Siemens Enterprise Communications Expands Unified Communications and Collaboration with Cloud Solutions

Siemens Enterprise Communications has recently introduced the OpenScape Cloud Solutions, a group of cloud-based communications offerings to provide enterprises of all sizes with simple, cheap, and reliable unified communications and collaboration. It includes unique applications that are intended to simplify user experiences and integrate with business processes for fast adoption, flexible deployment, and various consumption options.

OpenScape Cloud Solutions is built on the capacities of OpenScape Voice, OpenScape UC, and OpenScape Web Collaboration. It reinforces the power of an open architecture, as well as a virtualized, multi-tenant software approach. Siemens’ primary offering, OpenScape Cloud Services, offers flexible deployment options along with the reliability and security of a private cloud. Among the offerings are a standard set of defined packages and options, making it easy for partners and customers to adopt cloud offerings tailored to their needs, while capable of adapting and growing with their requirements, limiting the risks and costs that many UCC deployments have.

Among the OpenScape Cloud Solutions are OpenScape Cloud Services, OpenScape Mobile UC Client for Android, and OpenScape Fusion for Google Apps. The services are designed in cooperation with a variety of reseller partners, refining the offering and ensuring that it meets the customers' needs.

According to Blair Pleasant of UCStrategies, “Siemens’ OpenScape offerings can now be available to customers in a premise, hybrid, or cloud model. Siemens is offering a true multitenant solution, with end-to-end encryption, at a cost-effective price, letting customers get the capabilities they need - from basic voice to full UC.” She adds, “The cloud services will be totally channel delivered, and Siemens is giving its channel partner lots of flexibility in how they want to price and package the solution, while making it economically beneficial for them to sell these services. Many of Siemens competitors haven’t made selling hosted services financially attractive to their channel partners, but Siemens realizes that the channel is key to success in this area and is providing the right incentives, which should result in more sales.”

The key elements of OpenScape Cloud Solutions will be made available in the second quarter of 2011 in the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands, while it will be made available in additional countries in coming quarters.

For more information, visit www.siemens-enterprise.com.