Unify announced a number of planned strategic initiatives to streamline the organisation to focus on innovation in software development, integration and managed services. These plans will entail a restructuring of the company worldwide, a shift to a multi-tier go-to-market approach, and the consolidation of sites around the globe. This also includes a review of the future location of the global headquarters.
The restructuring plan, which is the subject of discussions with multiple stakeholders, will streamline the company’s operations. It is expected to result in an overall reduction in headcount of approximately 3,800 people out of a workforce of nearly 7,700 worldwide, with Central Europe accounting for 50 per cent of the reduction.
The company has previously taken steps to modernise operations and processes, expand the product portfolio under the OpenScape umbrella, unveil market-leading innovation with Project Ansible and re-brand as Unify. However, there are dramatic shifts in the use of communications and collaboration tools in the workplace, increased adoption of cloud-based solutions, and a growing number of software-oriented competitors which have captured market share and increased pricing pressure. This requires Unify to take steps immediately to accelerate its transition from a traditional hardware manufacturer to a true communications and collaboration software and services company.
“Today’s marketplace is changing rapidly, and the demands that the next generation of users are placing on our customers are changing quickly as well,” said Dean Douglas, Unify CEO. “Unify must transform in order to remain competitive, so we are taking these necessary and very difficult steps in order to position Unify to fully respond to the needs of our customers and the marketplace. This includes greater focus on technology deployment options with access to our OpenScape products and services from a broader choice of partners.”