BASKING RIDGE, N.J. -- Verizon's Computing as a Service (CaaS) has been selected by Light Reading magazine as one of its 2009 Top Picks in the business services category (fixed or wireless).

Light Reading editors chose award winners from around the world after weeks of discussion with readers, analysts and industry sources regarding which communications technologies, services and products would shape the industry over the next 12 months.

Phil Harvey, Light Reading's editor-in-chief, said, "Congratulations to all the companies and individuals who were selected as this year's Top Picks. The Top Picks were chosen by Light Reading's editors because they embody the trends that we believe are really pushing the communications industry forward."

With regard to CaaS, Harvey noted that he is "definitely seeing a trend with all the big telcos wanting to provide the connection to the network, equipment to get you on the network, the apps to run on the network, and the storage to lock away the work created by using all those apps. Verizon seems to have packaged and marketed the capabilities better than anyone else to date."

With regard to CaaS, Harvey noted that he is "definitely seeing a trend with all the big telcos wanting to provide the connection to the network, equipment to get you on the network, the apps to run on the network, and the storage to lock away the work created by using all those apps. Verizon seems to have packaged and marketed the capabilities better than anyone else to date."

Joe Crawford, Verizon executive director, IT Solutions, said, "This award illustrates how Verizon Business, through our innovation and vision, is changing the way enterprises use IT resources. Backed by our world-class security and performance, enterprises can now use the cloud to deliver even their most critical business applications."

Verizon's CaaS Offers Exceptional Performance and Security

Verizon launched its Computing as a Service (CaaS) solution in June with a focus on delivering exceptional performance and security for enterprises. With CaaS, businesses and government agencies can take advantage of cloud (IP-based) computing to more efficiently and securely manage IT resources - server, network and storage.

Available in the U.S., Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, this service - which leverages Verizon Business' world-class IP infrastructure and data centers - enables mid-market and large companies to use a Web-based portal to employ computing resources in the quantities and duration dictated by their business needs. As a result, businesses pay only for the resources used and avoid having to build out peak capacity requirements by buying new equipment and adding staff.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ)