Unison's8482;, the only fully-unified communications software, is now available free of charge as the world'ss first sponsor-supported enterprise application. This move gives millions of SMBs worldwide an exciting zero-cost alternative to high-cost solutions like Microsoft Exchange or simplistic hosted offerings such as Google Apps.
With sponsor-supported Unison now available, any organization can download the Linux and Windows-based software at www.unison.com, then deploy it
without needing to buy licenses. Unison is:
* Free -- unlike expensive traditional software such as Lotus Notes or Microsoft Exchange unified communications, which costs a typical 50-employee business over $100,000 per year to buy
and run, according to recent findings by Ferris Research*
* More Powerful -- Superior to legacy solutions like Exchange or Notes, Unison is the only fully-unified communications available today which integrates email, IM, telephony, calendars
and contacts into a single server and client
* Secure and Private -- Unison runs on-premise, on a Linux server behind the firewall, in contrast to SaaS-only hosted solutions like Google Apps
Michael Choupak, chief executive officer of Unison Technologies, the creator of Unison, said, This represents a new era for the software industry - and a direct challenge to the
traditional model of overpriced software. As the first sponsor-supported free business software, Unison gives businesses the combined power of applications like Microsoft Exchange and a
Cisco PBX - but at zero cost.
The first Unison sponsors are Canonical, Inc., the London-based commercial sponsor of the Ubuntu operating system, and Intermedia, the New York-based hosted business applications
provider.
Unison provides powerful enterprise unified communications like Microsoft, but with no license fees; and it offers the low cost of Google Apps, except that it runs securely, on-premise,
behind the company firewall, so businesses are not forced to host their vital data with Google or any other third party. Unison is the only enterprise-grade unified communications system
available at no cost.
Unison combines e-mail, telephone, instant messaging, calendars and contacts into a single system. It includes a Linux-based server, Unison Server's8482;, which powers all text and voice
communications for an organization, and Unison Desktop's8482;, a Windows or Linux-based desktop client that gives employees all communication inside one application, including e-mail, IM,
voicemail, telephony and more.
Microsoft'ss CEO said last year that his two greatest challenges are Linux and ad-supported software, said Rurik Bradbury, Unison Technologies Chief Marketing Officer. Unison is both of
these - fast, powerful, easy-to-use software that is powered by Linux and also sponsor-supported, so it is totally free to use.'s8221;
With our new enterprise software model, Unison will mount a serious challenge to Microsoft'ss highly-profitable Exchange franchise all over the world, especially in developing countries.
With a single server handling all business messaging, the IT department drastically reduces costs because it no longer needs to purchase and maintain an expensive email or groupware
server, a directory server or instant messaging system and a separate PBX system.
In addition, end users get Unison Desktop, which runs on Microsoft Windows or on Linux. Unison Desktop provides broader functionality than traditional e-mail and groupware clients 's8211;
which offer only e-mail, contacts and calendar management 's8211; because it gives users always-synchronized access to their e-mail, instant messages, telephone calls, voicemails,
calendars, address books and more, all from a single application.
Unison is available for any organization to download and use at www.unison.com.
*Source: Ferris Research, The Total Cost of Ownership of Microsoft Unified Communications, November 2008. The research concluded that buying and operating the Microsoft solution will cost
a typical 50-employee company an average of $180 per user per month, which equates to $2160 per user each year or $108,000 per year for the company.
About Unison and Unison Technologies:
Unison Technologies is the developer of Unison's8482;, the world'ss first fully-unified communications system. Combining telephony, e-mail, instant messaging and collaboration in a single
Linux server and Windows or Linux desktop client, Unison allows companies to work more quickly and intelligently. By bringing all communication into a single platform, it makes unified
communications attainable for millions of businesses worldwide. A privately held company, Unison Technologies is headquartered in New York, with additional offices in Boston and St
Petersburg, Russia. More information is available at www.unison.com.
Media contacts:
EMEA/Asia:
Nathalie van Krimpen
Bite Communications for Unison
Nathalie.Vankrimpen at bitepr dot com
+44 (0)20 8 834 3415
Pamela Block
Bite Communications for Unison
Pamela.Block at bitepr dot com
+1 212 857 9384