Cloud Phone Migration Guides

Avaya filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2023. While Avaya continues to operate, support response times have declined and the long-term viability of their on-premise products is uncertain. Businesses running Avaya Aura or Avaya IP Office should evaluate cloud UCaaS alternatives now before forced migration under pressure becomes necessary.

Mitel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024. Mitel MiVoice Connect (formerly ShoreTel) is officially end of life with no new feature development. Support is limited and response times have increased significantly. Businesses running MiVoice Connect should plan their migration to cloud UCaaS within the next 12-18 months.

A typical Avaya or Mitel migration to cloud UCaaS follows four steps: (1) audit your current seat count, call flows, and integrations, (2) evaluate 2-3 cloud UCaaS providers against your compliance and feature requirements, (3) pilot with a single department or location first, (4) migrate remaining locations in phases. Most providers offer dedicated migration support. The full process typically takes 60-90 days for mid-market businesses.

UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) is a cloud-based platform that combines voice calling, video conferencing, team messaging, and file sharing into one subscription. Businesses need it to replace aging on-premise phone systems, reduce IT overhead, enable remote work, and cut communication costs. Most mid-market businesses switching to UCaaS save 30-50% compared to legacy PBX systems.

Most UCaaS migrations take between 30 and 90 days depending on business size and complexity. Cloud-first providers like PanTerra Networks advertise average migration timelines of 67 days with zero downtime. The fastest migrations are typically small businesses with under 50 users, which can switch in as little as one week.