Siemens ICN
Company: Siemens Information and Communication Networks, Inc.
Company Description: Based in Boca Raton, Fla., Siemens Information and Communication Networks comprises three primary divisions, Enterprise Networks, Carrier Networks and Subscriber Networks which deliver innovative answers to customers seeking to reduce operating costs and grow revenues.
Nomination Category: Company, Office & Product Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best New Product or Service
Nomination Title: Siemens LifeWorks
Tell the story of this nominated product or service (up to 500 words): its function, its features and benefits, and how it differs from competitive offerings. Include in your description the date in 2003 on which this product or service was introduced to the U.S. marketplace:
LifeWorks is a concept for integrating home, business and carrier networks as well
as wired and wireless networks. By leveraging its competitive edge as one of the
leading telecommunications vendors to address the new landscape of business
and personal communications, Siemens seeks to meet the needs for employees
to be accessible and productive across networks, devices and geographies.The core of the LifeWorks concept is the integration of home, business and carrier
networks as well as wired and wireless networks. By integrating communications
among home offices, small offices, branch offices, regional offices, and
headquarters, including Centrex-type solutions, the Siemens solution thus creates
a unified domain across both carrier and enterprise market segments and lifts the
artificial boundaries imposed by today's technologies. The result is an integrated
user experience regardless of location or device.In all sectors there is a common need to improve the way we communicate and
collaborate. For example, too much time is spent leaving and listening to
messages. This has become a serious issue and it has been addressed by a
deceptively simple concept known as presence. In a nutshell, presence allows
callers to see whether the other party is on a network and whether they are
available to take a call. In addition, availability can be managed.Lifeworks addresses today’s communications dilemma, which we break down into
four components:1) Glut of Information. Today’s enterprise processes 64 times more information
than it did in 1970. It comes at us in every imaginable form, and we face the
eternal dilemma of sorting through it or taking the risk that we’ll skip over
something that a competitor will seize.2. Access. We have many ways to access people and information and to be
accessed in return. But they are inconsistent in availability and quality, and our
ability to control the access others have to us is limited to turning a device on or
off.3. Tools. We have great information and communications tools, but there is no
defined or managed relationship among them. We use these intended productivity
tools in an unproductive, redundant way, hopping from one to the next in an
attempt to communicate in real-time.4. Usability. How many devices must we carry? How many passwords must we
remember? How many addresses must we give away? How many directories must
we manage? Any one tool is great by itself, but as a system of communicating,
usability is a burdensome task.The applications are based on presence and managed availability. You don’t try to
communicate with people who are not on a network or who do not want to talk at
that time. This represents a much smarter way of communicating, a way that
boosts productivity.There is no comparable concept on the market. Siemens’s vision of 21st century
communications was widely acclaimed when it was launched at SUPERCOMM on
June 2nd, 2003
List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. You may include links to product photos, service logos, etc. IMPORTANT: List each link on a separate line, begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.website.com]:
http://www.commweb.com/shared/article/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=10300005
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1114427,00.asp
http://www.icn.siemens.com/icn/news/2003/03060202.html
Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the team that development this nominated product or service:
Mark Straton is senior vice president of global marketing, Enterprise Networks
Division, Siemens Information and Communication Neworks Inc. In this position,
Straton is responsible for determining the direction of marketing in 160 countries.
Straton's mandate is to position Siemens as the global leader in IP convergence
solutions.Perry Kamel leads the Next Generation Networks Business Unit of Siemens
Carrier Networks, a U.S. division of Siemens Information Communication
Networks’ (ICN). As a key member of both ICN's and the Carrier Networks division's executive teams, he drives the company's overall strategy and sharpened focus on our customers especially in the area of next-generation networks.