Enterprise communications vendor Siemens has re-jigged its comms applications portfolio with the launch of its OpenScape Unified Communications (UC) Server, a software package that will underpin its real-time communication suite.

Software is increasingly the most important element in the communications stack, said Siemen's enterprise communications global marketing director Graham Howard.

"Where we're headed now is as a software and services business, and large enterprise communications is going to be an application that is run out of the datacentre, not the wiring closet," he added.

OpenScape UC Server is a fundamental part of Siemens' transition towards becoming a software and services business. It has been built as "an open, SIP-based, software IT communications and UC application which integrates with the company's OpenSOA architecture," said Howard.

Traditionally, like most other telecoms vendors, "Siemens built hardware and wrote the software for our hardware and delivered the product as a separate hardware. Those days are well and truly over."

Three applications have been launched for OpenScape UC Server. Firstly Siemen's existing HiPath 8000 IP softswitch, has been combined with their HiPath OpenExchange voice routing and backhaul solution, and renamed 'OpenScape Voice', giving firms a comprehensive IP telephony package.

Next is OpenScape UC, which can be deployed as a personal edition or in three enterprise version flavours, Essential, Professional and Team. Customers could rollout out basic unified communications, like a desktop VoIP client and basic mobility, or upgrade to full multimedia collaboration. Finally Siemens is launching the OpenScape video portfolio allowing all types of video conferencing to run on top of the UC server.

OpenScape UC Server will come in three versions, a Medium Edition for up to a 1,000 users, and a Large Edition using a multi-server configuration, which can give basic UC capabilities to a 100,000 users and full capabilities for up to 20,000 users. Service providers and hosting companies get their own Hosted Edition, architected with additional features specifically for their market.