ShoreTel

What ShoreTel does

ShoreTel was a Sunnyvale, California-based provider of Internet protocol (IP) communications systems for enterprises, founded in 1996. The company developed and sold unified communications (UC) solutions — including IP-PBX systems, contact center platforms, and collaboration software — primarily targeting mid-market and enterprise customers. Its core product portfolio included the ShoreTel UC platform, ShoreTel Connect (cloud), and ShoreTel Contact Center, distributed largely through a channel partner model supplemented by direct enterprise sales. The company raised approximately $54.5M in venture funding across rounds from 2001 to 2004, completed an IPO on NASDAQ under ticker SHOR, and executed a series of acquisitions between 2010 and 2016 (Agito Networks, M5 Networks, M5 Networks Australia, CorvisaCloud) to expand into mobility, cloud UC, and cloud contact center capabilities.

In 2017, ShoreTel was acquired by Mitel and subsequently delisted from public markets. Post-acquisition, ShoreTel's products were integrated into Mitel's broader unified communications and collaboration portfolio, which spans cloud, hybrid, and on-premises deployment models and serves 70M+ users globally across verticals including healthcare, education, government, financial services, hospitality, manufacturing, and retail. The combined entity is positioned as the #1 UC provider worldwide (per its own market claim) with 2,100 patents and a 6,000+ global partner network. The Mitel platform encompasses MiCollab, MiVoice Business, OpenScape UC, contact center suites (MiContact Center, Mitel CX), critical communications, and devices, with revenue generated through software subscriptions, hardware sales, and professional/managed services on a quote-based, annual billing cadence.

Name

ShoreTel

Website

https://shoretel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

ShoreTel was a Sunnyvale-based provider of IP unified communications and contact center systems for mid-market and enterprise customers, founded in 1996. The company was acquired by Mitel in 2017, with its products integrated into Mitel's broader cloud, hybrid, and on-premises UC portfolio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Unified Communications

NAICS

All Other Telecommunications (5178), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (51711), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Telephone Interconnect Systems (7385), Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813), Computer Communications Equipment (3576)

akta.pro primary industry

Cloud PBX & Hosted Telephony (HDAIAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Business/Enterprise Fixed Connectivity Providers (SME/Enterprise Broadband) (HDAIABAI)

Keywords

• Unified communications
• IP telephony systems
• Business communications platforms
• Contact center solutions
• Enterprise voice solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Sunnyvale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses and Subscriptions: Revenue from unified communications software platforms including MiCollab, MiVoice Business, and OpenScape UC solutions. Typically sold as subscriptions with software assurance.
2. Contact Center Solutions: Revenue from customer experience platforms including Mitel CX, MiContact Center Enterprise/Business, and workforce optimization solutions.
3. Hardware Sales: IP phones, SIP phones, conference phones, DECT solutions, and accessories sold alongside software solutions.
4. Professional and Managed Services: Advisory, transformation, operational, and optimization services delivered through Mitel or trusted partners. Includes implementation, training, and ongoing support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ShoreTel develops and sells Internet protocol (IP) communications systems for enterprises internationally, including unified communications and collaboration software, business phone systems, contact center platforms, IP and SIP phones, and critical event management solutions. Following its acquisition by Mitel, ShoreTel's product portfolio is integrated within Mitel's broader UC and CX platform offering, supporting cloud, hybrid, and on-premises deployments.

Product overview

The source data provided pertains to Mitel's unified communications portfolio. ShoreTel was acquired by Mitel in 2017 and its products have been integrated into Mitel's broader UC platform. The available source material does not contain specific product listings or detailed descriptions of ShoreTel's individual products or services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MiCollab Collaboration software enabling voice, messaging, and video communications for enterprise users.
• MiVoice Business Business communications platform for voice and unified communications, designed for enterprise deployments.
• OpenScape UC Enterprise unified communications platform supporting voice, presence, and collaboration features.
• Mitel CX Customer experience and contact center solution with AI-assisted capabilities for enterprise customer interaction handling.
• MiContact Center Enterprise Enterprise-grade contact center solution for large-scale customer interaction environments.
• MiContact Center Business Mid-market contact center solution providing customer interaction management for growing organizations.
• IP Phones Business IP phone devices supporting VoIP standards for enterprise desk and office use.
• Mitel SIP Phones SIP phones targeted at the open SIP market, providing standards-based business telephony endpoints.
• Conference Phones Conference phone devices designed for meeting room and group audio communications.
• Mitel Xpert Mission-critical communication solution for demanding environments requiring high-availability voice communications.
• Revolution Mass notification system for critical communications and emergency alerting.
• Critical Event Management Critical event management solution providing mass notification and incident coordination capabilities.
• Virtual Care Collaboration Service Healthcare-specific virtual collaboration solution for clinical and patient communication workflows.
• Professional and Managed Services Advisory, transformation, operational, and optimization services including implementation, training, and ongoing support delivered through the company or trusted partners.
• Mitel Secure Cloud Secure and sovereign hosted cloud deployment option for the unified communications and collaboration platform.
• OpenScape 4000 On-site phone system for enterprise deployments supporting large user bases.
• MiVoice MX-ONE On-site phone system solution for enterprise telephony environments.
• OpenScape Business Business communications platform targeted at mid-market organizations.
• Mitel Workforce Optimization Workforce optimization software providing performance and quality management for contact center operations.
• Mitel Workflow Studio Workflow automation tool for designing and managing contact center operational workflows.

Quantifiable outcome

• City of Baltimore reduced carrier costs by 75%
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature17 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ZoomcoreTechnology or IntegrationMitel offers Zoom Hybrid Workplace solutions, integrating Mitel's UC capabilities with Zoom's collaboration platform to provide hybrid workplace options for customers.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationMitel provides Microsoft Teams Integration, enabling customers to integrate Mitel communication solutions with Microsoft Teams for enhanced collaboration capabilities.
• Unify (Atos)coreTechnology or IntegrationMitel offers Unify Phone products and OpenScape UC solutions, maintaining compatibility and integration with Unify's communication portfolio including OpenScape Voice and OpenScape 4000.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• 8x8: Cloud-native UCaaS and CCaaS provider competing for the same enterprise and mid-market communications spend, with comparable contact center and integration capabilities.
• Genesys: Enterprise contact center and CX platform overlapping directly with MiContact Center Enterprise, MiContact Center Business, and Mitel CX offerings.
• RingCentral: Pure-play cloud UCaaS and contact center vendor targeting the same SMB-to-enterprise customers with a cloud-native architecture, putting pricing pressure on hybrid UC deployments.
• Sangoma Technologies: Provides UC, SIP phones, and on-premises/cloud communications for SMB and mid-market, directly overlapping ShoreTel's product mix with a focus on open SIP and channel distribution.
• Avaya: Long-standing direct peer in enterprise UC and contact center (Avaya OneCloud, Aura); shares ShoreTel's hybrid cloud/on-premises deployment model and similar regulated-vertical customer base.
• Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise: Sells Rainbow, OpenTouch, and OmniPCX enterprise communications, including hybrid cloud and on-premises UC, competing in the same verticals and mid-market segments as ShoreTel/Mitel.
• Mitel: ShoreTel's acquirer and now its operating parent; Mitel sells overlapping unified communications, contact center, and on-premises telephony products (MiVoice, OpenScape, MiCollab) into the same enterprise and mid-market customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Zoom: Zoom Workplace and Zoom Contact Center compete in the same UC and CX categories and are also a strategic integration partner via Mitel's Zoom Hybrid Workplace.
• Microsoft (Teams): Bundles voice, meetings, and collaboration inside Microsoft Teams and Teams Phone; the dominant collaboration suite Mitel integrates with, and the largest competitive threat to standalone UC.
• Cisco (Webex): Incumbent vendor of IP telephony (CUCM) and the Webex collaboration suite; competes head-to-head in enterprise UC, contact center (Webex Contact Center), and SIP-based on-premises deployments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/shoretel
• Facebookfacebook.com/shoretel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shoretel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors9 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A4 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ShoreTel