Mitel (Nasdaq: MITL), a leading provider of unified communications and collaboration (UCC) software solutions, has unveiled the latest version of its flagship UCC offering, the Mitel Applications Suite 4.0 (MAS 4.0).
Based on Mitel's Freedom Architecture, MAS 4.0, which is also available as a virtualised solution, is designed to address several points of frustration plaguing IT organisations and business users, and gives companies the ability to tailor the solution to their unique communications needs. With new Web-based collaboration and mobility solutions, MAS 4.0's unique single application interface facilitates easy, natural communication and collaboration between colleagues, regardless of their location or device.
“Our business users need tools that allow them to work easily, intuitively and consistently. They're swamped, and they don't have the time or desire to configure and connect to multiple or complicated interfaces,” said Jason Spainhour, director of Information Systems, SkillPath Seminars.
“IT has always operated with minimal staff levels, so from our perspective, we need a solution that is easy to manage and maintain. By simplifying our ability to manage our applications and allowing us to efficiently deliver advanced capabilities to our users, Mitel Applications Suite provides our teams with a truly collaborative experience,” continued Spainhour.
Key highlights of MAS 4.0's collaboration and mobility features for end-users include:
* Web-based collaboration, without client downloads, to support spontaneous collaboration. In addition to a completely redesigned user interface, Mitel Collaboration Advanced (MCA) includes a new Web-based collaboration portal, designed to give collaboration participants a hassle-free collaboration experience without the need to download a client.
* Secure instant messaging and dynamic presence on mobile devices — Unified Communicator Advanced (UCA) Mobile, Mitel's mobile client software, now enables secure instant messaging and real-time presence, giving employees visibility of their colleagues' statuses, so they can choose the most effective way to communicate with them. These new features are available now on the Android and BlackBerry clients, with availability on the Apple iOS client soon to follow. The UCA Web Portal has also been completely redesigned to provide faster navigation from any device with a Web browser, and now enables secure instant messaging and real-time presence information.
MAS 4.0 also offers several new features to make IT's job easier, including:
* Simplified administration – MAS 4.0 extends its single management interface to provision users with complete UCC functionality and manage the solution across the entire enterprise, aimed at saving precious IT time and effort.
* Extended virtualisation – strengthening Mitel's leadership in virtualisation, MAS 4.0 supports VMware's vSphere 5.0, enabling it to be deployed alongside other business applications in the data centre, and vCentre management tools, enabling the solution to be managed like any other virtual application, with the latest VMware infrastructure.
* Increased scalability – support for up to 1 500 users with full unified communications and collaboration functionality.
“UCC simplicity and ease-of-use is critical to adding value in an enterprise, both for the end-user and for IT,” said Andy Bull, managing director of Mitel South Africa.
“Today's IT manager has too much going on to waste time with difficult-to-manage solutions. Likewise, if it's too hard to collaborate, end-users will look to other solutions and productivity will suffer. Mitel's new unified solution set is designed to alleviate these real, business-impacting concerns,” said Bull.
Additional resources:
* Download a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting, “The Total Economic Impact of Mitel Virtual solutions” http://discover.mitel.com/Forrester_report.html
* Download Mitel's report on virtualisation and UC featuring Gartner: www.mitel.com/gartner-virtualization-newsletter
* Twitter: @Mitel
* Blog: www.mitel.com/mitelfreedom
