Siemens launches unified communications appliance for SMEs

Dubbed HiPath OpenOffice ME, it features intuitive presence-aware management and ‘drag-and-drop’ conferencing, providing SMEs with useful productivity and collaboration tools to optimise both internal and external communications. Additionally, the system has been engineered to be installed in just a few hours, says the company, with no additional devices, applications or accessories for channel partners to stock, purchase and install. Siemens makes the point that the new system solves problems such as ‘phone-tag’ and eliminates the effort of setting up multi-part conference calls. “To bring HiPath OpenOffice ME to market, we took a new and open approach to meet the needs of smaller businesses and the channels serving them,” explains Martin Northend, director of SME Marketing, Siemens Enterprise Communications. “Siemens is launching a winning product in the HiPath OpenOffice ME,” says Jim Robertson, commercial director, MTV Telecom. “Not only did they design and engineer it for the needs of the small and medium-sized businesses we serve, but also for our needs to sell, service and support our customers efficiently and effectively. It’s a pre-installed and end-to-end solution for our customers as well as for us.”