ShoreTel Begins Field Trial of Unified Communications Plug-In for IBM Lotus Sametime

Extends Unified Communications for IBM Collaboration Tools


ORLANDO, FL--(Marketwire - January 19, 2009) - LOTUSPHERE -- ShoreTel® (NASDAQ: SHOR), a leading provider of Pure IP Unified Communications (UC) solutions, today announced that it has begun field trials of the ShoreTel plug-in for IBM Lotus Sametime.

ShoreTel announced in March 2008 it was working with IBM to integrate technologies that allow customers to access ShoreTel's powerful IP telephony features from within their Lotus Sametime application. Customers interested in leveraging this integration can now apply to participate in the field trial by sending an email to fieldtrials@shoretel.com.

The ShoreTel plug-in includes call control and management features of ShoreTel's award-winning ShoreWare Call Manager end-user application suite. With the plug-in for Lotus Sametime, companies can integrate voice capabilities throughout their IBM Lotus collaboration applications, providing new ways to increase productivity and collaboration without requiring users to learn a new program or change their habits. The combined solution is easy to deploy, easy to manage and easy to use, and offers unmatched reliability. ShoreTel will preview the capabilities of the plug-in at this year's Lotusphere 2009 conference, January 18-22 at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, Orlando, Fla. in the Foundation lab and on the exhibit floor in booth #622.

"The ShoreTel plug-in for Lotus Sametime provides customers with more options for integrating our wide range of unified communications capabilities with their core business processes to increase employee productivity and collaboration throughout the enterprise," said Mark Arman, vice president of business development at ShoreTel. "Our ongoing work with IBM reflects our deep commitment to delivering the communications solutions enterprises need to remain competitive, while ensuring an optimal customer experience."

The ShoreTel plug-in adds the following key capabilities for Lotus Sametime users:

--  Telephony presence - System users can see when another person on the
    system is on a call.
--  Click to dial, call by name - Users can easily place a call by
    selecting a name in the Lotus Sametime or IBM Lotus Notes and Domino
    directories.
--  Telephony control at a click - Telephony features, such as hold,
    transfer and conference, become intuitively easy.
--  Integrated call stack - Users can manage multiple calls from within
    the Lotus Sametime user interface.
    

The ShoreTel plug-in requires ShoreWare CSTA server, ShoreTel 7.5 or above, and IBM Lotus Sametime 8.0.1. Lotus Notes and Domino 8.0 is required for the click-to-dial capability from within Lotus Notes and Domino.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to, statements relating to the successful field trials of the ShoreTel plug-in for IBM Lotus Sametime. ShoreTel makes no commitment regarding the potential roll out and timing of commercial services based on the ShoreTel plug-in that is being trialed.

About ShoreTel, Inc.

ShoreTel, Inc. (NASDAQ: SHOR) is a leading provider of Pure IP Unified Communications solutions. ShoreTel enables companies of any size to seamlessly integrate all communications -- voice, video, messaging and data -- with their business processes. Independent of device or location, ShoreTel's distributed software architecture eliminates the traditional costs, complexity and reliability issues typically associated with other solutions. ShoreTel continues to deliver the highest levels of customer satisfaction, ease of use and manageability, while driving down the overall total cost of ownership. ShoreTel is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and has regional offices in the United Kingdom, Sydney, Australia and Munich, Germany. For more information, visit www.shoretel.com or call 1-877-80SHORE.

IBM, Lotus, Notes, Domino, Sametime and Lotusphere are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries or both. Other company, product and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

Contact Information: Press Contact: Rachel Shelton Eastwick Communications Tel: +650-480-4069 rshelton@eastwick.com Booth #622