Mitel has announced the findings of a new survey conducted by analyst research firm Techaisle, which looked at organizational communication trends and challenges. The findings point to a pivotal shift in mid-market and enterprise communications strategies, with an overwhelming 92% of respondents prioritizing a hybrid communications model that ensures flexibility to deliver a consistent communications and collaboration experience across their organizations. The research is based on a survey of 1900 business and IT decision-makers in midmarket and enterprise firms in the US, UK, France, and Germany.
Hybrid communication models combine new and existing on-premise with private and public cloud platforms, enabling improved efficiency, control, resilience, compliance, and an AI-enabled user experience. This allows organizations to seamlessly integrate multiple tools and deployment models, enabling the efficient exchange of information and providing a consistent front-end experience for users and customers.
Techaisle’s data shows that 68% of organizations are adopting hybrid solutions to enhance collaboration between remote and in-office teams. Other factors include ensuring data security and control over sensitive information (57%), adapting to changing business needs (53%), and maximizing investments in existing technologies (45%).
Beyond the growing demand for hybrid solutions, the research further reinforces the emerging belief that modernizing communications tools goes beyond merely upgrading technology. Organization leaders now see it as an integral part of adapting to a changing environment, enhancing customer experiences, improving operational efficiency, and leveraging the power of AI to achieve strategic goals.
Those surveyed said they prioritize AI-powered capabilities (53%) and video collaboration (98%) when selecting a communication solutions provider. Half (50%) also said data control and security were critical elements, which supports a strong market focus on maintaining business continuity and mitigating security risk.
The findings from the report show a desire from IT teams and business leaders to modernize and focus on hybrid communications systems to connect priorities: security, compliance, customer engagement, and employee experience – all of which contribute to business resilience.
Luiz Domingos, Chief Technology Officer at Mitel
Other key findings from the report include:
- Too many organizations rely on outdated systems: 68% of finance, government, and healthcare respondents have relied on their current communications system for more than seven years. This is hindering digital transformation, increasing risk, and preventing the seamless use of AI-led innovation.
- Customer engagement is a primary driver of modernization: Improving customer interaction quality is driving firms to modernize outdated systems and workflows. 52% of respondents are focused on enhancing customer engagement by upgrading communication solutions and delivering customer-centric experiences.
- Modernization can help consolidate disparate systems and scale operations: 41% of organizations are looking to simplify their fragmented communication systems and improve data visibility by unifying their tools under one single platform. Segmented tools used today are hard to manage and are creating disparate systems leading to data silos that disrupt workflows.
- Communications solutions are entering the AI era: As hybrid models emerge as the preferred approach, an effective modernization strategy must incorporate AI-powered solutions. These solutions are fueled by the newly released more efficient large and small language models that are ideal for a hybrid delivery model to balance performance, efficiency, and cost while unlocking the full potential of digital transformation. Manufacturing (59%) and hospitality (59%) are the leading industries looking to invest in AI-powered solutions to extend communications and collaboration capabilities, both from the cloud and through the power of Edge computing.
