Mitel set to acquire Atos’ unified communications and collaboration business Unify

Canadian business communications specialist Mitel has announced it has begun exclusive negotiations with Atos Group to acquire its unified communications and collaboration (UCC) business Unify.

Expected to close in the second half of 2023, Mitel said the move will expand its range of on-premises, hybrid, private cloud, and enterprise managed services, as well as significantly boost its channel presence.

Munich-based Unify provides on-premises unified communications (UC) solutions, cloud-based unified communications-as-a-service (UCaaS), and cloud contact centre-as-a-service (CCaaS) solutions. The firm has approximately 3,000 employees on its books and serves around 40 million users globally.

The takeover will see Mitel absorb Unify’s voice platforms, collaboration and contact centre products, device and endpoint portfolio, and related intellectual property.

In an announcement, the company said the addition will better equip the overall business to address the needs of customers in core verticals such as healthcare, public sector, hospitality, and financial services.

“The UC industry today holds significant opportunities to grow through M&A, aligning well with Mitel’s strategy and expertise,” said Tarun Loomba, president and CEO at Mitel.

“The addition of Unify’s portfolio, partners, and talent would significantly expand Mitel’s scale and offerings, enabling us together to offer customers even greater choice and flexibility throughout the lifecycle of their business communications.”

Channel drive

The acquisition will cement Mitel as a prominent presence in both Europe and the Americas, significantly expanding its reach, organisational scale, and expected profitability.

In fact, Unify will increase the company’s customer base to more than 75 million users across 100 countries, as well as expand its global channel community to more than 5,500 partners.

In its proposition, Mitel highlighted the pair’s shared channel-driven go-to-market approach as a key component of the freshly combined business. Partners will have access to a broader portfolio of products and services to better cater to customer needs, as well as more global resources to support the partner experience.

“The value this deal creates for customers, partners, investors, and employees is exciting,” Loomba added. “Mitel and Unify’s channel partner communities represent a wealth of expertise available to guide customers forward as they aim to communicate and collaborate more effectively, particularly in this new world of hybrid work.”

Post-acquisition, Loomba will serve as president and CEO of the combined business, with additional members of the management team to be selected from both companies during the closing period.

“Unify and Mitel both have a deep heritage in the communications market centred around customer needs and a channel-driven go-to-market strategy,” commented Marcus Hänsel, chief executive officer of Unify. “Mitel’s commitment to UC, heritage of success, and experience integrating complementary global businesses gives us great confidence in our future together.”

The proposed transaction is subject to the consultation of the relevant employee representative bodies and other customary regulatory approvals.