ver.di modernizes IT backbone with the aid of Siemens Business Services

Munich, Oct 6, 2006 - The German United Services Union ver.di, one of the world’s largest trade unions, has decided to modernize and coordinate its IT. The conversion to Microsoft will enable ver.di to improve and provide better support for its communications infrastructure, as well as to cut its IT costs. In this project, ver.di’s IT department will be supported by Siemens Business Services.

ver.di is the result of a merger of five separate trade unions, each of which uses a different IT system. Currently, its servers are distributed across 174 locations throughout Germany. With support from its partners, Siemens Business Services will consolidate and centralize this IT backbone, replacing the legacy servers with new devices and converting the existing heterogeneous Unix environment to a standard set-up based on Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Exchange. When the project is completed, all 4,000 ver.di employees will run the operating system Windows XP and Microsoft Office 2003 on their PCs.

“In awarding this order, we were particularly impressed by the high level of expertise of Siemens Business Services with regard to solutions involving Microsoft products in complex IT environments,” explains Achim Schäfer, responsible for organization, communications and information technology at ver.di.

The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2007. ver.di will then have a modern, standardized and consolidated IT landscape that not only offers greater security, but is also easier and cheaper to maintain. As a result, ver.di employees will find their everyday IT work significantly easier.

Siemens Business Services is an internationally leading IT service provider.
This Siemens Group offers services all along the entire value chain – from consulting to systems integration, right through to the management of IT infrastructures. Thanks to its comprehensive know-how and sector-specific expertise, the company provides measurable added value for its customers. With regard to outsourcing, Siemens Business Services is among the top ten providers worldwide. With around 39,000 employees, the Group posted sales in fiscal 2005 (ending 30 September 2005) of EUR 5.4 billion, 75 percent of which was achieved outside the Siemens organization. Further information at http://www.siemens.com/sbs.

Information number: SBS 061006.40e

Contact Information

Jörn Roggenbuck

Press Department Siemens Business Services

Siemens AG

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