Speech and imaging software vendor ScanSoft is changing its name to Nuance as of November, following its acquisition of voice automation vendor Nuance Communications earlier this year for $221m (CRN, 16 May).

Steven Steenhaut, European marketing manager for Nuance productivity application division, said: “The acquisition was finalised in Sept-ember. We decided to change the name because ‘ScanSoft’ was related too much to scanning and did not reflect our whole product range.”

The company now operates under two divisions. The Nuance productivity application division is responsible for the development and sales of PDF Converter 3, OmniPage, PaperPort, Systran and Dragon Naturally-Speaking software, which is sold through the channel. The Nuance SpeechWorks division is responsible for the development and engineering of networked and embedded speech technology, such as voice-activated mobile devices.

Steenhaut stressed that the name change will not have a negative impact on ScanSoft resellers in the UK. “The ScanSoft products, such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking and PaperPort, are so well known in the UK that we will still keep the product names and will just change the packaging to reflect the new company name,” Steenhaut said.

“It will also enable resellers to compete in new and expanding markets."

Bruce Guthrie, managing director of speech reseller Hartford Consultancy Services, said: “I don’t see the name change as having an impact on us. Nuance will bring with it some additional software, which will be advantageous.”