Much of the rollout for the MiVoice end-of-life process has already occurred, but it is not yet complete. Ensuring your business is completely transitioned away from MiVoice Office, if not already, should be a top priority in the near future. Not doing so can stall business operations, disrupt deals, and cause compatibility issues that lead to major problems. Find out what to do next for MiVoice Office 250 end-of-life.
What Does End-of-life (EOL) Mean?
At the end-of-life stage, a manufacturer will no longer provide support or updates, rendering the product obsolete. It will not have new features, security updates, or ongoing customer support. Naturally, this can make using the technology extremely challenging, which is why reducing the number of products with an official end-of-life date is crucial.
Implications of MiVoice Office 250 EOL
At this point in time, the end of new system sales, end of add-on sales, end of software design, and end of device license sales have already occurred. However, technical support for MiVoice Office 250 will continue until June 30th, 2026, which means there is still time to switch away from the tech. With that said, it’s important to see why retaining the software is a poor idea:
Lack of Vendor Support
Once technical support goes away, there will be no vendor support for the technology either, which means customer service will not fix any issues that occur. You will be responsible for addressing any issues yourself, and if they fail to the point where you can’t fix them yourself, then you are out of luck.
Compatibility Issues
As other technology your business continues to use evolves and has updates, MiVoice Office 250 will stop being compatible. One way or the other, this will result in interrupted business processes, as you may be unable to use MiVoice for certain tasks.
Compliance Concerns
There are also security issues to consider when using MiVoice Office 250 once it has completed its end-of-life. Dealing with outdated communication infrastructure technology can result in the potential for data loss, cyberattacks, and much more. These compliance concerns may actually result in your business being impacted by fines or reprimanded for using outdated technology.
Operational Disruption
Naturally, all of the above issues can result in a disruption to operational flow. Whether it’s employees not being able to communicate, business not being able to be conducted, or some other process that’s interrupted, avoid continuing to use MiVoice Office 250 to prevent this.
Next Steps for Businesses Using MiVoice Office 250
Many businesses continue to use MiVoice Office 250 simply because it’s integrated with their business processes, and they are worried about transitioning to new tech. However, starting to plan now is the best way to stay ahead of the formal end-of-life:
1. Assessment and Planning
First and foremost, your business needs to consider how it will switch to new technology. This will require assessing how MiVoice Office 250 is currently used by your business and then planning whether it’s necessary to replace the technology or completely eliminate it.
2. Consider Upgrade Options
The next step in preparing for the MiVoice end-of-life is to think about what technology you can consider upgrading to. Per Mitel themselves, the two best options to consider switching over to from MiVoice Office 250 are MiVoice Business or RingCentral MVP. Switching to any new voice technology will require much planning, so it’s best you begin thinking about this as soon as possible.
3. Develop a Migration Strategy
Once you have selected the replacement for MiVoice Office 250 you want, you need to build out a migration strategy to assist with implementation. The best strategy will likely be a department-by-department implementation so that any issues can be addressed right away rather than implementing it in every system only to have everything shut down.
4. Initiate Training and Support
Once the migration strategy has begun, your business will need to start launching training and support for your employees and any clients who may be affected by the migration. This support and training should include an explanation for why the switch occurred, training on how to use the replacement technology, and ongoing support for any issues that arise.
5. Bolster Security Measures
Many cyberattackers choose to stage their attack during the time when businesses are migrating to new systems. This is because guards tend to be down as the implementation occurs, and employees are more likely to be fooled by phishing tests and other similar attacks. Therefore, implement cybersecurity training and bolster all types of security within your networks.
6. Run Compliance Checks
Finally, once the new replacement for MiVoice Office 250 is implemented, compliance checks should be run to ensure everything is working properly. Additionally, ensure that the data running through your communication infrastructures is up to date.
Ensure your business is prepared for MiVoice Office 250 EOL
No business wants to be unprepared for the future of work, but failing to find an upgrade for MiVoice Office 250 is exactly that. If your business is located in the Akron, Columbus, or Cleveland areas and needs help with the end-of-life process for MiVoice Office 250, reach out to us at Warwick right away for assistance.