Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) and NEC Corporation have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreement to expand their collaboration to include enterprise unified communications solutions for customers.
Those solutions are intended to help clients integrate multiple data and telecommunications streams to enhance the cost-efficiency of their information networks and improve business collaboration.
As part of this agreement, Unisys will integrate NEC's UNIVERGE(R) IP architecture and solutions into the Unisys Communication and Collaboration (C&C) portfolio that is based on Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Office Communication Server (OCS) and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS).
The collaboration between Unisys and NEC will be showcased at the Unisys Convergence Center of Excellence (CCOE) in Reston, Va. This CCOE also connects Unisys labs and demo centers in Eagan, Minn. and Redmond, Wash. Combining Microsoft technology, Unisys services and NEC solutions, the CCOE makes it possible for enterprise customers to see exactly how their telephony and IP networks will converge into a single unified network that can then be optimized for real-time enterprise collaboration using presence, mobility, conferencing and communication-enabled applications. At the center, customers will be able to experience seamless communications between various NEC endpoints and Microsoft desktop Office applications including Office Communicator 2007.
NEC's UNIVERGE solution is a standards-based, multi-purpose communications platform designed for both IP and converged enterprise networks. It offers advanced IP telephony features, backward compatibility with TDM voice infrastructure, easy-to-use applications for end users and administrators, as well as interoperability with popular third-party enterprise applications, such as Microsoft(R) Office Communications Server.
The C&C Unisys portfolio that will be demonstrated at the CCOE features:
Unified Messaging based on Exchange 2007
Unified Communication based on OCS
Collaboration Services based on MOSS 2007
Convergence Infrastructure Roadmap Workshop
Communication and Collaboration Business Blueprinting
The Unisys C&C portfolio facilitates collaboration across an enterprise by integrating voice, video and data across a range of devices and over a common IP network. The Unisys Infrastructure Roadmap lays out the technology roadmap for an enterprise to achieve the converged network. Through the Unisys portfolio of C&C services, organizations can benefit from more efficient time and task management, converged functionality, and flexible infrastructure, with full data security. Provisioning new mailboxes, secure IM accounts, and telephony stations can all be performed centrally over the same network, regardless of location.
NEC and Unisys have been collaborating on technology research and development, manufacturing, and solutions delivery since early 2006. The new agreement enables the two companies to pursue additional growth opportunities globally.
"This initiative is a testament to our growing relationship with NEC and demonstrates that we have a common goal of maximizing the communication infrastructure and overall productivity of our customers," said Rory Mulvey, director, NEC Alliance, Unisys. "Communications convergence is providing new possibilities for companies to enhance their communications operations. That opens up tremendous opportunities for Unisys and NEC as we work together to create solutions that offer enterprise clients enhanced security, scalability and flexibility."
"The extension of NEC's close alliance with Unisys will greatly benefit the customers who require advanced convergence and collaboration tools for their business operations," said Kazuo Tsuzuki, associate senior vice president of NEC Corporation. "When communications is efficient throughout an enterprise, it has a much greater chance of driving long term success and profitability."
Unisys is developing its Convergence Center of Excellence (CCOE) within its broader network of other COEs and Client Facing Centers. The CCOE features a client facing center for remote demonstration of convergence functionality, with demonstrations for office, home-based and virtual worker scenarios, and an integration center for interoperability testing and customer prototyping. The planned functions at the CCOE include unified messaging mobility, real-time collaboration, IP telephony, IP video, document workflow, and advanced collaboration.-NEC
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