Mitel Corporate Updates
When Mitel announced its strategic partnership two years ago with RingCentral becoming its exclusive UCaaS provider, it also made public announcements about Mitel/Shoretel MiVoice Connect End of Life Sales / End of Life for all five of its UCaaS solutions including MiCloud Office US (EoL 6/30/2023), MiCloud Business US (EoL 6/30/2024), and dates for ShoreTel Sky, MiCloud Connect, and MiCloud Flex Retail in the US.
Some things have changed since then, with Mitel realigning MiVoice Business with Zoom as their unified communications partner, and entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March of 2025 to restructure its corporate debt. These decisions will ultimately benefit Mitel as a voice provider, but none affect the end of life timeline for Mitel’s MiVoice Connect product.
Mitel/Shoretel MiVoice Connect End of Life Next Steps
When Mitel announced that they would no longer be supporting MiVoice Connect at the end of 2029, they put many customers in the uncomfortable position of having to decide how to invest in the future of their business voice communications platform. Even with plenty of notice about the Mitel/Shoretel MiVoice Connect End of Life sunset plan, no one wants to be told their phone system will be outdated and unsupported. While 2029 seems like enough time to make a decision, keep in mind that at the end of 2024 Mitel security patches and software updates ended, leaving MiVoice Connect systems at risk of a cybersecurity breach.
Seeking a solution sooner rather than later will afford you ample time for a detailed evaluation of potential providers, building a compelling business case, contracting, and eventually deploying the new system seamlessly. So let’s break down the process to ensure you’re making an informed decision.
Mitel/Shoretel MiVoice Connect End of Life Key Deadlines
The Mitel/Shoretel MiVoice Connect product has had a remarkable run since the early 2000s, providing reliable & clear communications for over 20 years. Here are key dates to consider as you strategize on the best path forward:
- June 30, 2024: Call recording functionality ends for Oaisys or “MiVoice Call Recording” Connect systems.
- July 6, 2024: New system sales ended.
- October 2, 2024: Connect system security will no longer support HIPPA compliancy requirements, putting sensitive information at risk.
- December 31, 2024: Termination of add-on sales including both hardware and software expansions. Feature enhancements, patching, and system scalability will no longer be available.
- December 31, 2025: Termination of Design Support and end of Extended License Sales.
- December 31, 2028: Termination of all hardware repair (no RMA).
- December 31, 2029: Support and all other Mitel product engagement ends to conclude the Mitel/Shoretel MiConnect end of life cycle.
Be aware there are significant risks in operating the Connect system beyond December 31, 2024, due to halted expansions and security patches, leaving your system vulnerable and stagnant. Operating with this system in place will take some incredible work-around engineering which in turn can cause frustration and become costly year over year. You’ll need to make a change eventually, so why not make the time now to start that process to ensure it’s a smooth one.
What Does Your Company Really Need?
Business phone systems can be complicated, and there are many choices to make. As you look to the future, be open-minded to the fact your company may have outgrown its current platform, you just didn’t realize it. Your company has evolved from when you first deployed your Shoretel Connect/MiVoice Connect, and the communication world has evolved at a faster pace than ever over the past decade. AI, flexibility, chatbots, smarter mobile phone apps, video conferencing, and so much more are available. There is an entirely new world of innovation, automation, and customer experience waiting for you to explore now with the Mitel/Shoretel MiVoice Connect end of life imminent.
Look at who you are now and solicit the feedback of customers, partners, vendors, and your employees to really understand your organizational needs. A few of the questions to consider are:
- Do you have a contact center? Has your company evolved enough to need one?
- Do you have multiple locations or one centralized workforce?
- Do you have satellite offices or hybrid workers?
- How do your customers interact with you as a company?
- How would your customers like to engage with you?
- Would you consider adding video, SMS, or chat features if you don’t already have them?
- What functionality could help your team work more efficiently? Or more collaboratively?
While you may be looking into new providers, there is one piece of good news for those businesses who have invested in Mitel phone hardware. Mitel 480 or 6900 series phones can be repurposed to work with RingCentral, and 6900 series phones will work with ZOOM. Consider how many physical phones might be retained, and/or how many users might consider moving to a “soft phone” (digital dialer on a computer) or mobile application as you consider your future provider and platform.
Evolving Communications Options
Along with how you’re engaging with your customers and each other, how you invest in communication platforms has changed. What was once a one-time capital expense, or short-term lease is now an operating expense. We live in an “As A Service” world including communications. Mitel still has an on-premise option if you need a traditional PBX, however, there are Unified Communications As A Service (UCaaS) offerings that might suit your business needs better with enhanced features to empower your workforce with greater collaboration and efficiencies. Consider adding Contact Center As A Service (CCaaS) or CX if you need to take your Customer Experience to a new level.
With that in mind, here’s a guide to selecting a robust alternative to the Mitel MiVoice Connect system:
- Assess Current Needs: Start with a thorough analysis of your current requirements, identifying the non-negotiable features and functionalities for your business operations.
- Research and Evaluate: Narrow down to a select few providers (2-3) who are leaders in the market and align with your assessed needs.
- Demos: Arrange for demonstrations from the shortlisted providers to get a firsthand experience of their offerings. Note: There are technology companies like Global CTI that work with multiple telecom providers. However, Global CTI takes an agnostic approach to finding the solution and provider that best suits your business needs. if you feel pushed into choosing a provider you’re not sure will suit you, get a second opinion!
- Pricing: Delve into the pricing details, comparing the cost-effectiveness and ROI of each option, including one-time purchases or monthly per-user models that offer greater scalability and seasonal flexibility. Pricing should be transparent, and include installation and project management fees, along with an option for on-going support.
- Proof of Concept (POC): Undertake a POC project to test the proposed solution in a real-world scenario. Partners like Global CTI should have demonstration models you can test for a limited time before purchasing.
- Scorecard: Develop a scorecard to systematically evaluate each solution against various parameters including performance, reliability, and user-friendliness.
- Business Case Building and Contracting: Construct a strong business case illustrating the benefits of transitioning to the new system followed by the contracting process. If you need to secure approval from a Board or executive leadership group, your technology partner can help you prepare for the presentation and, in Global CTI’s case, we offer to attend with you to answer deeper technical questions.
- Training: Equip your team with the necessary training to proficiently navigate the new system. Be sure your technology partner is ready to support your employees and help with this task, especially if your workers are scattered across multiple offices. Most training can be conducted remotely, but sometimes onsite training is necessary. Ask if that is an option.
- Transition: Steer a smooth transition, ensuring a seamless handover from the old system to the new one. Making the transition before the old system dies is much easier, so don’t procrastinate until the old system is inoperable or you discover it wasn’t backing up data.
- Deployment: After finalizing the contract, move to the deployment phase where the new system will be installed and configured. You don’t need to walk down this path alone (unless you want to). Technology partners like Global CTI are prepared to be on-site for deployment and post-optimization to ensure you and your team have the best experience possible.
- Optimization: Post-transition, focus on optimizing the system to suit your evolving business demands.
- Adjustments: Be prepared to make necessary adjustments based on the feedback and performance metrics of the new system. Technology partners like Global CTI can on-going support to ensure your team stays fully functional while the organization adjusts to the new system.
Mitel/Shoretel MiVoice Connect End of Life Options
Any decision worth making for your company includes due diligence. The good news is there are many options available for current MiVoice Connect customers to choose from. Some are easier than others, and depending on your company assessment results, others may be more applicable when it comes to enhanced features you’ve deemed to add. Here are four options to take with your current Mitel phone system.
- Migrate to MiVoice Business. If your business needs require an on-premise phone system, MiVoice Business serves customers of all sizes: small to large, with public and private cloud and on-premise deployment options, with CAPEX and OPEX licensing, and with great flexibility to integrate with collaboration solutions and industry-aligned workflow applications.
The benefits:- Not much financial strain on your organization
- Deployment flexibility (on-site, in the public cloud or private cloud)
- Suitable for organizations of any size
- SMB Controller is the best option for previous MiVoice Office 250, MiVoice Connect or 14.2 users, and for onsite disaster recovery
- Full range of IP desktop devices and accessories
- Feature-rich unified communications platform for communication, collaboration and customer service
- Migrate to RingCentral. RingCentral took over Mitel’s cloud offering at the end of 2021. Migrating your Mitel phone system to a RingCentral cloud solution can be a low-disruption move for your company. Global CTI is a RingCentral Certified Gold partner, and a certified CDP for RingEX and RingCX. This level of expertise delivers a better implementation experience, including assistance with porting numbers, remote and/or onsite training and onsite Go Live and First Day of Service Support (FDOS), and post implementation support before transitioning you to GCTI Client Care and/or RingCentral Support
The benefits:- Excellent reliability with 99.999% uptime
- Strong security from seven layers of protection
- Integrates with 250+ applications
- Works with 400 and 6900 series Mitel phones
- Migration offers minimal to no disruption to your business
- Ranked as a market leader on the Gartner Magic Quadrant
- Powerful voice, video, chat and contact center features
- Choose an alternate provider. It’s worthwhile to explore unified communications (UCaaS) and contact center (CCaaS) platforms that consolidate technology across phone messaging and meetings. RingCentral is one option of course, but Gartner recommends some strong contenders in its Magic Quadrant reports. Global CTI installs and supports cloud-based solutions from these leaders:
- Put off making a decision and see what happens. Yes, you can continue to use your MiVoice Connect system. Legacy systems are familiar and easy to use, but staying with one after its product sales and software support ends can create problems. You will likely run into issues if you open a new office, hire remote employees, or have hardware issues. Delaying your decision until the last moment can cause serious disruptions for your organization, and you may be forced to replace your entire system because you are facing hardware failures, reaching the end-of-life phase, or because there is no longer any customer support for the system you were using.
Need Help Determining the Best Option?
Global CTI can help you navigate where your Mitel/Shoretel MiVoice Connect End of Life product stands and discuss these options (and others) to ensure you make a well-informed and defendable decision with your organization’s needs at the forefront. We understand the financial risks and will present transparent and easy-to-understand product solutions that will allow your company to grow and expand into the future. Some UCaaS providers even offer a free try-before-you-buy staging environment. Give us a call for your free consultation today at 800-366-1711 or Contact Us Here.