Recently, we spoke to 8x8 employees with previous experience at Mitel to get their thoughts on customers making the move to the cloud:

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As an engineer, I know first hand how complicated some communications systems can become over time, especially if you’re dealing with an on-premises system. It can be a massive task to ensure high availability, business continuity, and user mobility when you’re dealing with changing business and user needs, slow upgrades, and complex system management.

Lacking the inherent agility offered by cloud-based systems, many on-prem PBX suppliers have had to cut down on their R&D investments or depend on other vendors for roadmap continuity. This leaves long-time customers in the lurch, stuck with a dead-end system. And, of course, all of these issues were exacerbated by the pandemic and the subsequent global adoption of remote or hybrid workplace models. The minor annoyances of legacy systems became major problems when desk phones and complex administration hindered any prospect of agility or adaptability.

All of this effort can make you feel like you need to simply make peace with a less-than-adequate system that would be a nightmare to replace, but it’s important to not fall for the sunk cost fallacy. Just because you’ve made this investment does not mean that you have to stay tethered to your on-premises system, especially not at the expense of losing ground to the competitors or wasting valuable time and resources.

8x8 support makes it seamless for you to upgrade to one of our cloud-based solutions as you transition away from your old on-premises system. Whether it’s five offices or thousands of retail sites, 8x8 specializes in developing the right upgrade strategy for our customers. Our latest brief outlines everything you need to know about moving from on-premises systems like Mitel or Mitel competitors to the cloud, but here’s a quick run-down of the upgrade process.

The basic process of upgrading from Mitel to 8x8

To begin, the 8x8 team will partner with your organization to map out users, use cases, and your unique business needs. We believe in a personalized approach to your upgrade, which is why 8x8 enables organizations to mix and match packages tailored for the needs of each type of user. Once there’s a firm understanding of what’s needed, we’ll begin crafting the ideal solution for your objectives.

Next, during deployment, a designated 8x8 project manager will support you every step of the way. By using SIP tie trunks, we can create a universal dial plan to seamlessly route voice traffic between the Mitel PBX(s) and the branch locations on 8x8, allowing for a phased migration.

8x8 provides detailed training for both system administrators and end users. Once users and lines are ported, we’ll train admins and users. 8x8 offers a myriad of training options that promote fast, sustainable learning, and we will build a training program that meets your specific requirements. Training resources include self-paced online training modules, adoption kits, virtual, instructor-led classes, and on-site training.

After users are trained and phones are deployed, we’ll test and validate all call flows to ensure that everything is operating as it should. Once these steps are complete, your new system will be ready for production, allowing you to safely retire your legacy Mitel infrastructure.

At this point, you’re all squared away—you can rest easy knowing that you have 8x8 support available at all times (should your users require it). We’ve built a global network of operations and customer service centers in the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia, Philippines, and Romania to provide 24/7/365, follow-the-sun support to meet the needs of your users at any time.

Want to learn more? Read the full brief. 

Ready to take the next step? Request a quote.