Unisys takes NZ SaaS technology global

Vendor chooses local firm to provide hosted app for its cloud service

By Randal Jackson, Computerworld, Auckland | Monday, 12 October 2009
Auckland-based EMS-Cortex has been chosen by Unisys to supply software as a service provisioning and management software for Unisys’ global cloud services.

The software, called Cortex, enables secure communication and collaboration in Microsoft Outlook, SharePoint and Office Communication Services environments. It provides control panel capability which enables hosted services to be set up and managed through a single interface.

The software as a service (SaaS) offering will be provided through the Unisys Secure Cloud Solution, which enables enterprise clients to securely move conventional business applications — including those with secure or sensitive data — into a managed, shared cloud service without costly, time-consuming rewrites or other alterations.

Unisys New Zealand managing director Brett Hodgson says Cortex was selected following a competitive evaluation with other vendors worldwide.

“Unisys selected EMS-Cortex for its combination of functionality and value,” Hodgson says. “Its feature set matched our requirements to be the provisioning and management portal for the Unisys secure unified communication as a service offering in datacentres that support the Unisys Secure Cloud Solution. The first implementation will be in North America.”

EMS Cortex CEO Mark Loveys says a key differentiator for Cortex is its ability to allow end customers to perform day-to-day administration themselves, as well as the breadth of applications it supports — including key Microsoft applications, Blackberry and Citrix.

Read more at Computerworld.