Hybrid, Control & the Future of Enterprise Communications a Conversation with Mitel | EC26

About this video

• Video Title: Hybrid, Control & the Future of Enterprise Communications a Conversation with Mitel | EC26
• Channel: Metric Sherpa
• Speakers: Justin, Eric Hansen
• Duration: 00:24:42

Overview

This video features a conversation with Eric Hansen of Mitel about the evolving landscape of enterprise communications, focusing on the shift towards hybrid and integrated strategies, the increasing importance of control and continuity, and the practical application of AI. They discuss how organizations are moving beyond a "one-size-fits-all" approach to technology adoption, emphasizing tailored solutions for specific industries and workforce needs, and preparing for the future of work.

Key takeaways

• Hybrid and Integrated Communication Strategies: The conversation highlights a growing trend towards hybrid and multicloud communication strategies, indicating a move beyond the initial pandemic-driven shift to public cloud and video-first experiences.
• Emphasis on Control and Continuity: There's a discernible shift towards prioritizing control and continuity in enterprise communications to embed these services into business processes and workflows.
• AI as an Enabling Technology: Artificial Intelligence is recognized as a significant enabling technology, but the focus is on its practical application within existing business strategies rather than as a standalone category.
• "Rebuilding from the Ground Up" vs. Retrofitting: Mitel's approach of rebuilding communications from the ground up, rather than retrofitting legacy systems, is presented as crucial for creating innovative solutions that can incorporate emerging technologies like AI.
• Intentionality in Work Design: The discussion emphasizes a growing era of "extreme intentionality" in how work is designed and delivered, with technology and communication tools needing to support these deliberate strategies.
• Addressing Underserved Workforces and Industries: The conversation touches upon the need to cater to specific industry and workforce needs, particularly frontline workers, who have historically been underserved by generic communication solutions. This includes considerations for mobility, security, and privacy.
• Pragmatic AI Adoption: The focus on AI is shifting from theoretical possibilities to practical implementation, with an emphasis on governance, monetization, and demonstrating real business impact and value.
• Vertical-Specific Solutions: There's a noticeable trend towards developing and adopting vertical-specific communication stories and use cases, driven by the limitations of horizontal solutions in regulated or specialized industries.
• The Evolving Role of On-Premise Solutions: Next-generation on-premise solutions are being explored as a viable option, offering a blend of cloud benefits with the control and security required by certain industries.
• Strategic Importance of Communications: The core message is that enterprise communications should be viewed as a strategic technology that is embedded in business operations, crucial for workforce productivity and customer service, rather than an afterthought.

Eric states that when it comes to cloud adoption, organizations want control over certain aspects of their business. He contrasts this with the idea of abandoning cloud entirely, suggesting instead to use cloud in the right ways for flexibility while maintaining the right degree of control where it matters most. He also mentions that aspects like control and privacy are very important, especially in categories like healthcare, and that one-size-fits-all approaches don't work in these situations.

Here are some specific quotes from the transcript regarding data sovereignty, control, and privacy:

• "people want control, right? They want control over certain aspects of their business. And that's not to abandon cloud. It's use cloud in the right ways for flexibility while also maintaining the right degree of control where it matters most."
• "And so I think again there's an element of control an element of privacy where one-sizefits-all approaches and you know the aspect of security that's really important to a category like healthcare really really matter."
• "They needed to tie into based on privacy concerns, based on the management of me as a customer for that organization. They all had to tie back into corporate infrastructure using a corporate liable device."
• "The reality is they were applying a horizontal solution to a specialized problem." (This relates to how generic solutions don't account for specific data needs or controls.)
• "Now, in some of these industries, it's like, well, I can have my cake and eat it, too. I can have the best of cloud and the best of prem and it really lights up the opportunities for my frontline workers." (This implies a desire for a hybrid approach that balances different control/location needs.)