Enable collaboration, drive agility, and transform workforce productivity

FUTURE-PROOF YOUR BUSINESS WITH

NEXT-GEN UCaaS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 3

1: Accepting Mobility as the New Normal 4

2: Mobilizing the Mobile Workforce with UC 5

3: Finding the Right UCaaS provider 8

4: Taking a Mobile-First Approach with Mitel MiCollab 10

5: Expert IT Advice from MicroAge 12

3

Today’s business world is connected and

constantly communicating. Mobility has

transformed the way people work and

how businesses interact with customers,

partners, and employees.

As “the office” moves away from the traditional

setup of cubicles and landlines, employees need

the right tools to communicate and collaborate

seamlessly from anywhere, with any device. A

mishmash of outdated, cobbled-together commu-

nications technologies simply won’t cut it in this

modern workplace. Empowering employees to in-

stantly communicate, share ideas, and brainstorm

solutions can boost productivity, enable better

decision-making, and increase profitability. That’s

why it’s critical to provide your employees with

effective methods of communicating, so they can

work smarter and faster as a team.

Collaboration holds the key to transforming your

business. Yet, most organizations struggle to

enable truly seamless communication and collab-

oration across platforms, systems, and devices.

Global teams, complex supply chains, and increas-

ing mobility have served up growing communica-

tion challenges. Companies of all sizes are walking

a tightrope of diminishing IT budgets and limited

staffing resources, while trying to stay productive

and meet customer demands.

INTRODUCTION

For businesses in this globally connected world,

Unified Communication (UC) technologies and-

Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)

solutions are key enablers for collaboration.

The business value that communication and col-

laboration create in terms of business agility,

employee productivity, and the customer expe-

rience is driving the adoption of UC solutions.

And the need to control management and infra-

structure costs while ensuring anytime, anywhere

availability is driving the shift to cloud-based UC,

or UCaaS.

4

Gone are the days when employees sit at a desk in an office building

from 9–5 with a landline and a desktop computer. Today’s workforce

is on the move—on various devices, in multiple locations, accessing

corporate resources from everywhere.

For today’s millennial-heavy workforce, enterprise mobility is almost

always the preferred solution. And this trend is on the rise. The

global mobile workforce is expected to climb to 1.75 billion workers

by 2020.1 According to the 1 Million for Work Flexibility movement,

flex work may be so prevalent over the next decade that the term will

be redundant.2

Experts predict that 70% of mobile professionals

will conduct business on their personal mobile

devices by 2018.3 This highly mobile, globally

dispersed workforce expects instant on-demand

connectivity. If your organization’s employees can

instantly connect, share, and solve problems, they

can be more productive, make better decisions, and

perform at a higher level. That’s good for them, good

for the business, and good for IT (who could use

some time back from problem-solving).

So, how can you improve collaboration within your

organization? How do you give employees the flexibility to work

from any device, anywhere? And how do you prevent them from

seeking out their own solutions, which can potentially introduce

cracks into your cyber security structure?

1ACCEPTING MOBILITY AS THE NEW NORMAL

1.75BMobile workersby 2020.

5

2T

hat’s where UC comes into play—a single platform that

integrates tools like voicemail, telephony, email, audio

and video conferencing, instant messaging, and desktop

sharing, as well as provides a consistent user experience

across multiple devices and media.

When these tools are integrated into a system that allows easy flow

of communication among devices—Unified Communications and

Collaboration (UCC)—they allow users to communicate in whatever

manner best suits their needs or situation. The individual tools are

interconnected so access is streamlined and efficient.

At its core, UC is about enabling collaboration and communication—

from voice to video; from live to virtual; from instant to mobile mes-

saging. It is designed to eliminate the barriers that have historically

separated voice calls, email, instant messaging, and conferencing in

all forms.

UC takes disparate communications and collaboration silos in your

business and brings them into one platform that extends from

device to data center. For IT managers, this reduces costs and

complexity, while ensuring greater security and governance over

information assets.

MOBILIZING THE MOBILE WORKFORCE WITH UC

UC

Telephony/Voicemail

Desktop Sharing

Audio Conferencing

Video Conferencing

Email

Instant Messaging

6

Moving UC to the cloudAs organizations continue their search to do more with less, UC

solutions enable them to make the fastest possible decisions and

transactions. And it gets even better. One of the most efficient deliv-

ery models for UC is cloud computing, which is fast becoming the IT

delivery channel of choice for businesses today. Deploying UC tools in

the cloud as a “service” means organizations of every size can deploy

UC for a fraction of the cost of legacy on-premises systems.

UCaaS solutions are hosted, which means organizations aren’t re-

quired to make a significant investment to update their infrastructure.

Additionally, UCaaS solutions are flexible. They can be deployed on- or

off-premises, or in hybrid configurations, enabling IT to configure the

solution to address specific needs. UCaaS can also be integrated with

existing communication technology, including CRM and email clients

like Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Skype for Business, Google, and

more. It not only increases employee productivity, but can save your

organization thousands on capital costs.

One of the main reasons organizations are looking to UCaaS can be

summed up in one word: Simplicity. With UCaaS solutions, organiza-

tions benefit from easier setups, reduced maintenance needs, lower

costs, and greater flexibility to manage their capabilities as they grow.

Why switch to UCaaS?With a UCaaS system in place, users have easy access to streamlined tools that enable seamless commu-

nication and collaboration. This leads to productive teams and satisfied customers. From easy deploy-

ment to better business continuity, there are several compelling reasons to consider UCaaS solutions

for your organization.

EASY DEPLOYMENTOn-premises UC can be complex, with several servers and UC applications needing to

be set up by specialized IT professionals. UCaaS solutions can be set up quickly, even

in distributed company layouts, with updates and changes accomplished in minutes.

SIMPLIFIED MAINTENANCEUCaaS is delivered from the cloud to any location, regardless of size. This simplifies sys-

tem management and frees up IT time to focus on larger business issues. For instance,

most UCaaS solutions automatically update new features. This means IT no longer

needs to deal with testing, scheduling, or installing software updates.

UCaaS IntegratIonS

Salesforce

Microsoft Dynamics

Skype for Business

Google

Many more

7

TRUE MOBILITYInstalling UCaaS enables users to access instant chat applications, set up on-the-fly

meetings (video and voice), share documents, and engage with customers in real-time.

This allows the business to stay on top of the mobile revolution and gives mobile work-

ers better options to stay productive.

SECURITYUCaaS providers are focused on providing greater control and visibility to improve

an organization’s view of security. Increased control is offered through high levels of

availability, greater recovery speed, and better visibility into the cloud’s risk

management frameworks.

SCALABILITYWith cloud-based services, you can scale your communications network efficiently and

cost-effectively. UCaaS offerings allow an organization the flexibility to go from a hand-

ful of users to thousands in a short period of time.

COST CONTROLWith UCaaS, there’s no expensive hardware to purchase, no annual maintenance con-

tracts, no data center power and environmental costs, no capital depreciation, and no

need for specialized expertise.

RELIABILITYThe UCaaS model isn’t tied to a single location and is inherently resilient and redundant.

The best UCaaS providers also have secure data centers configured to ensure contin-

ued service in the event of catastrophic events. Your organization’s data is backed up in

multiple locations, creating a disaster-proof backbone for the business.

UCaaS solutions can be set up quickly, even in distributed company layouts, with updates and changes accomplished in minutes.

8

3FINDING THE RIGHT UCaaS PROVIDER

Every business has its own path to the cloud, which may

include public and private cloud components, as well as

traditional on-premises infrastructure for communications.

While each business has a unique journey when it comes to

defining its collaboration strategies, choosing the right partner is

crucial for everyone. Once you decide to move toward a collabora-

tion-friendly platform to support UCaaS, and all the benefits that

come with it, the next step is to seek out the right UCaaS solution

and vendor.

Keep in mind that selecting a UCaaS provider is about more than sim-

ply selecting support for one mobility platform or another, or some

collection of communications and collaboration services. It’s also

about establishing an ongoing business relationship and the ability to

help organizations produce and achieve successful outcomes.

Your provider should enable you to truly take control of your services, address user needs, and react nimbly to issues while holding the line on costs.

9

MiCloud, a solution for every sizeMitel’s MiCloud Enterprise UCaaS solution pro-

vides a cost-effective way to deliver and expand

business communications without the need to

invest in expensive servers, network routers,

security mechanisms, and other in-house data

center equipment. With MiCloud Enterprise,

mid-sized to large organizations that require

a rich UC environment can bring unified, mis-

sion-critical communications into the cloud for

increased efficiency, simplicity, and mobility.

MiCloud Enterprise delivers the highest levels

of performance, reliability, and security through

a global, mobile cloud. With MiCloud, you get a

complete UCaaS environment with customizable

options and seamless integration with business

applications such as Microsoft Skype, Salesforce,

Google, and more.

Fully featured voice communications combined

with a wide range of capabilities enables MiCloud

Enterprise UCaaS to be tailored to almost any

business. Companies can mix and match capa-

bilities to create a communications solution that

best fits their business needs and budget.

For small to mid-sized businesses seeking to

increase their communications capabilities—in

particular, their phone system—solutions like

MiCloud Business offer a cloud communication

option that delivers the flexibility and cost-effec-

tiveness that business owners and IT directors

need to migrate to the cloud at a pace that is right

for their organizations. Fully hosted, maintained

and supported by Mitel, MiCloud Business deliv-

ers great call quality, industry-leading reliability

and an easy-to-manage phone system with no

upfront costs.

By combining MiCloud with your own business

applications and services, your organization can

offer unique solutions focused on specific busi-

ness challenges.

Look for UCaaS providers that offer flexible, cloud-

based all-in-one Voice and UC packages with a

full suite of UC capabilities. Your provider should

enable you to truly take control of your services,

address user needs, and react nimbly to issues

while holding the line on costs. They should be

willing to help you define requirements, manage

implementation, and provide a point of contact for

ongoing support.

To find all that and more, many businesses are

turning to Mitel, the world’s largest provider of

cloud business communications with more than

three million cloud subscribers. Mitel offers in-

dustry-leading UCaaS for businesses of all sizes.

10

4TAKING A MOBILE-FIRST APPROACH WITH MITEL MICOllab

You can upgrade MiCloud users’ experiences even further

with Mitel MiCollab, a complete collaboration solution

that provides businesses of all sizes with all the tools

they need to collaborate effectively. A component of

Mitel’s UCC solution, MiCollab delivers the key capabilities needed

to increase productivity, build competitive advantage, and drive

business success.

Mitel MiCollab is built for mobility. It provides a highly collaborative

workspace, aligning with how employees communicate in today’s fast

paced, mobile workplace. Through a single client, employees have

access to an integrated suite of unified communications and collabo-

ration services, so every interaction can be efficient and productive—

with colleagues, customers, or partners.

ENHANCED PRODUCTIVITYEmployees can connect quickly and participate in collaboration sessions, whether planned

or impromptu. MiCollab increases employee collaboration and productivity by reducing

communications latency, managing workflows, and eliminating device dependencies.

EASY INTEGRATIONWhether it’s software deployed on an industry-standard server or in a virtual environ-

ment, MiCollab fits comfortably into existing IT infrastructures. It also integrates with

leading business frameworks and cloud services, such as Microsoft Outlook or IBM

Notes, and other UC application tools, such as Microsoft Lync.

SIMPLIFIED ADMINISTRATIONIT administrators can manage all of their organization’s collaboration tools using a single,

user-friendly, web-based interface.

With MiCollab you get:

11

Single business tool helps teams work

together to increase customer satisfaction

Easy access to shared insights, leading to better

business decisions

Enables seamless collaboration anywhere,

on any device

Flexible deployment options that can

evolve with your business

HOW DOES MICollab DRIVE COLLABORATION?

MiCollab unifies voice, video, chat, messaging, web

conferencing, and team collaboration tools into a

single solution, making it easier to connect with

others and break down the barriers of siloed team

environments. Whether it’s from their desktops or

mobile devices, MiCollab helps employees become

more efficient, easily share ideas and insights across

the organization, and stay productive from virtually

anywhere.

Simplifying communication even further, Mitel’s

MiCollab Client provides a single access point

for all business communication and collaboration

needs. It enables smarter communications between

colleagues, customers, and business partners,

and allows employees to become more accessible

through a variety of real-time communication

methods—whether it’s instant messaging, voice, or

desktop video.

MICollab HITS A HOMERUNHow did the San Diego Padres lead the MLB to the cloud? Learn More »

12

EXPERT IT ADVICE FROM MICROAGE

Choosing and deploying a UCaaS solution can seem daunting. At MicroAge, our team of

solution experts provides an unbiased perspective of UC and UCaaS solutions, helping you

identify the right one to connect and collaborate—driving the exchange of thoughts and

improving the speed and quality of decision-making.

MicroAge experts have the experience to help you narrow down the UC providers that are the best fit

for your organization, regardless of size and business need. We can help you evaluate and understand

different products, coordinate demos, then recommend the appropriate licensing for your organiza-

tion. With an average of 13+ years in IT, our consultants are the most experienced and tech-savvy in

the industry.

By partnering with hundreds of vendors, including innovative companies like Mitel, the experts at

MicroAge can offer a variety of end-to-end collaboration tools and UCaaS solutions. Our team has the

resources and partnerships in place to help you make the best decision for your unique business goals

and needs. Rely on the experts at MicroAge to help you identify a comprehensive UCaaS solution so

your organization can fully embrace mobility and collaboration.

The MicroAge reputation and culture is built on trust. Partner with us, so we can help you build a col-

laborative workplace for the future.

1. Strategy Analytics, Global Mobile Workforce Forecast 2015-2020, 2015.

2. “How Flex Work is Impacting Business Collaboration,” 1 Million for Work Flexibility Blog, Jan. 21, 2015.

http://www.workflexibility.org/flex-work-impacting-business-collaboration/

3. Gartner, “Bring Your Own Device: The Facts and the Future”, 2013

SOURCES:

Schedule time with a MicroAge specialist to conduct a demo of MiCollab.

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