Sonic Foundry Celebrates its 1000th Higher Education Customer

MADISON, Wis., March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sonic Foundry, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFO), the trusted market leader for lecture capture, enterprise and event webcasting, today celebrated the shipment of Mediasite to its milestone 1000th higher education customer. The Richard Ivey School of Business (Ivey) in Ontario, Canada has selected Mediasite for its new high tech, $110 million business school which is scheduled for completion in late spring 2013.  

The school is located on the campus of Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. Mediasite will be installed in all 20 classrooms plus the 640-seat auditorium in the 270,000-square-foot glass and stone building. The project will use Mediasite to seamlessly webcast classroom discussions, speakers, student competitions and special events for alumni and the business community worldwide. Academic webcasting with Mediasite allows faculty, students and alumni to create instant knowledge archives for online learning, continuing education and professional development.

"Our technology is there to serve the needs of teaching. We were seeking technology that would enhance human interaction but be in the classroom background. We want to capture classes and also allow professors to observe their teaching afterwards to gauge the quality of interaction between students," said Peter Scheyen, director of IT at the Richard Ivey School of Business.

Case-Method Learning is the foundation of the Ivey's degree and executive programs-- a powerful decision-making approach that develops global business leaders. Each case provides the student with an opportunity to stand in the shoes of the decision-maker, analyzing the business issue presented, making judgments and determining a course of action. Ivey is the only business school in Canada that uses this method, and now, with Mediasite, those discussions will be captured and archived for review.

In addition, the Mediasite webcasting platform will allow the school to live stream guest lectures by invited speakers in New York and Ontario.

"Video production at Ivey is doubling every year, and we'll discover even more ways to enhance learning and teaching results with Mediasite," Scheyen said. "In the past we've burned 1,000 DVDs of case competitions, guest speakers and teaching materials in a year to distribute those class sessions to students. Having the ability to send a link to the session instead supports our vision of being an environmentally sustainable school."

"Sonic Foundry is honored that 1,000 colleges and universities around the globe are now using Mediasite and we're proud to have this milestone marked by our new work with the Richard Ivey School of Business," said Gary Weis, CEO of Sonic Foundry. "The school's enterprise-installation of Mediasite is an example of the growing demand for lecture-capture technology, and it is rewarding to be a part of this exciting new facility that will enhance professional development and student learning, while at the same time support their green initiatives and reduce costs."

Mediasite by Sonic Foundry is the trusted market leader for enterprise webcasting, hybrid events and lecture capture. Chosen by more than 1,000 colleges and universities, the patented Mediasite webcasting and video content management system quickly and cost-effectively automates the capture, management, delivery and search of live and on-demand streaming videos and rich media presentations that combine video with slides.

About The Richard Ivey School of Business
The Richard Ivey School of Business at Western Ontario is Canada's leading provider of relevant, innovative and comprehensive business education. Drawing on extensive research and business experience, Ivey faculty provide the best classroom experience, equipping graduates with the skills and capabilities they need to tackle the leadership challenges in today's complex business world. Ivey offers world-renowned undergraduate and graduate degree programs as well as Executive Development at campuses in London (Ontario), Toronto, Hong Kong, and Mumbai. Visit www.ivey.ca.

About Sonic Foundry®, Inc.
Sonic Foundry (NASDAQ: SOFO, www.sonicfoundry.com) is the trusted market leader for enterprise webcasting and lecture capture, providing video communication solutions for education, business and government. Powered by the patented Mediasite webcasting platform and Mediasite Events group, the company empowers people to transform the way they communicate online, using video webcasts to bridge time and distance, accelerate research and improve performance. Product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of Sonic Foundry, Inc. or their respective owners.

Certain statements contained in this news release regarding matters that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Because such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, uncertainties pertaining to continued market acceptance for Sonic Foundry's products, its ability to succeed in capturing significant revenues from media services and/or systems, the effect of new competitors in its market, integration of acquired business and other risk factors identified from time to time in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Sonic Foundry, Inc.