Folks who read here regularly have already figured out that I think highly of Siemens. That opinion is based on a number of factors and something built over time. Siemens has "earned" my high evaluation time and again over the past 6-8 years or more.  Yesterday we saw an announcement on HiPath and Microsoft interoperability solutions. Today Siemens release this on joining the Interop Vendor Alliance

Siemens Joins Industry Leaders in Interop Vendor Alliance
Alliance Committed to Connecting People, Data, and Diverse Systems

Boca Raton, Fla. — November 21, 2006 — Siemens Communications, Inc., announced today that it has joined the Interop Vendor Alliance, an industry-wide group committed to interoperability for its customers and vendors.

The Alliance was established to connect people, data, and diverse systems through improved interoperability with Microsoft systems. Among Siemens Communications’ contributions to the Alliance is its work to enable enhanced user authentication solutions based on the company’s interoperable smart card technologies.

“Microsoft is pleased that Siemens Communications has joined with other industry leaders in the Interop Vendor Alliance,” said Sam Rosenbalm, business development manager, developer and platform evangelism group, Microsoft. “Member companies such as Siemens Communications are working collaboratively to ensure better interoperability across the industry for both customers and vendors.”

“Siemens Communications’ involvement in the Interop Vendor Alliance demonstrates our ongoing commitment to open standards and interoperability,” said Chris Meaney, vice president of Siemens Secure Networks. “As a key component of our LifeWorks vision for Open Unified Communications, our smart card technologies help meet the growing need for security and strong user authentication as more applications share the enterprise network infrastructure in increasingly interoperable environments.”

Siemens delivers Open Unified Communications through LifeWorks, its award-winning strategic vision. LifeWorks addresses today’s fragmented communications landscape by providing a uniform user experience based on secure open standards. By integrating communications across multiple protocols, networks, and devices, LifeWorks creates a unified domain which enables seamless collaboration and access to people and critical information, irrespective of geographical location and or current device availability.

Siemens’ smart card-enabled solutions are designed to ensure confidentiality, integrity, reliability, and availability of data and information. Organizations that need to combine physical and logical security on a single smart card benefit from Siemens’ extensive building security history and many successful multi-function smart card deployments. Siemens’ HiPath SIcurity solutions and global services minimize IT security risks and help protect organizations from unauthorized access, manipulation, and identity fraud.

About the Interop Vendor Alliance
Formed in 2006, the Interop Vendor Alliance is an industrywide group working to identify and share opportunities to better connect people, data and diverse systems through better interoperability with Microsoft systems and to jointly market interoperability solutions of its members. Founding members include AMD, BEA Systems, Business Objects, CA, The Carbon Project, Centeris, Citrix Systems, GXS, IP Commerce, JNBridge, Kernel Networks, Levi, Ray & Shoup, Microsoft, NEC, Network Appliance, Novell, Q4bis, Quest Software, Siemens Enterprise Communications, Software AG, SugarCRM, Sun Microsystems, Symphony Services, Xcalia, and XenSource. Additional information about the Interop Vendor Alliance can be found on its Web site at http://www.interopvendoralliance.org.

About Siemens
Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) is one of the largest global electronics and engineering companies with reported worldwide sales of $96 billion in fiscal 2005. Founded nearly 160 years ago, the company is a leader in the areas Medical, Power, Automation and Control, Transportation, Information and Communications, Lighting, Building Technologies, Water Technologies and Services and Home Appliances. With its U.S. corporate headquarters in New York City, Siemens in the USA has sales of $18.8 billion and employs approximately 70,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Eleven of Siemens' worldwide businesses are based in the United States. With its global headquarters in Munich, Siemens AG and its subsidiaries employ 460,000 people in 190 countries. For more information on Siemens in the United States: www.usa.siemens.com

About Siemens Communications, Inc.
Siemens Communications, Inc. offers its customers a broad portfolio of communication products and services and is a leader in convergent technologies, products and services for wireless, fixed and enterprise networks. The company's portfolio ranges from devices for end users to complex network infrastructures and complementary services for enterprises, carriers and service providers. Siemens Communications, Inc. is headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla. For more information, visit www.usa.siemens.com/communications

Note: Siemens, HiPath, HiPath SIcurity and LifeWorks are registered trademarks of Siemens AG or its subsidiaries and affiliates. All other company, brand, product and service names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

This release contains forward-looking statements based on beliefs of Siemens management. The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "forecast," "expect," "intend," "plan," "should," and "project" are used to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the company's current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause the actual results to be materially different, including, among others, changes in general economic and business conditions, changes in currency exchange rates and interest rates, introduction of competing products, lack of acceptance of new products or services and changes in business strategy. Actual results may vary materially from those projected here. Siemens does not intend or assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.