Mitel lines up unified global partner programme

Mitel has outlined the approach its unified global channel programme will take, having integrated ShoreTel's partner activities, from the start of the second quarter.

There are echoes of the approach that Dell took when it wanted to roll out a single programme after the EMC acquisition with the emphasis from Mitel also being on simplicity and flexibility.

The aim of the programme is to support partners selling unified comms and has been built around three partner levels - platinum, gold and authorised -  with streamlined requirements to make it easier for resellers to get onboard.

To push cloud sales there is a point-based system that measures hosted and on-site partner performance and Mitel is also hoping its growth incentives will spur on top-performing resellers.

The final piece of the jigsaw is a revised approach to allocating marketing funds with partners having to provide business and marketing plans to get support from the vendor.

On the distribution front there are indications that there will be a different approach going forward with the vendor leaning more heavily on the tier of the channel.

But there are likely to be fewer distributors globally as the vendor looks to consolidate around a smaller number of disties that can hold increased inventory, manage certifications and user training and offer technical support and professional services.

"As cloud, applications and IoT become part of everyday business processes, organizations need the flexibility to collaborate and effectively maximize all tools at their disposal. They also need a partner that brings them these resources," said Todd Abbott, executive vice president, global sales and services, Mitel.

"By introducing this new partner program and aggregating our product distribution, we are ensuring our customers have the collaborative technology they need in order to communicate at the pace today's markets demand," he added.

Mitel acquired ShoreTel last July for $430m in a move that was designed to give it greater reach into the SME market with its unified comms and cloud portfolio.