Mitel and VMware Provide Desktop Virtualization to Contact Centers

Mitel and VMware, Inc., at the VMware Partner Exchange 2012, have introduced the integration of Mitel's Contact Center Solution for VMware View. With this, contact center managers can deploy and manage agents worldwide while reducing their contact center's costs. Furthermore, Mitel's virtualized Unified Communicator Advanced client software, which gives contact center employees access to a cloud-based soft phone or desk phone, is available for VMware View.

With desktop virtualization using VMware View, desktop components are delivered as a managed service from a centralized location (from the cloud or a data center), rather than physical devices, improving manageability and control. By using it with Mitel's Contact Center Solution, users can deploy contact center and communications applications as a single solution on a virtual desktop, thus reducing costs and extending their desktop and mobile environment to anywhere with an internet connection.

"This is a significant achievement," said Dave Michels, of TalkingPointz Research and UCStrategies. "Mitel is the first to offer a VMware-endorsed call center solution that uses VMware's virtual desktop solution, View. Mitel and VMware are both targeting the same size customers with this solution. Together, the two companies can offer a call center the ability to run with a single - no moving parts - thin client for both desktop and phone - a tremendous operational benefit for both centralized and distributed environments. Mitel has been very aggressive with its commitment to virtualization, and this one offers the most potential to change the game."

Blair Pleasant of UCStrategies adds, "There are many use cases where a virtualized solution like this will be useful, including making it easier to employ remote and work-at-home agents, as well as for disaster recovery, enabling agents to work from any location. Companies with cyclical businesses can take on agents temporarily using a virtualized solution like this when there are big spikes in calls, saving them a lot of money." Pleasant adds, "The challenge for Mitel and VMware will be the channel - Mitel's channel partners are primarily very telephony focused, and now have to learn how to effectively sell data center servers, hardware, storage, etc. At the same time, VMware's channel partners are very hardware centric and need to learn about telephony."

The solution is being demonstrated at the VMware and Mitel booths at VMware's Partner Exchange 2012 through Thursday, February 16.

For more information, visit www.mitel.com.