Article updated 11/22/21
With the recent news of Mitel choosing RingCentral as their exclusive UCaaS partner, we've seen a lot of changes happening recently, and there will be more to come.
As a Mitel partner that has had Platinum status for many years, we're not surprised at all the movement, we've anticipated and prepared for it.
Most of us know that premise-based communications has it's limitations, and many organizations are adopting a cloud-based telephony strategy moving forward. Providers recognize this, too, and that's a big reason why they partner up, furthering business objectives in the long run. But, where does that leave their customer base?
First Avaya, Now Mitel Partners with RingCentral
Remember how Avaya chose to partner with RingCentral by white-labeling RingCentral's Cloud Office product to Avaya Cloud Office?
The pattern of turning to a reliable cloud platform like RingCentral, an industry leader in the UCaaS space, continues. Mitel is now relying on its strategic partnership with RingCentral and its cloud MVP product, to give them more time to focus on further development of the 3300 on-prem platform.
If you're a MiVoice Connect or a MiCloud Connect user, we speak more about the RingCentral Mitel partnership here and what you need to know.
Is the OnPrem PBX Dead?
The debate continues if on-prem PBX is really dead, dying, on life support, or getting a triple bypass to keep the lifeblood flowing.
Issues like the global shortage of microchips don't seem to help as even that alone continues to have an impact on supply chains for Mitel and other premise-based providers, which is driving up retail and refurbished pricing across the industry. This trend is expected to continue into
2022 and the industry is seeing large organizations continue to stockpile replacement hardware and desk phones. As a result, global shortages may not have reached their peak entering the fourth quarter of 2021.
For Those Needing to Stay On-Prem but Want Cloud Functionality
On a related note, the popularity of cloud vendors has also driven up costs for premise-based support contracts over the past several years, similar to the mass exodus of the home telephone for VOIP technologies. As fewer organizations rely on traditional PBX technology, those remaining see drastically increased costs with inferior support levels. The global hardware shortage compounds this challenge and narrows the path forward for premise-based technologies.
If you have any questions about your Mitel equipment and future plans, please reach out to your account manager and they'll be glad to assist. If you are not a current customer and are looking for a reliable Mitel/ShoreTel Partner to help your business, please contact us using our contact form.
*Some of the information was provided to us from Mitel through their Partner communications. This information is accurate at the time of publication however is subject to changes at any time. Contact your Converged Technology Professionals account rep for further details.