Oct. 14, 2009 (PR Newswire) --

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The First American Corporation's employees will be able to more effectively collaborate while reducing travel costs and helping to meet environmental goals -- all by using a lifelike, immersive video collaboration technology, known as Cisco TelePresence(TM), provided by Verizon Business.

Under a new agreement that expands and deepens its long-standing relationship with The First American Corporation, the largest U.S. provider of business information, Verizon Business has deployed Cisco TelePresence rooms at First American's Santa Ana, Calif., corporate headquarters, as well as locations in Westlake, Texas, and Bangalore, India. Immersive video goes far beyond traditional video conferencing by replicating face-to-face interaction so realistically that it feels as though everyone is in the same room, even though they may be thousands of miles apart. The Cisco TelePresence solution will run over a modern Verizon Private IP network based on multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) previously deployed by Verizon Business, providing First American with yet another way to leverage the power of IP.

(To listen to an audio podcast on The First American Corporation's use of advanced collaboration technology, go to: http://www.verizonbusiness.com/resources/media/index.xml?urlid=130351.)

"With employees spanning the world, technology plays a key role in driving our productivity and facilitating high-impact interactions while taking advantage of the global clock," said Evan Jafa, chief technology officer, The First American Corporation "We worked closely with Verizon Business to put together an effective immersive video solution that addresses our specific needs and is helping to transform the way we do business. Going forward, First American plans to incorporate an additional component to its program that would offer employees on extended projects the opportunity to keep in touch with family members overseas through telepresence."

Under various agreements, Verizon Business provides a variety of voice and data services to First American including Private IP, audio and net conferencing, voice over IP and IP trunking, as well as managed security services, a variety of professional consulting services, and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) contact center services for customer care.

Verizon, in a separate announcement Wednesday (Oct.