A few years ago, Forerunner Technologies made a major move into Mitel technology. As an enterprise-level communications partner with clients in 44 states, the company was product agnostic but saw adding Mitel expertise as a potential pathway to additional growth.
Acquisitions and partnerships had helped fuel Forerunner’s explosive growth, and the company sought a partner to provide the infrastructure for Mitel clients and prospects.
With a “client-first” mentality, Forerunner wanted a partner that offered more than just technical expertise. “We wanted a partner that understood the value of long-term relationships and putting the customer first,” said Forerunner Chief Revenue Officer Rick Taylor. “And they had to offer technology we could recommend and deploy without hesitation to our clients because our name is on the SLA.”
Soon after, a Mitel contact introduced Forerunner to Cloud9 Infrastructure. Forerunner principals realized this was the partner they’d been seeking: one with deep technical expertise, the right technology, and a commitment to doing whatever the client needed, whenever the client needed it.
Today, with Forerunner as one of the largest Mitel channel partners nationwide, that expertise is especially critical to the firm’s continued success. Cloud9 Infrastructure extends the Forerunner engineering team on engagements where the architecture fits, while Forerunner leads solution design, user experience, and long-term support.
Mitel-Specific Technology and Support
Cloud9 Infrastructure’s managed private cloud uses multi-instance architecture across geo-redundant data centers with automatic failover for very high uptime. The solution runs on a Mitel backbone and supports the full Mitel communications ecosystem (MiVB, MiCollab, MiCC, MIR, MPA, Revolution, etc.), simplifying migration from both older Mitel technology and non-Mitel systems.
Cloud9 Infrastructure manages all NOC/infrastructure, carrier services, licenses, E911 services, and tax/regulatory fees collection, while the channel partner maintains their Mitel credits from purchasing Mitel subscriptions/CapEx licenses, phones, and other Mitel hardware and software. And Cloud9 Infrastructure is Mitel-approved and Mitel-endorsed.
In addition, Cloud9 Infrastructure engineers act as an extension of the Forerunner team, collaborating with Forerunner’s internal experts on complex deployments. When a question or issue arises, Cloud9 Infrastructure’s peer-level, U.S.-based support is available 24/7/365.
Benefits of a Managed Private Cloud
Many cloud services are multi-tenant: several organizations share the same virtual servers. The reason is simple: organizations may pay less. But the savings come at a price. Organizations have no control over upgrades, operating systems, or specific applications. If one of the accounts on the servers is compromised, other organizations face increased security risks.
A managed private cloud, on the other hand, offers greater configurability. The organization can request upgrades or new applications at any time. The result is a more flexible, more secure system that can easily be scaled as the organization’s needs change.
“With a private-cloud scenario, you don’t have the vulnerabilities of the public-cloud setting,” said Joe Perc, Vice President of Sales at Forerunner. “Cloud9 Infrastructure’s private servers provide a different experience than a shared public cloud.”
The difference is especially important when organizations are cautious about transitioning to cloud-based communications. The flexibility of Cloud9 Infrastructure’s managed private cloud allows Forerunner to add cloud capabilities to a client’s existing on-premises system or fully migrate to the cloud at the client’s own pace.
The Forerunner-Cloud9 Infrastructure Partnership
The company’s leading-edge technology and client-first attitude have made Cloud9 Infrastructure Forerunner’s infrastructure partner of choice. Turnkey solutions offer Forerunner one accountable partner for voice, data, and applications. The result: Faster deployments and lower Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) because the stack and the support are unified.
When the municipal offices of a small New England city needed extra licenses and fax machines quickly, Cloud9 Infrastructure had everything Forerunner and the client needed within an hour.
“I measure our relationship in terms of how people react in times of crisis, not when things are good,” Taylor noted. “When things get into crisis mode, you know who your friends are, and who the good companies and people are. That’s why we work with them, and they marry up to our group very well. With Cloud9 Infrastructure, our customers get enterprise reliability and flexibility; our teams get a partner that’s engineered for us. That’s why we say: Communication Solutions Simplified.”
To learn how Cloud9 Infrastructure can help support your business, please contact us at 800.947.0007, mitel@cloud9infrastructure.com, or www.cloud9infrastructure.com.
