Over the last several months, a lot has happened in the business communications space.

We’ve doubled down on our commitment to what we know and do best—unified communications (UC)—even as major market players like NEC abandon on-premise solutions for strictly Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) offerings. Couple that news with our acquisition of Unify last year, and we can confidently say that Mitel is a global leader in UC and one of the top two in Enterprise Call Control.

To reaffirm our commitment to the space as a market leader, Mitel introduced a comprehensive suite of solutions and services for customers, blending Mitel’s and Unify’s strengths. Our ambitious plans are primed to deliver substantial value for customers and partners worldwide.

Mitel is at the intersection of hardware and software. We focus on enabling thoughtful, innovative end-to-end solutions that empower organizations to excel. We’ll continue to provide our customers with future-proof, flexible business communications solutions, and our combined portfolio illuminates this goal.

Here’s a closer look at what Mitel has in store.

Three Can’t-Miss Updates to Mitel’s Business Communications Portfolio

1. Hybrid Cloud UC Solutions

Mitel champions unparalleled deployment flexibility, offering a mix of private, public, and on-premise solutions. We firmly believe that each customer is unique, as is their situation. With hybrid deployments projected to dominate the UC market – 80% by 2026, according to Frost & Sullivan – Mitel’s plans ensure that organizations can align communications with specific business needs while ensuring reliability, security, and compliance.

As we delve into hybrid cloud solutions, we must recognize the parallel dynamics shaping the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Everyone is talking about it now, but organizations are cautious to dive in and adopt. It reminds me of companies' cautious approach when adopting the Internet in the 1990s. Understanding the business value and the implications of new business models was the buzz. Now, organizations are concerned about their most valuable asset: their data. Prioritization of maintaining control of their company and employee data is paramount as companies look to AI to enhance real-time AI to enhance real-time customer service. We understand the tug that each element has on the other. These factors underscore the importance of a hybrid cloud communications infrastructure that emphasizes control, security, regulatory compliance, and sovereignty at the core of our solutions.

2. Deep Vertical Integrations

The updated Mitel portfolio addresses industry-specific requirements and focuses on integrated applications for five significant verticals:

• Healthcare
• Financial Services
• Public Sector
• Education
• Hospitality

The portfolio includes solutions like the Virtual Care Collaboration Service (VCCS) for healthcare and OpenScape Xpert for financial, economic, and energy trading houses. These are backed by a robust ecosystem of over 500 technology partners.

We know that on-premise business communications systems are desirable for industries with strict regulations safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Healthcare and financial services are two examples. Rest assured that Mitel’s solutions provide organizations with a way to help organizations maintain security and compliance with a state or country’s laws or regulations.

3. Flexible Capabilities for Frontline Workers

Multimodal. Adaptable. Versatile. There are many ways to describe how we will serve frontline workers with next-generation UC solutions. For a long time, knowledge workers benefited the most from advances in business communication, even though frontline workers outnumber knowledge workers four to one. From market-leading DECT handsets for demanding environments like hospitals, construction sites, and factories to AI-augmented capabilities for streamlined customer service, Mitel addresses mission-critical business use cases. On-the-go professionals and the remote working contingent will stand to gain with Mitel.

Mitel’s Driving the Future of UC

We’re witnessing ongoing consolidation and vendor departures in the mature UC landscape. This shakeup could be troubling for organizations looking to protect their UC investments, but it need not be. Our portfolio strategy is centered on providing customers with tailored communication solutions that meet their current needs while offering the flexibility to adapt to future requirements. We’ll work with what organizations already have. We prioritize delivering a secure and reliable foundation and practical innovations that enhance value for our partners, customers, and employees across all organizational levels.

Elka Popova, VP of Connected Work Research at Frost & Sullivan, summarized our strategy to a T.

“IT decision-makers have by and large reverted to pre-pandemic priorities, putting security, solution integration, and aligning technology investments with business strategies as the most pressing issues. With the breadth and depth of its revamped portfolio, Mitel is well positioned to take advantage of the UC market’s hybrid and vertical opportunities by delivering the solutions and services that will help organizations achieve their goals in their demanding and evolving communications environments.”

I cannot wait to see how the future unfolds.