Unify CEO Urges Global Leaders at CeBIT to Develop a Plan of Action for the New Way to Work

HANNOVER, Germany, March 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- CeBIT -- Today in a keynote presentation at CeBIT, Unify CEO Dean Douglas detailed the imperative for business leaders to prioritize communications and collaboration systems and IT infrastructure as they face the challenges and opportunities of the New Way to Work (#NW2W).  As part of his speech, Douglas introduced the Unify New Way to Work Index and unveiled a three point plan of action for CeBIT attendees to lead and meet the opportunities ahead. Douglas joined Unify, formerly Siemens Enterprise Communications, as CEO in January and declared 2014 as the year c-level executives will move communications and collaboration strategies to the top of the priority list. The announcement was made at CeBIT, the world's largest international ICT trade fair, held at Hannover, Germany March 10-14.

In his speech, Douglas discussed the consumerization of IT and how mobility, information, cloud and social are causing disruptive business changes alongside millennials entering the workforce in record numbers.  "No longer are anywhere workers, virtual teams, and consumerization buzz words of interest – the New Way to Work is here, it's the reality of global work today, and c-level executives and IT professionals must be ready to address these topics now," said Douglas.  "Unify has a long history as a communications leader and is in a unique position to serve as a trusted advisor to customers and partners as they create a new strategy for their communications and collaboration systems."

Douglas also unveiled the Unify New Way to Work Index, a continuing marketplace research initiative designed to help companies better understand the best practices of the engaged enterprise and the impact of virtual teams.  The first wave of Index research will focus on remote workers and what makes best teams successful.  In unveiling the latest research results, Douglas reported that only 6 percent of people work on teams where members are all in the same location. Read full details of the Unify New Way to Work Index (www.unify.com/us/nw2windex) and the six habits of highly successful teams on the New Way to Work hub at www.unify.com/nw2w. 

Douglas concluded his keynote by recommending companies begin with a three point action plan for today's leaders to address the New Way to Work. The first step is for companies to put employee engagement as a priority on the leadership's agenda. The second is to outline a technology agenda for the NW2W with a flexible, consumer-like, computing environment. Third, IT leaders and executives need to educate themselves on the New Way to Work and embrace it, and he encourages companies to join the industry conversation about the New Way to Work. 

Unify has created a new resource hub filled with content, data and best practices that leaders can access as they build their New Way to Work strategy. The hub can be accessed at www.unify.com/nw2w.

Unify at CeBIT
Unify is exhibiting at CeBIT 2014 in Hall 13, Booth D38. The  booth not only offers visitors the opportunity to explore the portfolio and immerse themselves in the look and feel of the new Unify brand, but also allows them be whisked away to four different islands where they can experience the working world of today and tomorrow, coming ever closer together – on the train, in the café, at the office and in the home office.

About Unify
Unify—formerly known as Siemens Enterprise Communications—is a premier communications software and services firm. Our solutions unify multiple networks, devices and applications into one easy-to-use platform that allows teams to engage in rich and meaningful conversations. The result is a transformation of how the enterprise communicates and collaborates that amplifies collective effort, energizes the business, and enhances business performance. Born out of the engineering DNA of Siemens AG, Unify builds on this heritage of product reliability, innovation, open standards and security to provide integrated communications solutions for approximately 75% of the Global 500. Unify is a joint venture of The Gores Group and Siemens AG.

This release contains forward-looking statements based on beliefs of Unify's 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. Unify does not intend or assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

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