businessinfomag.uk
magazine
34
Christian Stredicke
Gernot Sagl
Oliver Wittig
IP TELEPHONY
This September, Berlin-based IP-
telephony company Snom celebrated
its 20th anniversary. Founded in 1997
by Christian Stredicke, Snom has
grown to become an international
brand for IP desk phones, DECT
phones and conferencing devices.
Stredicke started Snom Technology
in the expectation that telephony’s
future would be digital. To start with
he struggled to get any backing, as
few people at the time agreed with
his prognosis. The telecommunications
industry saw no potential in digital;
providers were happy to continue selling
analogue solutions; and there was no
demand from end-users.
Stredicke persevered, focusing from
the very beginning on innovation and
design. This attention to detail meant
that Snom phones soon gained a
reputation for quality, especially their
audio, which continues to be refined
and perfected in Snom’s in-house sound
laboratory.
Within just a few years, Snom had
become established as a premium
brand, its products in use in millions of
offices and conference rooms around
the world.
Oliver Wittig, Snom vice president
of carrier relations and key account
sales, said: “Since Snom introduced
the world’s first operational IP phone
– the Snom 100 – in 2001, change
has been radical. Business telephony
has undergone a huge transition from
analogue to digital and the range of
features and functionality, including
unified communications, that people
now accept as standard would have
been unimaginable 20 years ago.
“In this time, the Snom product
portfolio has continued to expand and
improve.We now offer two ranges
of IP desk phone, the D3xx series
and the D7xx series; single and
multicell mobile DECT solutions;
cutting edge conferencing IP
phones; and a unique SIP public
announcement solution, the PA1.”
He added: “It is worth noting that
enterprises that deployed Snom phones
15 years ago are in many cases still using
the same devices today.We view this
as clear evidence of the durability and
adaptability of our products.”
A bright future
Towards the end of 2016, Snom was
acquired by VTech, a Hong Kong-based
manufacturer with around 37,000
employees worldwide. Being part of a
much bigger organisation has reduced
Snom’s production costs, enabling it to
lower prices, and given it the flexibility and
agility to offer customised manufacturing
and react more quickly to market trends.
The main development of IP
Snom enters its third decade with a new owner and the resources to
react quickly to changing market conditions and trends
Snom turns 20
phones continues to be conducted in
Berlin, supported by an additional 25
developers from the parent company,
who work exclusively on Snom products.
CEO Gernot Sagl said: “Snom is still
Snom, but faster, more flexible, more
versatile and stronger.We are in a very
good position right now.”
So far this year, Snom has achieved
a double-digit increase in revenue – in
some European countries sales are up by
more than 60% compared to this time
last year.With three new Snom products
in the pipeline and resilient demand for
deskphones,Wittig is confident that
Snom will continue to prosper.
“Many have predicted the demise
of the desk phone via softphones
and mobile devices, but instead of
vanishing into history, the desk phone
has solidified its position as an anchor
in the day of every office
worker. The desk phone has
established itself as a key
component in all major
unified communications
solutions. Now, it must
continue to adapt to maintain its
privileged position and meet the
demands of rapidly changing
office environments.Whoever
can successfully integrate
smartphones into office desk
communication for true office
mobility will be the next big
winner,” he said.
So far this
year, Snom
has achieved
a double-digit
increase in
revenue – in
some European
countries sales
are up by more
than 60%
Did you know?
SNOM is an acronym for a near-field scanning optical
microscope. Christian Stredicke was inspired to name
Snom Technology after the acronym by a friend who was
building a SNOM at the time the company was formed.
