Signs of Spring Blossom at UnifySigns of Spring Blossom at Unify

With April has come a major customer win and significant executive appointments, signaling that Unify's rebirth is for real.

Spring is a traditional season of rebirth, often captured in song, from Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring to the rock musical Spring Awakening. A collection of news events at Unify this week brought the analogy to mind -- 18 months after the company's flashy rebrand and 15 months after the appointment of a new CEO and executive team, signs of rebirth are evident.

Unify kicked off last week with the Monday, April 13, announcement that Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Medicine of the State University of New York has selected it to support more than 60,000 users across 50-plus locations. On its website, the university's Division of Information Technology describes the 18-month evaluation process it conducted to address the challenge of its existing infrastructure. That infrastructure, it says, "is antiquated and no longer meets the needs of a growing, top-tier research University and Medical Center."

Stony Brook initially invited six vendors to bid on what it has dubbed the "VoIP & Unified Communications Project." A year ago, it selected a short list of three. The sign of spring here is not just the win for Unify, but also the renewed commitment of an existing customer.

When beginning the project 18 months ago, Stony Brook had wanted to explore all its options. With this decision, the university not only is standing by an existing vendor, but also is buying into a future with Unify. Beyond just like-for-like dial tone and phone replacement, Stony Brook will be offering its users mobile call handoff, Web collaboration, and updated contact center technology.

A day later, on Tuesday, April 14, Unify announced that John DeLozier had joined the company as executive vice president for North American Channels. John, who spent 20 years at UC systems integrator Arrow Systems Integration (formerly Arrow S3), tells me he welcomes the opportunity to jump back into the world of channel sales he loves.

John says he did his homework before joining Unify, talking to both existing and potential Unify channel partners. His takeaway? "The general feeling is that Unify has a solid balance sheet, cool products, great people, and a tremendous CEO." All that, John says he believes, translates into a chance to take major market share in the U.S.

John reports (not boastfully) that several types of companies eager to bring his Americas channel expertise (and relationships) in-house approached him with job opportunities -- "VARs, big manufacturers, software companies... you name it!" That John chose Unify is my second sign of the company's spring: It is able to attract top talent in a competitive market.

Lastly, the German business press reported on Wednesday, April 15, that Unify appointed Stockert Klaus as general manager of its Central Europe region; a 25-year company veteran, he had been interim general manager since November 2014. I see this as positive news in two aspects.

First, Unify promoted from within, a sign of a healthy company at which employees can believe that hard work will be rewarded. Second, Unify's management team is obviously happy with how Stockert has been running this important region, especially difficult as the company navigates German work unions to accomplish the force cuts announced a year ago.

Is it true, as John exuberantly tells me, that "Unify is the new black?" Just like the similarly titled television show heading into its third season, the third iteration of Rolm/Siemens/Unify is one to watch.

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