About Unify

A short history

Unified Communications

Published: January 9, 2017

Rob Scott

Rob Scott

Publisher

A member of the Atos family, Unify combines the long-term reputation that Atos have held in the IT services market with a new innovation in unified collaboration and communication to offer customers a seamless solution in services for their complete digital portfolio.

As one of the world’s leading companies in communications software and services, Unify provides integrated communication services for around 75% of the current Fortune Global 500. Their solutions unify a range of devices, networks, and applications into a single, simplified platform that allows teams to stay connected on the move. Over the years, Unify have built a strong reputation for innovation, reliability, and impressive standards.

The History of Unify

Though it’s headquarters can be found in Germany, Unify is present in over 100 countries, offering  unified communications that include web collaboration, voice, video conferencing and networking services. Until the 21st of January, 2016, Unify was held as a joint venture between Siemens AG, and the Gores Group, which means that much of the history of Unify actually encompasses the history of Siemens.

Siemens communications can trace its origins back to Werner von Siemens, who founded the original company in October of 1847. The first invention produced by Siemens was the pointer telegraph, and during the end of the nineteenth century the company was responsible for building huge long-distance telegraph lines between London and Calcutta, and various other regions. Within the initial half of the 20th century, the company engaged in several spin-offs and mergers which led to the development of three separate companies. The original company – which was Siemens and Halske, placed it’s concentration largely on communication engineering. It wasn’t until the late 1970s when Siemens began to focus on information and communication technology, and in 1978, the Siemens Communication Systems collaboration was born. During 1985, that division was separated into two segments: the Siemens Communication systems for computer-related products and PBX, and the System for public network products.

When the globalisation era of 1990 emerged, the two divisions began to make acquisitions. By 1989, the PBX division had purchased ROLM from IBM. In the same year, the company took a 40% stake in GEC-Plessey Telecommunications. During late 1998, Siemens underwent a major restructuring process which broke it into four main divisions, including industry, rail systems, power generation, and information and communications. The Siemens Communication sector was focused entirely on internet-based networks, as many experts had predicted that traffic volume globally for the internet would soon surpass voice telephony traffic. When March 2002 rolled around, the Siemens Communication sector was split into two business units: one for fixed networks and one for mobile networks. Finally, in October 2013, Siemens Enterprise Communications was re-branded as Unify officially.

In November 2015, Atos announced their decision to purchase Unify from Siemens and the Gores Group for 340 million euros, an acquisition which finally came about in 2016.

Unify Product and Service Portfolio

At its core, Unify is a communications company that deploys, develops, and manages unified communications, security, network infrastructure, and professional services for businesses of all shapes and sizes.

Unify’s portfolio is sufficiently diversified to provide organisations with a range of communications tools for rich conversations throughout channels, media, and platforms for collaboration. With cloud at their centre, Unify have been able to deliver a seamless and highly secure UCaaS network with solutions for unifying video, data, and voice networks. Thanks to Unify, new businesses are constantly finding ways to communicate and collaborate at anytime, anywhere.

The primary product brands for Unify are currently:

  • OpenScape – unified communication applications
  • HiPath – converged enterprise communications
  • Circuit – SaaS team communications

OpenScape was originally announced with Microsoft in 2003, and the company’s services cover professional services, managed services, and maintenance or support services. OpenScape has also scored in the Leader’s Quadrant for the Gartner’s Magic Quadrant survey results for UC and voice. The OpenScape UC was awarded with the highest rating in Enterprise Connects UC RFP session for 2012 and 2013.

Over the years, the new developments that Unify have brought into the world of collaboration and telecommunications have helped to transform the way enterprises across the world communicate with each other. Their aim has always been to promote a collective effort for energising businesses, improving business performance, and enhancing employee satisfaction.

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