Industry Analysts Reflect on Mitel’s 50th Anniversary

5 min read

June 14, 2023


By Farangizkhon Saidakhrolova, Field Marketing Intern, and Virve Virtanen, VP, Analyst Relations

 

For any company in business for over 50 years, no single action – a product, a strategic decision, or even a hire – can ever be pointed to as the thing that resulted in that extraordinary longevity.


Instead, the ongoing success of any organization is a steadfast commitment to success by employees, leadership, partners, influencers, and customers working together in collaboration. And, of course, a huge part of this is the insight that industry analysts bring to the decision-making process. We could not have done it without all of you.


Vertical Leader


Here is Mitel’s “5-0” through the lens of the most effective unified communications (UC) analysts.


blair pleasant headshot

“Over the past 50 years, Mitel has gone through many changes, as has the communications industry. However, it remains true to its core as the company focuses on choice and flexibility for customers, vertical solutions, and customer lifecycle management. With increasingly UC vendors offering only one path to the cloud – through the public cloud – Mitel remains consistent in its approach, offering choices and options.”

- Blair Pleasant, President & Principal Analyst of COMMfusion LLC & BCStrategies


Irwin Lazar

“For almost as long as there have been business communications systems, there has been Mitel. Today, Mitel is a leader in communications platforms that enable customization and deployment flexibility to support the unique needs of various industries, including financial services, healthcare, retail, government, and education. Congratulations on the first 50 years, and here's to the next 50!”

- Irwin Lazar, President and Principal Analyst, Metrigy


Steph Watson_headshot

“Mitel’s 50-year success in the often turbulent business communications industry is a testament to its continued innovation through organic development, acquisitions, and strategic alliances, enabling it to deliver leading-edge collaboration and customer experience solutions to its global customer base. Mitel’s flexibility of deployment options, and strong service and support capabilities, position Mitel well to continue to deliver high value to its customers in the ever-changing and challenging business environment.”

- Stephanie Watson, General Manager, MZA Ltd


Marc Beattie

“In the last 50 years, Mitel has become an indispensable and critical line of communication for patient care, guest services, classroom connectivity, and customer experience for six vital industries: healthcare, hospitality, education, financial services, government, and retail. With specialty market depth and breadth, customer loyalty, and company longevity unmatched in today’s workplace and workforce communications market, Mitel stands alone. Congratulations on an amazing 50 years of achievement!”

- Marc Beattie, Head of Futurum Intelligence, The Futurum Group


Maldow

“For 50 years, Mitel has been the backbone of communication in sectors like healthcare, government, military, education, and financial services, demonstrating their enduring commitment to supporting these critical industries.”

- David Maldow, Founder & CEO, Let’s Do Video


Industry Innovator


Being in the tech world means change is inevitable. Innovation is a big part of success in the industry. Mitel’s investment in innovation throughout the last five decades has not gone unnoticed.


Anurag Agrawal headshot

“Over the past 50 years, UC has undergone significant evolution. In the 1980s, UC began to mature with the introduction of voicemail. Since then, UC tools have continued to evolve, incorporating new modes of collaboration such as messaging and mobility. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has also had a major impact on UC, with the proliferation of AI-based connected and embedded applications. The future of UC technologies looks promising, with further innovation and adoption on the horizon. For nearly 50 years, Mitel has been a global leader in the business communications industry. Innovation is at the heart of Mitel’s success, allowing the company to constantly adapt and meet its customers' evolving needs. This dedication to innovation has resulted in significant growth for the company and recognition from industry experts. Mitel’s team of experts in innovation and communications serves business users in over 100 countries. Here’s to another 50 years of success and progress.”

- Anurag Agrawal, CEO & Founder, Techaisle


Zeus K

“Mitel has been one of, if not the most, innovative vendors of the past decades. It was the first to virtualize an IP PBX, introduce a remote worker VPN phone, was the first ‘traditional’ vendor to embrace the shift to IP, and the first to partner with Microsoft in UC. It is admirable to see the longevity Mitel has been leading in UC over decades.”

- Zeus Kerravala, Founder and Principal Analyst, ZK Research



Trusted Partner


Mitel has forged its path and way of doing business over 50 years, but at its core, Mitel has strived to be a steadfast, trusted partner.


Dave Michels

“I've always had a soft spot for Mitel. I started a Mitel dealership in the early 2000s. I felt the ICP3300 was way ahead of the traditional TDM offerings from its competitors at the time. It's been an exciting company to watch over numerous bet-it-all transitions. Mitel has always been big enough and proven to win enterprise accounts, yet small enough to be nimble.”

- Dave Michels, Enterprise Communications Analyst, Talking Pointz


Evan Kirstel

“Wow, 50 years for Mitel! That's half a century of making people's lives easier with their tech. I've seen how they've kept up with every twist and turn in the tech world and consistently found ways to help businesses talk better, work smarter, and grow faster. Here's to the next 50 years!”

- Evan Kirstel, B2B Influencer, Content creator, Analyst, and Industry Expert


Robin Gareiss

“Mitel is a company of companies, having made numerous acquisitions over its 50-year history. Yet, it’s also maintained its heritage as an innovative, technically astute company that offers flexible deployment models. Though Mitel has offered all sizes and shapes of communications services over the years, it’s recently put a stake in the ground against ‘shaming’ those who continue to embrace their on-premises architecture for UC or contact center. It’s one of the only providers investing in and supporting this deployment option — and successfully serving some of the largest companies in the world by doing so.”

- Robin Gareiss, CEO and Principal Analyst, Metrigy



Household Name


Being in the tech business for 50 years is unheard of and something to be proud of. Mitel is recognized as the go-to UC vendor worldwide, and the brand is even known as a “local favorite.”


sheila mcgee smith headshot

“Happy 50th anniversary Mitel! As a contact center industry analyst since 1990, I have covered Mitel my entire career. I spent 10 days in London and can attest that the Mitel brand is alive and well in the United Kingdom. From a channel perspective, I heard that partners often have one primary premises brand they represent and one cloud vendor. Mitel is a local favorite, offering premises customers opportunities to add innovative technology to existing estates.”

- Sheila McGee-Smith, President & Principal Analyst, McGee-Smith Analytics, LLC


john arnold

“50 years is a big milestone for people, but it’s practically unheard of in the tech world. Mitel is one of those companies, and to be in the game this long, they must be doing a few things right. I can’t think of any other vendor in our space who has adapted to changing technology and market demands over time, and that’s worth celebrating. Technology evolution has never been quicker, and from what I’m seeing, Mitel is well-positioned to stay at the vanguard of change, hopefully for the next 50 years.”

- Jon Arnold, Tech Thought Leader, Analyst, and Speaker, J. Arnold & Associates


ira weinstein

“50 years is a long time to be a leading player in the communications industry. Such long-term success requires discipline, dedication, and an unwavering focus on your customers. Kudos to Mitel on this amazing milestone, and happy semi-centennial!”

- Ira Weinstein, Founder and Managing Partner, Recon Research


justin robbins

“Congratulations to Mitel on a remarkable 50 years of empowering business communication! Mitel’s commitment to unifying global connections has been nothing short of extraordinary. Through the decades, Mitel has bridged gaps, sparked collaboration, and transformed how we work together. With every call answered, every message delivered, and every video conference connected, Mitel has powered communication excellence for millions worldwide. Here's to celebrating Mitel’s longevity of innovation, reliability, and the countless connections it has enabled. As Mitel embarks on the next chapter, may the journey be filled with continued success, new milestones, and a world where communication has no boundaries. Happy 50th anniversary, Mitel.”

- Justin Robbins, Founder & Principal Analyst, Metric Sherpa


Jeremy Duke

“Mitel has been a leading UC vendor since Synergy started tracking this market in 1999. Mitel should be proud that they remain the top three ranked telephony vendor for the worldwide installed base today.”

- Jeremy Duke, Founder & Chief Analyst of Synergy Research Group, Inc.



Communication and collaboration have been vital to Mitel’s success for the past 50 years and will help make us successful for the next. While nobody knows what the world will look like in the second half of the 21st century, we know there is an ongoing need to communicate and collaborate; Mitel’s commitment to delivering customers’ choice, flexibility, and reliability will remain central to how Mitel does business. We are grateful to our partners, customers, and our analyst partners. Here’s to Mitel and the next 50 years!

Categories: Expert Insights, Culture

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