Unify Introduces OpenScape 4000, Delivering UC Benefits Today and In the Future

MUNICH and RESTON, Va., Nov. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing to demonstrate market momentum and leadership in converged communications, Unify, formerly known as Siemens Enterprise Communications, today introduced the latest version of its market-leading enterprise communications platform, including key enhancements and new branding, enabling enterprises to take advantage of the new way to work.  The newly-released Version 7 of OpenScape 4000 – known formerly as HiPath 4000 and successfully deployed at over 25,000 customer installations in over 80 countries – includes important new features like One Number service, increased security, and improved UC integration.  Unify also announced that OpenScape 4000 V7 becomes the release level that will provide customers a clear path to Project Ansible, the company's highly-anticipated next-generation communication and collaboration solution.

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OpenScape 4000 is a unified communications solution for enterprises looking to increase workplace productivity and effectiveness while continuing to leverage existing investments in IP and TDM platforms.  As a powerful and highly-available communications solution, it offers a rich set of endpoints, mobility choices, edge solutions, unified communications, and standards-based integration and interoperability with business-critical applications and system.  With over 25 million ports in service, OpenScape 4000 is the industry's proven communications solution.   Key enhancements to OpenScape 4000 V7 include:

• One Number Service (ONS) now available on all devices, including all OpenStage TDM and IP phones, OpenScape UC soft clients,  mobile clients and cordless handsets, making it easier for anywhere workers to stay connected
• Seamless integration with OpenScape UC, making it easier for users to manage their presence status and preferred device list
• Virtualization capabilities, using industry leading VMware vSphere ESXi 5, for use in data center deployments that take advantage of a virtualized architecture (private cloud) lowering total cost of ownership
• Improved security, using OpenScape Cordless Enterprise which reduces the threat of eavesdropping, by providing a new encryption key every minute, for all calls
• Leverages the full business value of the OpenScape Enterprise professional, managed and maintenance services portfolio

Building on the HiPath brand's strong legacy of quality, performance, and customer satisfaction, the OpenScape brand reiterates Unify's commitment to helping customers maximize their technology investment by offering license flexibility with other OpenScape Enterprise voice platforms, while simplifying the company's product portfolio nomenclature.

"Millions of users count on OpenScape technology every day, and the enhancements we are announcing will further enable those anywhere workers to better connect and collaborate, while providing companies with enhanced security and technology to drive down costs," said Eve Aretakis, EVP and head of Products at Unify.  "We are committed to helping all of our customers take full advantage of communications technology that improves business performance and enables the new way to work.  The enhancements in this latest version of OpenScape 4000 underscore that goal."

Unify said that the latest version of OpenScape 4000 will make it even easier for users to further enhance inter- and intra-enterprise communications as well as team collaboration, helping them spend less time orchestrating work and more time doing it.  These goals are consistent with the design principles of the company's next generation solution known as Project Ansible.  Project Ansible leverages secure, dynamic collaboration, universal content aggregation, and a consumer-like, single-pane-of-glass experience that drives adoption and seamless integration into business processes to enhance business performance.  Project Ansible will ultimately integrate into existing communications systems from Unify (and other companies) like the OpenScape 4000.  The company said V7 becomes the base release level for integration to Project Ansible, providing a clear solution roadmap for customers who may choose to upgrade as the new solutions become available.

"As Unify moves towards the path to Project Ansible and the new way to work, it is important that customers get the business benefits of UC today, such as the ability to support mobile workers, easy collaboration between teams across the Enterprise and the ability to reduce latency in decision making. It's also essential that existing customers that have already invested in technology have a simple migration strategy to the future. Customers do not want to get locked into a dead-end architecture," said Tim Banting, Principal Analyst, Collaboration and Communications, Current Analysis. "OpenScape 4000 is an important step in that strategy."

"Unify has truly delivered with the new  release of OpenScape 4000 – comprehensive UC capabilities, virtualization and improved security," said Ralf Staheli, Vice President Enterprise Telephony Business, Swisscom Corporate Business. "In particular, the advanced encryption provided by OpenScape Cordless Enterprise will deliver real benefits to our customers."

"The new capabilities available in OpenScape 4000 version 7 have been a great way for Atos to experience the benefits of a comprehensive UC platform without having to completely rip and replace our existing communications system," said Oliver Vogl, Operational Team Leader for Atos. "One Number Service in particular was something we were looking to add, and it has provided immediate benefits to our users by making it easier to stay in touch even away from the office. The modern architecture supports a variety of flexible deployment models and that is what we were looking for as well."

OpenScape 4000 is available now, directly from Unify and from our global network of partners.

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.

SOURCE Unify