Last week we wrote about Mitel and RingCentral announcing a new partnership making RingCentral the exclusive UCaaS partner for Mitel customers. In a nutshell, this partnership means that Mitel will continue to support their on-prem environments, but they'll no longer actively offer cloud-based products such as MiCloud Connect and Mitel MiVoice Connect for new customers. This partnership is not expected to affect existing customers.
In their place, RingCentral's UCaaS solution, MVP, will give Mitel customers the option to adopt a hybrid approach to communications technology. While RingCentral is a new entity to the Mitel base, the concept of the hybrid communications model (blending some cloud capabilities with location-based telephony systems) is not.
To better understand the new alliance, let's look at how all this works.
Why Go Hybrid in the First Place?
Hybrid systems offer faster deployment and more dynamic scalability and agility than a total on-prem system. They also give businesses more control and flexibility by choosing where to use public or private communications.
For many organizations, a hybrid solution is the best of both worlds. While they may continue some location-based communication services due to regulatory, security, or other reasons, they also see the value in employing a work from anywhere, on any device, cloud technology for others.
Because we're a Mitel Platinum Partner and a RingCentral Premier Partner, we've deployed many blended solutions for our customers. One of which was a large school district using a Mitel location-based system and a customized RingCentral cloud platform for a hybrid approach that works perfectly for them.
Below we'll tell you all about it.
U.S. School District Goes Hybrid with Mitel and RingCentral MVP
With 167 schools and 256 total sites, over 15,000 principals, administrators, and staff including approximately 7,000 teachers working with 100k+ students and their parents, this large U.S. K-12 school district knew they needed a trusted communications partner to help them transition from Mitel on-prem services to hybrid Mitel and RingCentral MVP.
The district had a few main goals in adopting a hybrid communications platform. While established district locations such as administration offices and classrooms required prem-based phones for safety compliance, the district also recognized that a software-based system would also be helpful with increased call volume and remote learning due to the pandemic and beyond. In addition, they wanted to give all staff members the ability to maintain their privacy while conducting inbound or outbound communications with the option to do so from any device with internet access, regardless of location.
Customized Solution
Converged Technology Professionals considered the requirements mentioned above while designing the hybrid communications system solution for the school district. A team of senior account executives and technical accounts managers (TAMS) analyzed all the district's unique needs, including a cost analysis to ensure maximum savings potential for the new platform.
Then, as only 1 of 3 partners approved to perform a RingCentral implementation, the team oversaw the deployment of the new system to be sure phone numbers were routed correctly and provided other programming tasks involved with the rollout.
Location-based entities such as classrooms, cafeterias, elevators, alarm systems, and administration offices continued using on-prem Mitel telephony just as they'd been doing all along, while school district employees, including teachers, started using RingCentral MVP. Buildings used on-prem phones, while people generally utilized RingCentral Office, giving maximum flexibility and the ideal technologies for everyone.
This blended environment has given the district a better communications system with benefits that reach beyond the classroom:
-
School administrators could answer parent calls across any available desktop or mobile platform, either as an internet VoIP call or as a 10-digit dial to landlines or cell phones, a tremendous advantage with the advent of increased call volumes.
-
Teachers could implement virtual classes using RingCentral Video plus connect with parents and faculty with one-click HD video meetings, SMS texting, and instant messaging (IM) directly through the RingCentral application.
-
On-premise gateways ensured security with the original phones in the building continuing to operate. At the same time, RingCentral provided all users throughout the district with seven layers of enterprise-grade security regardless of device or location.
Get Ready for the Future with Mitel RingCentral Hybrid Contact Center
Planning a phased approach to your cloud communications that'll work today and set you up for the future is easy when you have a trusted communications partnership like we had with the school district above.
Here are some of the main reasons to choose Converged Technology Professionals as your communications partner:
-
We offer in-house U.S.-based support and guidance through our TAMs program.
-
As one of their top partners, we can escalate to RingCentral U.S.-based support.
-
We have Mitel Time and Materials Contracts available for transition assistance.
Contact us here for more information on how we can help you with a hybrid cloud communications platform.
If you enjoyed this article you may also enjoy:
Suellen Meyers: December 21, 2023
Liz Krause : November 10, 2021
