Unify Launches 'New Way to Work Global Ambassador Program' Honoring Business Leaders who Challenge the Status Quo

ORLANDO, Fla., March 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Enterprise Connect -- Unify, formerly Siemens Enterprise Communications, today announced the launch of the "New Way to Work Global Ambassador Program." The program honors leaders who have recognized the impact of global trends on today's business, have prioritized new strategies for communications and collaboration and are successfully navigating the changing technology business landscape to embrace the New Way to Work (#NW2W).

Unify announced Jerry Sullivan, vice president and chief information officer of Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC—The Reliable One), as the Global Ambassador Program's first honoree and a true champion of the New Way to Work. The announcement and award presentation were made at Enterprise Connect, the industry's premier conference and exhibition on enterprise communications and collaboration.

"I'm honored to represent my team at OUC as a New Way to Work Global Ambassador," Sullivan said. "In our business environment, there's no room for error. We take our reputation as 'The Reliable One' very seriously, and our customers have high standards for the level of service we provide. Our commitment to our customers is what empowers us to improve our business communications and collaborations systems and think further ahead to build seamless business processes."

Sullivan and his OUC team are helping lead OUC's smart grid initiatives with the implementation of a Meter Data Management system and the full conversion to digital electric and water meters.

Sullivan is one of about 1,100 employees who help ensure OUC maintains the level of service to which customers have been accustomed. With more than 230,000 customers to serve throughout the cities of Orlando, St. Cloud, and portions of unincorporated Orange County and Osceola County, efficiency and mobility is key when it comes to responding to customers anytime, anywhere. With the help of Sullivan's forward-thinking leadership and armed with the technology that supports the new way to work in today's multi-device, multi-platform environment, OUC has implemented customer-centric voice technology features and applications geared toward making payments, reporting outages, trimming trees, reading meters and halting services. The new systems help OUC reduce expenses in an effort to keep utility and water rates stable, and keep customers happy, maintaining its high standard as one of the nation's most reliable utilities.

The New Way to Work Global Ambassador Program honors today's business leaders who invest in research, technology and partnerships to develop innovative solutions for the future of work. As business leaders like Sullivan continue to prioritize new strategies for communications, collaborative systems and IT infrastructure, Unify is committed to honoring companies and individuals who are championing the New Way to Work.

"Jerry Sullivan and OUC represent the champions who are leading and meeting the opportunities ahead, with a consistent record of innovative expansion and service delivery improvements to meet the demands of communications and collaborations in our multi-device, multi-platform world," said Steve Shanck, general manager, North America, of Unify. "We are proud to name Jerry our first Global New Way to Work Ambassador."

For more information about the New Way to Work Global Ambassador Program, visit the NW2W hub at www.unify.com/nw2w.

About Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC—The Reliable One)
Established in 1923 by a special act of the Florida Legislature, OUC—The Reliable One – is the second largest municipal utility in Florida. OUC provides electric and water services to about 230,000 customers in Orlando, St. Cloud and parts of unincorporated Orange and Osceola counties.

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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SOURCE Unify