Applications for mobile business

Depressed IT spend and tough market conditions have left senior managers of companies wondering about the return on investment they are getting on hefty capital investments in IT.

Companies - both large and small - are looking for affordable and comprehensive solutions. They want companies that can improve efficiencies, slash the cost base, build on existing platforms and provide seamless migration to the world of IP telephony and mobility, rather than replacing hardware.

Global leader in digital switching and voice/data integration, Siemens Information and Communications Group (I and C Group) believes it has the strategy to migrate companies to the next generation, in which the virtual office environment is becoming a reality.

The multinational today launched wave two of HiPath, its convergence architecture for next generation enterprise IP communications, in Johannesburg.

HiPath strengthens business-to-business and business-to-consumer communications by allowing a company's existing voice and data applications to globally interoperate over all networks. It is based on open standards and distributed architectures.

HiPath offers a range of applications to optimise communication between staff, with business partners and with customers. Siemens' offerings focus on three segments: eCRM (electronic Customer Relationship Management), mobile business and collaboration business demands.

Since the launch of the first wave of HiPath in February this year, Siemens I and C Group has locally paved the way for expanding many of today's solutions for business process optimisation.

Andre van der Merwe, a spokesman on HiPath from the Enterprises business unit at Siemens said: "The convergence of voice communications onto IP-based networks holds a great deal of promise, improves integration of e-commerce and conventional business processes, streamlines network management and simplifies access for remote and mobile users.

"But how do you safely move your most reliable applications to new technologies? How do you know when it is safe to make the switch? How do you implement advanced (costly) business solutions needed today in the face of changing infrastructure? And will it all be worth while?"

Van der Merwe said these are the types of practical and realistic questions facing many businesses today. It is for these reasons Siemens workshops the needs of a business before advising on a convergence strategy. This requires intensive analysis, consulting and integrated solution proposals.

Globally, Siemens has already installed HiPath at Ford Europe, Lund University in Sweden, and many tertiary institutions around the world, beating rivals Cisco and 3Com.

Commenting on the South African launch, Hilton Loewenstein, the managing director of the Enterprises business unit, said the roll-out of the HiPath suite of products would proceed into 2002, with the focus on bringing software applications to the market.

He said some customers are choosing a "wait and see" approach, while others insist on being at the "cutting-edge" of the new technologies. "Many of our customers have recently introduced totally new business processes that require complete integration of their voice and data environments. This is particularly relevant in the CRM area where call centres, IT and PABX solutions must be merged."

Commenting on business unit initiatives, Loewenstein said: "We have defined a clear strategy going forward, with a particular focus on the convergence market. We have redefined our sales channels to secure optimum market share while ensuring sustained profitability."