Siemens Enterprise Communications Delivers UC Via Simple Software Upgrade to SMBs

OpenScape® Office Application Suite for the HiPath® 3000 Helps SMBs’ Efforts to Address Hidden Communications Costs, Improve Efficiency and Maintain Competitive Advantage
 
MUNICH, GERMANY – May 26, 2009 – Siemens Enterprise Communications, a premier provider of business communications solutions, announced today that OpenScape Office UC application suite is now available on its HiPath 3000 converged voice system, complete with fully-integrated, presence-enabled contact center functionality. This latest addition to Siemens’ award-winning OpenScape Unified Communications Portfolio can allow SMBs to leverage UC to help improve customer service levels and maintain a competitive edge – even in the midst of the global economic crisis. This solution is also designed to help SMBs address hidden communications costs recently highlighted in a global report* by SIS International Research on SMB adoption of UC. The study showed companies of 100 employees could be wasting more than $500,000 (€ 390,000) each year by not addressing these hidden costs and estimated that up to 20 percent of these costs can be eliminated through UC.
Global report

The scalability of the OpenScape Office UC application, first introduced on the HiPath OpenOffice® ME last year, has now been increased, so that organizations of up to 384 users can access easy-to-use voice and conferencing services, presence, mobility, voicemail, messaging, and contact center capabilities. Because OpenScape Office now operates on Siemens’ award-winning HiPath 3000 platform, UC can now be deployed through a simple software upgrade across Internet Protocol (IP), TDM and analog environments, giving Siemens’ customers more flexibility in migrating to UC.

OpenScape Office on the HiPath 3000 can utilize the powerful capabilities of UC designed to address challenges facing SMBs. Key features include:

• Integrated presence designed to tackle problems associated with inefficient coordination and waiting for information by enabling individuals to easily view co-worker availability for a phone call or an ad-hoc teleconference.
• Contact center functionality, including call routing capability, designed to allow SMBs to deliver accelerated levels of customer service, consequently reducing customer complaints.
• AutoAttendant and Call Journal functions designed to significantly decrease unwanted calls that can hamper employee productivity.
• Mobility features designed to address the demands of today’s on-the-go workforce by breaking down barriers to collaboration, making it possible for employees to work and collaborate, whether at the office or from a remote location.

“We’ve worked with Siemens’ technology for a number of years. This latest version of HiPath 3000 is significantly different from our previous telephone infrastructure, but we are delighted with the additional benefits that the new generation equipment brings,” said Richard Monk, Managing Director, MG Owners Club Ltd. “The integrated call center works very well and the support we’ve received in terms of training has really helped improve productivity and efficiency in our office.”

Inherent to its Open Communications strategy is Siemens’ commitment to providing its customers with standards- and software-based business communications. This premise can provide companies with a way to mitigate risk and maintain lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), when deploying unified communications. In addition, Siemens Enterprise Communications OpenPath migration approach makes it possible for customers to migrate to UC at their own pace and within virtually any existing communications environment.

“OpenScape Office truly democratizes UC by bringing enterprise-class functionality to a broader range of customers. Unified communications is no longer just for SMBs with IP environments,” said Martin Northend, Director SME Solutions Marketing, Siemens Enterprise Communications. “For our existing installed base of approximately 500,000 HiPath 3000 customers, we can now offer a simple and more affordable software upgrade to UC with little or no CAPEX required. For prospective customers wishing to improve their existing communications infrastructure, we can provide an open, standards-based and more cost-effective path to UC.”

In order to help SMBs quantify the potential of UC in addressing these hidden costs, Siemens has developed an online Cut Costs Calculator.

To learn more about the benefits of UC and OpenScape Office, please visit our Web site.

• Open Communications
• OpenPath
• Cut Costs Calculator
• our Web site

 
About Siemens Enterprise Communications
 
Siemens Enterprise Communications is a premier provider of end-to-end enterprise communications, including voice, network infrastructure and security solutions that use open, standards-based architectures to unify communications and business applications for a seamless collaboration experience. This award-winning "Open Communications" approach enables organizations to improve productivity and reduce costs through easy-to-deploy solutions that work within existing IT environments, delivering operational efficiencies. It is the foundation for the company's OpenPath® commitment that enables customers to mitigate risk and cost-effectively adopt unified communications. Jointly owned by The Gores Group and Siemens AG, Siemens Enterprise Communications companies include Siemens Enterprise Communications, Cycos, and Enterasys Networks.

For more information about Siemens Enterprise Communications or Enterasys please visit www.siemens-enterprise.com or www.enterasys.com.

Note: Siemens Enterprise Communications & Co K.G. is a trademark licensee of Siemens AG. HiPath, OpenOffice, OpenScape and OpenStage, are registered trademarks of Siemens Enterprise Communications & Co K.G. or its affiliates. All other company, brand, product and service names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

This release contains forward-looking statements based on beliefs of Siemens’ management. The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "forecast," "expect," "intend," "plan," "should," and "project" are used to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the company's current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause the actual results to be materially different, including, among others, changes in general economic and business conditions, changes in currency exchange rates and interest rates, introduction of competing products, lack of acceptance of new products or services and changes in business strategy. Actual results may vary materially from those projected here. Siemens does not intend or assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

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