Siemens Enterprise Communications Expands UCC Deployment Options with OpenScape Cloud Solutions

ORLANDO, Fla., March 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Advancing its vision of ubiquitous access via cloud, federated social collaboration and anywhere seamless mobility, Siemens Enterprise Communications today introduced OpenScape Cloud Solutions, a range of innovative cloud-based communication offerings to deliver simple, reliable and affordable unified communications and collaboration (UCC) to enterprises of all sizes. OpenScape Cloud Solutions includes unique applications designed to simplify the user experience and improve integration with business processes to speed adoption, with flexible deployment and consumption options.

OpenScape Cloud Solutions, built on the capabilities of OpenScape Voice, OpenScape UC and OpenScape Web Collaboration, reinforce the power of an open architecture and a virtualized, multi-tenant software approach.  Hosted in best-in-class third-party data centers, OpenScape Cloud Services, the primary offering of OpenScape Cloud Solutions, offer the reliability and security of a private cloud with more flexible, affordable deployment options. Since these offerings include a standard set of defined packages and options, it is easy for partners and customers to adopt tailored cloud offerings quickly with OpenScape Cloud Services and then adapt and grow as requirements change. This limits both the risks and costs associated with many UCC deployments.

"OpenScape Cloud Services is the next logical step in our vision to provide open, software-based enterprise communications," said Chris Hummel, President, North America and CMO of Siemens Enterprise Communications. "With this offering, enterprises no longer have to make the difficult trade-off between simplicity and cost-effectiveness or reliability and comprehensive leading-edge UCC solutions. Plus, our partners now have a low-risk way to rapidly grow their business with a robust, differentiated solution."

OpenScape Cloud Solutions include:

• OpenScape Cloud Services, available exclusively via reseller partners, are based on Siemens Enterprise Communications' own award winning communications applications: OpenScape Voice, OpenScape UC and OpenScape Web Collaboration, hosted in third party data centers. Channel partners will contract with end customers, ordering and delivering devices and any on-site provisioning of gateways, other equipment and maintenance. User connectivity and voice minutes will be provided by selected carrier partners.

• OpenScape Mobile UC Client for Android, featuring new OpenScape Communication Gestures will support the innovative Call Swipe Gesture to seamlessly transfer calls-in-progress to other devices with intuitive hand gestures on a touch screen interface. This is the first step in a new paradigm of interaction with next-generation communications apps and devices – e.g. accessing presence, messaging, call-control and collaboration capabilities.

• OpenScape Fusion for Google Apps delivers integration plug-ins for the Google Apps suite, enabling unified communications capabilities such as click to call and launching voice, video and web conferences directly from within the Google cloud-based applications. The combined rich feature set of OpenScape UC Application with Google Mail and Calendar enriches the user experience, and improves productivity.

Because successful cloud offerings depend on both robust technology and a positive user experience, Siemens Enterprise Communications worked with key partners to ensure the highest quality and usability for the solution. For example, industrial design specialists Ideo were instrumental in helping to create a new access and subscription portal for users that also automates provisioning. Additionally, OpenScape Cloud Services have been designed in cooperation with a number of key reseller partners to refine the offering and ensure it would meet the needs of their customers, including BlackBox (US), Mr.Net and Telefonbau Schneider (Germany), and Trends ICT Group, onecentral and Televersal (Netherlands).

"We are pleased to work with Siemens Enterprise Communications to introduce unified communications as a service via the OpenScape Cloud Services Platform," said Brian Jones, Vice President at Black Box Network Services.  "We believe that they have the right underlying technology for the Cloud, owning both the voice technology and the integrated UC applications. We like their exclusive focus on the channel and the way they packaged the services and applications, making the solution easy for us to market and white label. Siemens provided us with a pre-integrated, secure solution, rather than providing us with components, leaving us to figure out how to build them into a service."

The key elements of OpenScape Cloud Solutions will be available in 2Q 2011 in the United States, Germany and the Netherlands, with availability in additional countries in the coming quarters. For more information, please visit http://www.siemens-enterprise.com/.

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 the 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.

SOURCE Siemens Enterprise Communications