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BUSINESS INTERVIEW
Mitel reveals next phase
EXCLUSIVE
Two months ago Mitel’s Managing Director
for EMEA, Graham Bevington, oversaw a
management restructure that saw long-time
channel player Enda Kenneally leave the firm.
With a tighter hands-on grip of Mitel’s channel
strategy, Bevington revealed to Adam Oxford
his plans for future growth and development.
ollowing a summer of One area that Mitel is keen to
F
slow sales and market push, says Bevington, is the benefits
consolidation, the UK of server virtualisation. Regarded
telecommunications by many vendors as difficult to
channel is rapidly changing and achieve without compromising
will continue to do so, and the call quality, he believes that Mitel’s
challenge now, believes Bevington, partnerships with top IT firms like
is for vendors to keep pace Sun have helped it to tackle the
and develop models to suit the inherent problems of virtualising
channel’s emerging requirements. communications systems. The
Bevington is also keen to press Sun Ray, for example, is an ultra-
home the message that despite thin client system which delivers
Graham Bevington
the internal restructure, there’s no converged voice and data to a
shift in direction from Mitel. “The virtualised desktop using the Mitel With the overall comms market opportunity there for resellers
channel is changing very quickly 3300 backend. “Our relationship down around 25 per cent year- to demonstrate the benefits of
and we are responding to those with Sun has opened our eyes to a on-year, Bevington is happy with unified communications.”
changes, but the basic strategy different world, a different way of Mitel’s performance to date.
is unchanged,” he confirmed. doing things,” explains Bevington. “Flat is the new growth,” he jokes. One area that he’s keen to
“We still have a channel-centric “Mitel has virtualised voice with “Although we are seeing some focus debate is on low cost,
route to market. Our focus is VMWare. At November’s Comms big projects starting up again and low bandwidth, high definition
on transitioning products from Solutions event in Gleneagles we’ll the SME side of things is growing.” videoconferencing, as addressed
hardware to software solutions that be talking about our upcoming by the Mitel Telecollaboration
run on industry standard platforms, partnership and developments Although businesses are still solution. “We can deliver HD quality
providing customers with flexibility with VMWare and the move to cautious about spending, cost video at a fifth of the bandwidth of
and choice to meet the needs of virtualisation for our server products efficiencies aren’t the only our competitors,” says Bevington.
the converged infrastructure.” and what that means from a consideration IT directors are “And I think that’s going to be
channel perspective. We’re living basing purchasing decisions on. very important in the future.”
Mitel’s latest channel initiative, in a virtualised world, and the IT Green technologies are very much
Series X, is an incentive package director now needs to have a back on the table, Bevington With the internal restructure
around Unified Communicator virtualisation strategy to deal with believes, as companies realise that complete, a new product range
Advanced, rewarding partners that, one that includes voice as the two goals are complimentary. launched, and questions still to
with cashback for sales of the Mitel an application on the network. “Green is back on the agenda for be answered about the future of
Series X Unified Communicator I’ve been surprised at how quickly most customers and end users, but competition from Nortel, it would
suite, and includes a 60 per cent the market for virtualised telecoms enterprises really aren’t prepared be fair to expect Bevington to
discount promotion for a basic has taken off. It’s lucky for us, for the changes in the law that be looking at the current Mitel
server and five licence package. because we’ve had applications are coming through regarding structure as a fait accompli, but
“One the advantages of our ready for some time now.” carbon auditing, and there’s an as long as the channel keeps
current line-up is that the SME evolving, he’ll continue to evaluate
and enterprise offerings are the
We still have a channel-
the best strategy to suit it. “There’s
same in terms of what they offer,” more change coming to the
commented Bevington. “There’s centric approach to market. channel environment, and that
no difference from a channel does mean we’ll be looking at new
perspective, so its easy for resellers
Our focus is on transitioning
ways to respond to its needs. But at
to move between the two. It’s
products from hardware to software
the moment it’s very much business
an opportunity all the way.” as usual,” concluded Bevington.
n
Call: 0800 021 4429
Design your own incentive
email: partnersupport@chesstelecom.com
20 COMMS DEALER NOVEMBER 2009 www.comms-dealer.com
PG20 Mitel.indd 1 2/11/09 4:09:55 pm
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