Unison launches first 'Virtualized' Fully-Unified Communications Solution

Unison launches first 'Virtualized' Fully-Unified Communications Solution

Free unified communications software can now be deployed instantly on Parallels Virtuozzo Containers virtual server.

New York (Vocus) February 2, 2009 -- Unison™ unified communications, the world's first free enterprise software, announced the first fully-unified communications solution which can deploy e-mail and telephony instantly on a virtual server. With the launch of Unison for Parallels Virtuozzo Containers, the leading OS-level virtualization solution, any SMB or hosting provider can move immediately to unified communications.

As the economy slows down, all IT departments are looking to decrease costs, and virtualization is an effective way to accomplish this. By running Unison in a virtual environment, companies can consolidate both Unison and other servers onto the same physical server, reducing the need to buy expensive hardware. As Parallels Virtuozzo Containers sits on the OS level, users can run 3x as many virtual servers on the same physical hardware as with alternative virtualization approaches, further decreasing the amount of hardware needed. The resulting savings add to the software savings of the free sponsor-supported edition of Unison, which can amount to $270,000* over three years versus an equivalent Microsoft solution.

"Unified communications and virtualization are two of the biggest trends in IT," said Michael Choupak, CEO of Unison Technologies. "By offering Unison running on Parallels Virtuozzo Containers, we are allowing small and midsized companies to deploy unified communications rapidly, with a low cost of ownership."

Serguei Beloussov, CEO of Parallels, said "Unison is a powerful unified communications solution that promises great productivity benefits for business users. Combined with Parallels Virtuozzo Containers, which offers users the greatest density of virtual servers per physical hardware of any virtualization solution, Unison will provide an exciting new line of business for hosting providers: unified communications software as a service."

Although Microsoft has gradually begun to support virtualization for its unified communications offering, only Unison, running on Parallels Virtuozzo Containers, can today offer fully-unified communications running in a virtual environment.

Unison is a complete replacement for both PBX systems and legacy e-mail and groupware servers. Instead of buying a standalone server for e-mail and calendars - such as Microsoft Exchange - and a separate telephone system - such as a Cisco PBX - companies can now simply deploy Unison, which integrates e-mail, instant messaging, telephony, voicemail and real-time presence (free/busy status).

Any organization can now download the sponsor-supported edition - either for Linux or Windows - at www.unison.com, and deploy it without needing to buy licenses. More information about Parallels Virtuozzo Containers is available at: http://www.parallels.com/products/virtuozzo/

Note to editors:

* Cost of Microsoft software based on Ferris Research study 'The TCO of Microsoft UC, November 2008'. Assuming a company with 500 staff, the total cost of Microsoft unified communications licenses over three years is $278,949.

About Parallels -- Optimized Computing

Parallels is a worldwide leader in virtualization and automation software that optimizes computing for consumers, businesses, and service providers across all major hardware, operating systems, and virtualization platforms. Founded in 1999, Parallels is a fast-growing company with 800 employees in North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.parallels.com.

About Unison and Unison Technologies

Unison™ unified communications is the world's first free enterprise software. Combining telephony, voicemail, e-mail, instant messaging and calendaring in a single Linux server and single Windows or Linux desktop client, Unison allows companies to work more quickly and intelligently. By bringing all communication into a single platform, supported by sponsors and free of charge, Unison makes unified communications attainable for millions of businesses worldwide.

Unison™ is developed by Unison Technologies, a privately held company headquartered in New York, with additional offices in Boston and St Petersburg, Russia. More information is available at www.unison.com.

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Contact Information Pamela Block

Unison Technologies

http://www.unison.com

+1 212 857 9384