ShoreTel Partners to Offer On-Premise and Hosted UC Solutions to Customers

SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ShoreTel® (NASDAQ: SHOR), the leading provider of brilliantly simple unified communications platforms, including business phone systems, applications, and mobile UC solutions, today announced new additions to its Champion Partner Program. Longtime ShoreTel Sky cloud division partners, Myriad Supply, Flexible Business Systems, Derive Technologies and Precision IT, will now offer customers ultimate choice in UC platforms, by offering either on-premise or hosted and in the cloud solutions.

ShoreTel relies on its outstanding network of channel reseller partners to deliver end-to-end solutions that produce a competitive advantage for customers. ShoreTel is the only provider of UC communications solutions that consistently leads the industry in customer satisfaction. ShoreTel's on-premise solutions are built to scale and grow as needed. Myriad Supply, Flexible Business Systems, Derive Technologies and Precision IT will now offer customers on-premise voice, unified communications, mobility and contact center solutions, in addition to the cloud-based solutions they have been selling for years. With the freedom of choice between on-premise and hosted, companies are able to select the business communication solution that best fits their needs and operational model.

"ShoreTel's value proposition for partners is unique in the industry. With our top-rated on-premise solution as well as our hosted ShoreTel Sky solution, reseller partners can offer their customers ultimate choice," said David Petts senior vice president worldwide sales at ShoreTel. "ShoreTel reseller partners, as evidenced by ShoreTel's high Net Promoter Score across all products, can feel confident that customers will have a brilliantly simple experience no matter which solution they choose."

"Amnesty International has been a ShoreTel Sky customer for four years now and couldn't be more pleased with the quality, efficiency and reliability of our system," said Lesley Edinboro, director of IT at Amnesty International. "What sets ShoreTel apart is its commitment to customer satisfaction and helping organizations implement a unified communications system that best meets their unique needs, whether it's on premise or in the cloud."

ShoreTel's acquisition of M5, now ShoreTel Sky, in March 2012, positioned ShoreTel as a leading provider in the emerging Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) industry, enabling it to provide customers a choice between on-premise IP-PBX and hosted cloud solutions. The acquisition was well-received by ShoreTel's reseller partner community, with nearly 50 ShoreTel Champion Partners also signing on to refer or sell the ShoreTel Sky cloud solution.

The latest additions of longtime ShoreTel Sky cloud division reseller partners to ShoreTel's on-premise Champion Partner Program indicates the direction of the industry toward closer integration between cloud and premise-based solutions.

"Moving forward, we want to make sure that we're providing the ultimate in choice to our customers. With our top-rated on-premise solution as well as our hosted ShoreTel Sky solution, we are looking to innovate the space between on-premise and hosted solutions," said Peter Blackmore, ShoreTel CEO. "We are also building a hybrid approach that will allow us to deliver cloud apps and services to on-premise customers."

ShoreTel's outstanding network of reseller partners provides world-class UC services to their customers:

• "Derive Technologies has been a ShoreTel cloud partner for seven years and an HP networking partner for many years as well. When ShoreTel acquired M5, I thought it was a natural fit to position hybrid to our growing healthcare practice as many hospitals need a premise solution, but would love to offer cloud to its doctors as part of industry consolidation. I don't know anyone else who could do that ― and our existing partnership with HP made this a no brainer."
  ― Bill Eggers, vice president, Derive Technologies

• "We sold ShoreTel Sky for many years when it was M5 and had a great experience. Ingram Micro had encouraged us to consider adding ShoreTel for many years to round out our offering. So we were thrilled with the acquisition and see a huge amount of opportunity in our home marketplace of Long Island and our bourgeoning health care practice."
  ― Marty Schmitt, principal, Flexible Business Systems

• "We are thrilled to add these solutions to our product portfolio. Some customers prefer cloud, some customer prefer premise, and all of our customers want to include smartphones in their UC solution. No provider has the breadth of solutions that rivals ShoreTel's and we are excited for future solutions that let our customers utilize a combination of premise and cloud applications together."
  ― Andrew Fisher, CEO, Myriad Supply

• "The world of technology is changing quickly and we realized our clients were struggling with the phone system piece of their technology puzzle. Our core MSP business is based on making the right technology recommendations. We were a longtime partner of M5/ShoreTel Sky and when we looked into ShoreTel premise we realized it is something extraordinary. The system is so easy, it is basically intuitive and clients love it. We looked at the competition and there is just nothing else like it on the market, not even close. The very first customer we recommended it to, jumped on board. It's just easy."
  ― Anthony Butler, vice president of sales, Precision IT

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Contact

Megan McFarland

Edelman

650-762-2993

[email protected]

About ShoreTel, Inc.

ShoreTel, Inc. (NASDAQ: SHOR) is a provider of business communication solutions whose brilliantly simple unified communications platforms, applications and mobile UC solutions promise a new rhythm of workforce engagement and collaboration. With costly complexity eliminated by design from its award-winning, all-in-one IP phone system, UC and contact center solution, and its industry-leading hosted phone system, workers enjoy a freedom and self-reliance that other providers can't match. Users have full control to engage and collaborate, no matter the time, place or device, for the lowest cost and demand on IT resources in the industry. ShoreTel is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and has regional offices and partners worldwide. For more information, visit www.shoretel.com or www.shoretelsky.com.

ShoreTel, ShoreTel Sky, and the ShoreTel logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of ShoreTel, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

SOURCE ShoreTel, Inc.