Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) announced Unisys End-User Productivity Services, an innovative suite of services designed to provide organizations with the ability to support an increasingly mobile, technology-smart workforce that values integration of consumer technologies into the workplace.

The new Unisys services will enable CIOs to reduce end-user costs by providing support for devices, desktops, applications and mobility through a flexible mixture of traditional, virtualized and secure cloud-based service delivery models.

The services are designed to meet the requirements of today’s multi-generational workforce with diverse expectations about where and how they work, the best IT resources to use and the type of IT support they need to maximize productivity in their preferred work environment.

“As the saying goes, work is something you do, not a place you go,” said Tony Doye, president, Unisys Global Outsourcing and Infrastructure Services. “Today’s knowledge worker wants to use productivity devices that are best suited to their individual work style – whether that’s their own personal Web-enabled smartphone or a netbook or desktop computer provided by their company. These users also require instant access to critical information and business applications from their companies, with secure support around the clock wherever they travel. It’s a tall order, but it’s one we’re solving with our End-User Productivity Services suite.”

Most IT organizations today continue to provide workers a hardware-centric support model and limited mobility options. Unisys End-User Productivity Services provide a common support framework that enables CIOs, without additional cost to the organization, to shift IT support services from a hardware-centric model to a flexible approach focused on access to business-critical applications through productivity tools that best suit workers’ needs.

A recent independent Forrester Research, Inc. survey of 2,001 US information workers revealed that smartphones enable employees to be productive from anywhere. For example, of the 11 percent of information workers who use smartphones, 81 percent of that group employ those devices at home or while traveling or commuting. As a result, the report states, “The more corporate applications IT can port to smartphones, the more productive those employees will be.” ⁽¹⁾

Added Doye, ”You get more work from your employees when you give them the tools and enable them to use their own personal technology in the way that fits their style – especially when you provide support that accelerates their productivity.”

Integrating Classic and Next-Generation Services for the Best End-User Experience

Unisys End-User Productivity Services cover the full range of traditional desktop solutions, such as device management and application management services, with plug-and-play service desk support and on-site support for multi-vendor devices. Key services include:

• End-User Experience Monitoring and Management – real-time monitoring of desktop applications for response time and faults. This enables Unisys to provide capabilities for proactively anticipating and resolving faults in devices and applications; and
• Mobility Support – remote management of Windows Mobile and BlackBerry devices.

Those desktop solutions are combined with hosting and virtualization services that use the Web and the Unisys Secure Cloud Solution for service delivery to provide end users with an individualized experience. Key services are:

• Virtual Office as a Service (VOaaS) -- access to standard office suites via subscription through the Unisys Secure Cloud Solution; and
• Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) – delivery, through Unisys Secure Cloud Solution, of Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server and Microsoft Office Communicator applications in a multi-tenant environment.

Unisys End-User Productivity Services bring an extra dimension to use of Intel^® vPro^™ technology and Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager – two core technologies for the new Unisys offering. Those technologies are key to automating the provisioning and management of end-user devices and application software across physical, virtual, distributed and mobile environments.

Unisys also plans to provide portal-based delivery for managed digital allowances to provide employees with a mechanism to purchase the devices they want to use for work.

The End-User Productivity Services will draw on Unisys full portfolio of IT outsourcing services. These services include the Converged Remote Infrastructure Management solution, which provides a unified way to view, monitor and mange the IT infrastructure; Smart On-Site Services, for consolidated management of technology support activities for geographically distributed organizations frequently performed by multiple providers; and Unisys Secure Cloud Solution, a managed public cloud service providing industrial-strength data protection for multi-tenant client environments.

This flexible delivery gives IT organizations and end users multiple options for accessing key productivity environments – such as the upcoming Windows 7. Users will have the choice of running centrally managed applications locally on their mobile devices or accessing them through cloud-based services, or a mixture of delivery options.

“Through Unisys End-User Productivity Services, Unisys and Microsoft are offering IT organizations the opportunity for new economies in delivery and support of computing services for mobile workers,” said Gavriella Schuster, general manager for Windows at Microsoft Corp. “Unisys managed services combined with Windows 7 and the virtualization capabilities of Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack enable clients to use their IT resources more efficiently while offering end users enhanced productivity through greater mobility and highly secure access to business-critical resources.”

End-User Experience Monitoring Fuels Unisys Knowledge Base

End users will also be able to benefit from a Unisys-maintained knowledge base, auto-populated through end-user experience monitoring, which tracks, categorizes and stores information on end-user groups and service issues they have encountered. This proactive engineering capability can help to minimize potential service issues in the future.

For example, if the infrastructure management system detects a failing end-user application requiring a patch, Unisys, through the knowledge base, will be able to identify all groups of users whose device could be affected by the issue. The correct upgrade can then be distributed through the Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager and device-resident Intel^® vPro^™ technologies to resolve the issue before it can become a service problem impacting end-user productivity.

“By taking advantage of Intel^® vPro^™ technology’s hardware-based PC management and security, Unisys can provide a higher level of service to its customers,” said Jeff Marek, director of End User Platform Engineering for Intel’s Digital Office Platform Division. “Intel^® vPro^™ technology helps Unisys improve its capabilities to diagnose and remotely repair systems inside and outside the corporate firewall, track remote hardware and software assets, and improve PC power management. Unisys customers can benefit from reduced down time, improved employee productivity and even lower expenses for electricity.”

This knowledge base also enables Unisys service center in Bangalore, India – the primary site for remote service delivery – and other worldwide centers to provide both mass and individualized desktop management.

For further information on Unisys End-User Productivity Services, click on the following link: http://www.app3.unisys.com/simplify/euoss