Mitel Launches Cloud-Based MiContact Center LiveMitel Launches Cloud-Based MiContact Center Live

Mitel's announcement to partner with LiveOps advances company's stated goals to invest in cloud and expand in the contact center.

Last year Mitel announced that two of its key initiatives were to invest in the cloud and expand in the contact center. Both goals are advanced with today's announcement that Mitel has partnered with LiveOps to deploy its cloud contact center solution as MiContact Center Live. I had the opportunity to discuss the new relationship of the two companies with Chris Courneya, VP and General Manager, Contact Centers at Mitel (picture shown below).

The first question is why Mitel would OEM a contact center solution when it has one in its portfolio from the acquisition of prarieFyre in 2013. Courneya gave two solid reasons for the decision. While Mitel has been offering MiContact Center to its service providers with the core MiVoice product- that has been used for private cloud and managed services - the company was being told that there were areas where they needed to improve. These included features very specific to the cloud business, e.g., service billing and usage metrics. Also, the existing solution is closely tied to the MiVoice platform. While that works for existing customers and those who are replacing both telephony and contact center solutions, it didn't work as well for contact center-only deals.

"LiveOps gives us a true public cloud delivery, pure HTML," said Courneya. It allows service providers to go "over the top" of any existing telephone platform, and it allows customers to go to the cloud for contact center without changing IP telephony platform.

It's not hard to imagine why LiveOps welcomed the OEM with Mitel. SMB customers are key adopters of cloud contact center solutions, and Mitel has thousands of these customers around the globe. Courneya shared that, initially, the joint solution will be offered through the Mitel NetSolutions group (the former Inter-Tel Netsolutions). Over time, MiContact Center Live might also be offered as an option for Mitel hosted service providers.

MiContact Center Live is available immediately in North America with plans to launch in additional countries over the next 12 months. The service is provisioned by interconnecting Mitel and LiveOps data centers. As LiveOps has data centers in London, Singapore and Sydney, in addition to two in North America, global support of the Mitel customer base – including the new geographies that the Aastra acquisition brought to the company – is possible.

One aspect of the Mitel/LiveOps partnership reminds me of the old sales adage – people buy from people. Apparently companies partner with people as well. LiveOps SVP of Cloud Application Sales, Vasili Triant, was a Mitel authorized reseller earlier in his career. As Courneya shared, "He understands the Mitel market and what we want to do with it."

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