People & Places: Mitel Acquires Polycom for $1.96B, Creates a $2.5B Company

CI takes a look at the latest big news in the industry: Mitel acquires Polycom, Revolabs has a new distribution agreement with ScanSource Latin America, USAV welcomes a new director of administration and more.

CI Staff
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Mergers and acquisitions have been a popular trend in the industry lately, and Mitel’s acquisition of Polycom for about $1.96 billion is one of the many notable deals that have occurred in the recent weeks.

The pair creates a $2.5 billion giant of about 7,700 employees who are focused on creating a one-stop solution in the communications and collaboration space.

For Polycom, the deal allows them the opportunity to bring its products into the small and medium-sized market, specifically several recently launched “plug-and-play” offerings with relatively low price points. 

CI editors Tom LeBlanc and Craig MacCormack discuss Mitel’s acquistion of Polycom and other recent acquisitions in the industry.

Mitel’s acquisition also gives Polycom the opportunity to leverage Mitel’s cloud voice offering by incorporating video into it, says Polycom chief marketing officer Jim Kruger. The same goes for Mitel’s mobile offerings.

The move also helps Mitel expand into the Asia-Pacific region and gives Polycom more of a foothold across Europe.

The combined company will be headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, and will operate under the Mitel name while maintaining Polycom’s brand.

Check out this slideshow for more news on the most recent acquisitions, hirings, promotions and partnership news in the industry.

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