel-powered education appliance, a server framework that makes it easier for teachers to manage PCs in schools, facilitate student collaboration and share content in and out of classrooms."

"We are honored to work with Intel on the Intel-powered education appliance . This validates the market leadership that our School 2.0 portfolio has established in a relatively short time”, commented Joao Carreira, CEO, Critical Links. "Our collaboration with a global leader like Intel and membership in the Intel® Learning Series alliance will enable us to collectively shape the future of ICT and learning infrastructure at schools around the world”.

Critical Links has a long working relationship with Intel. In addition to being a member of the Intel Learning Series Alliance, it is also an Intel Software Partner and a member of the Intel® ESAA program. Critical Links has also been recognized as a ‘success story’ by Intel.

The Critical Links School 2.0 portfolio comprises of the Critical Links education appliance series™ which support from 60 to 1000 students and beyond in a classroom or school setting. Each appliance comes with the core software stack while the hardware varies depending on the number of students it supports. Currently, there are four variants of the Critical Links education appliance – for 60,100, 500 and 1000 students.

The Critical Links education appliance offers a host of learning, networking & administration capabilities for the next generation of schools. This includes comprehensive voice & data communications, collaboration (wikis, blogs, content creation and sharing), data security and content filtering and student and ICT administration capabilities (Intel-powered classmate PCs management, theft deterrence, backup/restore etc). They also feature full-fledged learning management, client management, asset management and a student information system.

More information on the Critical Links education portfolio and Critical Links’ education initiatives can be found at the new School 2.0 portal: http://education.critical-links.com.

Critical Links will be demonstrating the education appliance series at the BETT2010 the word’s largest educational conference and will also participate in the Intel Learning Series ecosystem demonstration at Intel’s booth.

About Critical Links

Critical Links is a pioneer delivering innovative Information & Communications Technology (ICT) and Learning infrastructure solutions for School 2.0 – the next generation of Schools.

Critical Links’ School 2.0 portfolio provides the 1:1 learning, Networking and Administration necessary to support a highly interactive and content rich & collaborative educational experience; apart from a host of networking and communication capabilities, it also offers comprehensive learning management, client management, asset management and a student information system.

The School 2.0 portfolio is comprised of the Critical Links education appliance (eA) series that can be deployed in both a classroom and on a school wide basis. The Critical Links education appliance (eA) comes in versions to support anywhere from 60 to 1000 students and beyond.

Critical Links’ education appliances have been deployed globally including in the world’s largest school modernization program. More information about the edgeBOX portfolio and Critical Links’ educational offering can be found at http://education.critical-links.com. Follow our School 2.0 initiatives on Twitter now: http://twitter.com/School20

For more information, contact:

Abdul Kasim, VP Marketing Critical-Links akasim@critical-links.com 973.276.9006 x1004 www.critical-links.com/PR

Carlos Taveira Get Global, Marketing Communications Consultancy +351 213502551 +351 918711884 carlos.taveira@getglobal.pt

FAIRFIELD, NJ, January 14th, 2010 – Critical Links, a pioneer in delivering Information & Communications Technology (ICT) solutions for School 2.0 - the next-generation of schools, announced today that it has released a new version of its software (Release 1.7) for its education appliance series that will bring significantly enhanced learning, networking and administrative capabilities.

Critical Links education appliance™ portfolio offers the industry’s leading integrated solution with robust learning, networking and administration features. Critical Links is a member of the Intel® Learning Series Alliance.

The new features in Release 1.7 include an Enhanced Learning Management System, Learning Activity Management System (LAMs providing activity and content management), Intel-powered classmate PC management, Backup & Restore, Theft Deterrence, Student Information System (SIS) and plenty of friendly GUI enhancements. These features further enhance the complete education software solution from Critical Links and allow teachers and school administrators alike to create and follow the appropriate sequence for teaching and managing student activities including self-paced learning and quizzes and also give them the ability to monitor each student individually for a more interactive learning experience. The Intel-powered classmate PC (CMPC) and the education appliance work together seamlessly providing such features as CMPC real time theft deterrence, backup and restore of CMPC OS and data, remote CMPC configuration and application access control. Combining CMPC’s education appliance server based control with its sturdiness makes it an ideal solution for K-12 schools.

"We are excited to announce our new Release 1.7, with many friendly features for school administrators and several new features and functions that will create a great experience for students and teachers" said Alex Sarin, Vice President of product development at Critical Links. “The tight integration among the learning, networking and administration functionalities ensure a much better experience in the K-12 context. Our new release, along with the education appliance™ with its new look and feel, will be previewed at BETT2010, where attendees can share this experience first-hand at our booth”.

About Critical Links

Critical Links is a pioneer delivering innovative Information & Communications Technology (ICT) and Learning infrastructure solutions for School 2.0 – the next generation of Schools.

Critical Links’ School 2.0 portfolio provides the 1:1 learning, Networking and Administration necessary to support a highly interactive and content rich & collaborative educational experience; apart from a host of networking and communication capabilities, it also offers comprehensive learning management, client management, asset management and a student information system.

The School 2.0 portfolio is comprised of the Critical Links education appliance (eA) series that can be deployed in both a classroom and on a school wide basis. The Critical Links education appliance (eA) comes in versions to support anywhere from 60 to 1000 students and beyond.

Critical Links’ education appliances have been deployed globally including in the world’s largest school modernization program. More information about the edgeBOX portfolio and Critical Links’ educational offering can be found at http://education.critical-links.com. Follow our School 2.0 initiatives on Twitter now: http://twitter.com/School20

For more information, contact:

Abdul Kasim, VP Marketing Critical-Links akasim@critical-links.com 973.276.9006 x1004 www.critical-links.com/PR

Carlos Taveira Get Global, Marketing Communications Consultancy +351 213502551 +351 918711884 carlos.taveira@getglobal.pt

FAIRFIELD, NJ, January 8th, 2010 – Critical Links, a pioneer in delivering Learning and Networking infrastructure solutions for School 2.0 - the next-generation of schools, announced today that it will be demonstrating its education appliance series (eA) for School 2.0 at the British Education & Training Technology (BETT) show 2010 in London, UK, from January 13th through January 16th 2010. Critical Links will be at stand number W 92 in the NATGALL hall.

Critical Links education appliance portfolio provides the industry’s leading ICT infrastructure solution for schools combined with robust learning, networking and administration solutions. Critical Links’ education appliance will also be showcased at the Intel® pavilion. Critical Links is a member of the Intel® Learning Series Alliance.

"We are excited to share our education portfolio which has introduced several new capabilities to enhance a content-rich and collaborative experience for K-12 schools" said Abdul Kasim, Vice President, Global Marketing & Business Development at Critical Links. “We look forward to welcoming guests and personally discovering the power of our education appliance”.

Please register here to schedule a one-to-one meeting with the Critical Links team at BETT, and get a first-hand experience of our latest School 2.0 portfolio.

BETT is celebrating its 25th anniversary and this year features close to 30,000 visitors who are interested in the latest offerings and innovations in education technologies.

About Critical Links

Critical Links is a pioneer delivering innovative Information & Communications Technology (ICT) and Learning infrastructure solutions for School 2.0 – the next generation of Schools.

Critical Links’ School 2.0 portfolio provides the 1:1 learning, Networking and Administration necessary to support a highly interactive and content rich & collaborative educational experience; apart from a host of networking and communication capabilities, it also offers comprehensive learning management, client management, asset management and a student information system.

The School 2.0 portfolio is comprised of the Critical Links education appliance (eA) series that can be deployed in both a classroom and on a school wide basis. The Critical Links education appliance (eA) comes in versions to support anywhere from 60 to 1000 students and beyond.

Critical Links’ education appliances have been deployed globally including in the world’s largest school modernization program. More information about the edgeBOX portfolio and Critical Links’ educational offering can be found at http://education.critical-links.com. Follow our School 2.0 initiatives on Twitter now: http://twitter.com/School20

For more information, contact:

Abdul Kasim, VP Marketing Critical-Links akasim@critical-links.com 973.276.9006 x1004 www.critical-links.com/PR

Carlos Taveira Get Global, Marketing Communications Consultancy +351 213502551 +351 918711884 carlos.taveira@getglobal.pt

• Critical Links partners with Portugal Telecom to win highly competitive bid.
• edgeBOX™ providing schools with rich networking and IT services on scalable platforms, enabling the roll-out of next generation infrastructure

FAIRFIELD, NJ, November 12th, 2008 – Critical Links, a global provider of unified voice, data and IT solutions for SMBs, announced today that its edgeBOX™ solution is being deployed by Portugal Telecom for the Portuguese Ministry of Education’s initiative to execute one of the world’s largest “Digital School” modernization efforts. The edgeBox will support the “Schools Local Area Networks Initiative” in 1,220 Portuguese schools.

The Portugal Telecom led consortia won the Portuguese Ministry of Education bid for the first phase of the ambitious Government program to roll out Ethernet and Wi-Fi local area networks, network services and network management to all high schools in Portugal. The program will subsequently provide Portuguese schools with a number of communications and IT services including e-learning, school/class management, scheduling, training and certification.

Portugal Telecom is a global telecommunications operator and the Portuguese market leader. The company’s activity covers every segment of the telecommunications sector: fixed, mobile, multimedia, data and corporate solutions. Portugal Telecom Group is listed on the Lisbon and New York Stock Exchanges. It serves about 35 million domestic and international clients.

“The edgeBOX solution was selected by Portugal Telecom in a highly competitive bid”, stated João Carreira, CEO, Critical Links. “Schools worldwide are increasingly requiring a sophisticated IT and Telecom infrastructure to provide an enriching learning environment without the usual costs associated with supporting such an infrastructure. The edgeBOX precisely addresses this requirement – delivering the functionality at the lowest price point. In addition, the edgeBOX delivers high scalability, and flexibility, protecting the investment for years to come. The edgeBOX also offers education specific edgePACKs – value-added applications for a learning environment that are integrated with other functions. Altogether, we strongly believe that the edgeBOX offers unparalleled value to the education vertical. We are excited by this opportunity to demonstrate that.”

As a single box solution, edgeBOX features advanced networking technologies normally only found in much larger and more expensive systems, including an IP-PBX, VoIP gateway, WiFi access point, 3G broadband support and the latest security systems. Services such as DHCP, NAT and DNS enable seamless integration with any type of network and simplify administration tasks. WiFi support also enables instant deployment of integrated network hot-spots and of LANs at “Greenfield” sites. Remote management is achieved through a single web-based, user-friendly interface, which controls all the features of edgeBOX and can be accessed on-site or remotely by a dedicated team in a central location. The edgeBOX is available on a range of scalable platforms.

About Critical Links
Critical Links is a pioneer delivering innovative Information & Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure solutions for Schools 2.0 – the next generation of Schools.

Critical Links’ flagship product, the edgeBOX™, is an award-winning multi-function gateway appliance that includes VoIP/IP-PBX, VPNs, security, NAC, QoS and a WiFi access point as well as a fax server, web server, e-mail server, print server and data storage. It is available on a range of hardware platforms that support up to 300 users, with different form factors and a host of broadband interfaces such as BRI/PRI(T1/E1), FX0/FXS, Ethernet, etc. Critical Links typically serves SMBs through a global network of VARs, System Integrators, OEMs and Service Providers. For more information: www.critical-links.com/PR or info@critical-links.com.

For more information, contact: