Univention Delivers Open, Flexible IT Infrastructure Management to US Customers

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwired - Jun 24, 2014) - Univention GmbH, the leading European provider of open source IT infrastructure management solutions, today announced the introduction of its Univention Corporate Server (UCS) to the US market. Univention Corporate Server is an inexpensive and easy-to-use way to provide businesses with server applications and entire IT infrastructures. UCS is based on open source infrastructure ideal for distributed, heterogeneous and virtualized IT environments, such as Microsoft Windows, OS X and Linux systems.

Unlike other Linux operating systems, UCS provides an integrated identity and infrastructure management system. UCS also provides provisioning of infrastructure services for the central, cross location and cross platform administration of virtualized server and desktop systems. The user-friendly web interface makes administration simple and accessible from any client. UCS uses standard interfaces and easy to use connectors so it is easily integrated into existing IT environments.

Key Features of UCS Include:

• Microsoft Active Directory compatible domain services to integrate and manage Microsoft operating system
• An App Center providing a wide variety of 3rd party applications from many well known manufacturers
• Integrated management system for the central administration of servers, clients and users, as well as a wide range of server applications
• Identity management with single sign on functions and integration of popular cloud services
• Enterprise Linux distribution as a basis for a stable, secure and cost efficient IT infrastructure

Univention App Center offers UCS components and extensions and a comprehensive choice of software solutions for groupware, file sync, CRM or backup. These pre-configured applications can be installed into existing UCS environments with just a few clicks, allowing for central administration of all data at the domain level.

"The timing is perfect for Univention to offer US customers our open source Univention Corporate Server as an alternative to proprietary systems that are expensive, inflexible, and all about lock in," said Kevin Dominik Korte, Head of US Operations. "Businesses are seeking a new way to manage their corporate servers that offers state of the art technology, low cost and easy integration into their current systems, without losing control."

"Univention Corporate Server is inexpensive and easy to administer," said Dr. Alexander Keller, Director Product Management, at Fujitsu. "UCS can be implemented with little effort and is the perfect solution for single PRIMERGY Servers as well as for large, distributed or virtualized environments, regardless of whether Microsoft Windows, OS X or Linux is used on the client side. Fujitsu certifies its PRIMERGY Servers for use with Univention UCS to provide the best user experience possible."

Texas-based Smith Engineering is spread across five offices with 80 users' computers administered manually via five individual Windows NT domains that use Samba 3. UCS allowed the company to integrate with Samba 4, combining separate domains into a single domain with Active Directory functions for the central management of all workplaces. The Active Directory makes it possible to equip several workplaces with the required functions or rights, simultaneously using group policies to transfer these to new workplaces. Smith Engineering is considering a new e mail system because UCS and the integrated App Center makes it possible to integrate new, complementing solutions right out of the box.

Chris Lambert, IT administrator at Smith Engineering, said, "One of the biggest benefits of using UCS is the obvious cost savings compared with a Microsoft Active Directory implementation."

Univention also today announced its first US-based training webinar scheduled for Wednesday, June 25 2:00pm EDT, in conjunction with the Professional Linux Institute. LPI provides training and certification for the professional use of Linux, Open Source, and Free Software.

About Univention
Univention GMBH is a leading European provider of Open Source products for the cost efficient operation and effective administration of IT infrastructures. The core product is the Linux infrastructure solution Univention Corporate Server (UCS). UCS is a modern enterprise Linux distribution with integrated Open Source solutions for identity and infrastructure management, which makes efficient, centrally controlled administration possible even in challenging environments. The core product is complemented by a range of solutions based on UCS for the cross platform management of thin clients, support for Linux desktops and an integrated virtualization solution. Thanks to the supplied connectors, for example for Microsoft Active Directory, these components integrate seamlessly in existing infrastructures and allow simple migration. A large number of software providers offer optimized packages for operation with UCS, which can be integrated seamlessly in the UCS management system. UCS is the optimal Open Source integration platform for IT infrastructure operation and management.