IP Communications

Mitel (News - Alert), headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, is a high-tech company providing voice-centric IP-based communications solutions for business. The company originally produced traditional PBX (News - Alert) systems, but after a change in ownership in 2001, now focuses almost entirely on Voice-over-IP (VoIP) products. Those products include Voice-over-IP IP-PBX systems, IP business telephones, contract center/call center applications, messaging and voicemail, and wireless solutions. I recently had a chance to interview the company’s President of Sales Rick Dell.

 

RD: Mitel will be demonstrating how it has brought both Mitel and Inter-Tel products together by showcasing the integration of its business phones with Inter-Tel (News - Alert) 5000 systems, as well as Inter-Tel applications and devices that now interoperate with the Mitel 3300 platform. Demonstrations will also feature our leading edge IP-based applications including unified communications, collaboration, mobility, customer interaction management, mobility and vertical market solutions. 

 

RD: Among our many solutions that we’re very proud of is the integration of the Mitel Unified IP Client with Sun Microsystem’s Sun Ray solution. The combination of Mitel’s voice communications technology with Sun Ray’s desktop features result in a robust application that delivers seamless and secure access to both PC and communications functionality, and mobile voice and data resources. It also helps customers control a number of operational costs, such as administrative expenses and power consumption. The Mitel Unified IP Client with Sun Ray will be prominently featured at IT Expo.

       

RD: Mitel continues to be a leader in developing unified communications products. Its core applications – Unified Communicator, Remote Support, and Mitel Audio and Web Conferencing – have already won legions of customers by delivering powerful tools that allow businesses to seamlessly manage all voice, web, chat and e-mail communications from a single interface.

 

In addition, Mitel’s support of Microsoft OCS further extends our ability to provide unified communications functionality as warranted, giving our customers the flexibility to choose the solution that best fits their specific needs.

 

RD: The integration of Inter-Tel products into the Mitel portfolio is proceeding very well. We have already demonstrated the interoperability of Inter-Tel phones and applications with the Mitel 3300, and conversely, Mitel phones are now integrated with the Inter-Tel [now Mitel] 5000 system. We plan to complete interoperability shortly between the Mitel 3000 system (formerly the EncoreCX platform) and Mitel’s IP phones.

 

In addition, all of our reseller partners are being trained to sell from a combined product portfolio. We now boast some 800 resellers in the United States, and over 1,600 globally. This larger distribution footprint, coupled with a product suite that can literally address the needs of any size business, gives Mitel an unprecedented ability to tap into the enterprise market. We feel quite confident that the combination of platforms, applications, services and our heritage for tangibly improving business performance, will translate well within the enterprise space.

         

RD: Actually, Mitel is quite optimistic that it will continue to experience growth over the course of the next year. Mitel has always prided itself in delivering advanced communications solutions that provide a strong ROI and preserve our customers’ investment in their communications infrastructure. This strong business sense will become even more important in the coming months as more and more organizations seek out communications technology that can improve productivity, shorten sales cycles, streamline operations, enhance the customer experience and control costs.

 

Historically, this is an environment in which Mitel has always succeeded, and we expect the next 12 months to be no exception. Our managed services program removes the risk for customers by providing a complete communications solution for a fixed monthly fee. Our products and applications are highly regarded for addressing real business needs. We feel the next 12 months give us a unique opportunity to do what we do best: help our customers leverage state-of-the-art technology to meet their challenges.