UK organisations demand managed unified communications, poll reveals
Over half (56 per cent) of UK organisations advocate a managed service when introducing a unified communication system, a poll by Siemens Enterprise Communications reveals.

LONDON, UK, March 14, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Desire to reap benefits of unified communications (UC) is evident

UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS 09, OLYMPIA, LONDON, UK:- Over half (56 per cent) of UK organisations advocate a managed service when introducing a unified communication system, a poll by Siemens Enterprise Communications reveals. Carried out at today's Unified Communications 09 show at London's Olympia, Siemens representatives canvassed 100 communications professionals attending the annual event to gauge current market perceptions and buying behaviour.

This demand for managed UC services indicates UK plc's desire to implement technology in a planned and financially viable way. This can be achieved by shifting capital expenditure into operating expenditure, coupled with a predictable pricing model - imperative in the current economic climate. Opting for a managed service also allows organisations access to skilled UC professionals, alleviates pressure on the IT team and enhances business continuity.

Says Tim Bishop, director of strategy, Siemens Enterprise Communications: "Organisations are rightly assessing the benefits of unified communications and the commercial proposition that a managed UC service can deliver. They want to work with a partner that understands the technology and its benefits, who can also implement and deliver on a managed service basis."

As UK organisations continue to focus on the most efficient ways to support the business, the most likely justifications for considering UC in 2009 are increased productivity (24 per cent of responses) and reduced cost (19 per cent). Improved customer service (15 per cent) and less travel (14 per cent) followed closely behind. Seven per cent of respondents are also actively making video calls.

The biggest selling points for UC as a technology were identified as flexible mobile working (25 per cent or responses) and a single number for all contact (19 per cent). A further 12 per cent of responses suggested the best thing about UC was the ability to integrate the technology into an existing communications platform.

Just over half (51 per cent) of organisations are using unified communications (UC) system in some capacity and 17 per cent of organisations are using a full unified communications system. Fifty one per cent of organisations believe that UC capabilities will be standard in the enterprise before 2012.


About Siemens Enterprise Communications Group (SEN Group)

The SEN Group is a premier provider of enterprise communications solutions. More than 14,000 employees in 80 countries carry on the tradition of voice and data excellence started more than 160 years ago with Werner von Siemens and the invention of the pointer telegraph. Today the company leads the market with its "Open Communications" approach that enables teams working within any IT infrastructure to improve productivity through a unified collaboration experience. SEN Group is a joint venture between the private equity firm, The Gores Group, and Siemens AG and incorporates Siemens Enterprise Communications, Enterasys Networks, SER Solutions, Cycos and iSEC. In fiscal 2008, The SEN Group generated revenues of approximately 3.21 billion Euros.

www.siemens.com/open

For further information, please contact the Siemens Enterprise Communications press office at Chameleon PR:

Jenny Sneyd / Simon Burberry
Siemens@chameleonpr.com
+44 20 7680 5500

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