NewsUC&C25 Apr 2025 · 4 min read

Big UC News From Mitel, Microsoft, Avaya and Google

Why it matters: Mitel, Microsoft, Avaya and Google signal major shifts in UC, Teams, contact centres and hybrid work. Published on UC Today.

Kieran Devlin

Big UC news: Mitel, Microsoft, Avaya, Google

Mitel Secures Court Approval for Restructuring

Mitel is advancing steadily through its financial restructuring, having secured formal court approval for its prepackaged Chapter 11 plan. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas has given the green light, setting the stage for the company to complete the process and emerge from Chapter 11 within the current quarter.

Originally announced in March, the restructuring was positioned as a proactive step to strengthen Mitel’s financial footing amid a rising interest rate environment.

With a more efficient capital structure in place, we’re well-positioned to accelerate growth and sharpen our focus on delivering flexible, secure, and mission-critical communications solutions. We look forward to completing this process in the near term and to emerging as an even stronger vendor, employer, and business partner—continuing our leadership in hybrid communications for years to come."

The approved plan is expected to wipe out approximately $1.15 billion in debt, significantly improving the company’s balance sheet and reducing annual cash interest expenses by around $135 million. In addition, Mitel will receive $64.5 million in exit financing, providing a solid foundation to support its ongoing operations and future growth initiatives.

Microsoft Outlines Its Future of Work Vision, Launches Teams ‘Unify’ Integration Model

Microsoft has outlined its vision for the future of work as being typified by a new form of organisation—”Frontier Firms” built around complementary human-agent units, “intelligence on tap”, and every worker adopting a new role as an agent boss.

Revealed as part of Microsoft‘s 5th Annual Work Trend Index for 2025, the Redmond-based giant conveyed several compelling trends and figures. According to Microsoft, 71 percent of employees at these Frontier Firm organisations believe their company is thriving, nearly double the global average of 37 percent. This stark contrast highlights the accelerating transformation in how work is structured and delivered worldwide.

In response to these changes, 82 percent of business leaders recognise 2025 as a defining moment to re-evaluate foundational strategies and operational models, signalling a widespread commitment to adaptation and innovation.

Meanwhile, in other Microsoft news, the business has unveiled the “Unify” Integration Model, a new framework that enables contact centre applications to be developed natively within Microsoft Teams. This marks a significant evolution in how businesses can manage customer interactions—allowing them to streamline workflows, embed AI-driven capabilities, and centralise engagement directly within the familiar Teams environment.

With Unify, Microsoft is giving both CCaaS vendors and enterprise IT leaders the tools to build intelligent, secure, and scalable customer engagement platforms that are deeply embedded into Teams’ core communications infrastructure.

Avaya Launches Avaya Infinity Platform – Infusing AI and Orchestration into Contact Centres

Avaya has launched Avaya Infinity, a next-generation platform designed to streamline customer experiences across hybrid contact centre environments.

Now generally available, Avaya Infinity brings together AI, orchestration, and enterprise systems to create a unified experience across communication channels, data insights, and technologies. With Infinity, Avaya aims to simplify the complexities of modern contact centres by consolidating multiple capabilities into a single, cohesive platform. At its core, the solution focuses on integration and unification.

Patrick Dennis, CEO of Avaya, said:

The reality for the world’s largest businesses and public sector organizations is that too often investments in new technologies, channels, and modalities meant to strengthen customer interactions actually splinter them. Avaya Infinity reverses this tide, collapsing silos and creating connections that transform the contact center from a vehicle for surface-level contact to the place where enterprise relationships deepen and expand."

Positioned as a central hub for hybrid contact centre operations, Avaya Infinity is built to support evolving enterprise needs while enhancing both customer engagement and workforce productivity.

Google Tells Remote Staff to Show Up 3 Days a Week or Risk Their Jobs in RTO Push

Google is telling some remote staff to show up to the office three days a week or risk losing their jobs in a fresh return-to-office (RTO) push.

As first reported by CNBC, which cited internal documents it had access to, multiple divisions across Google are now mandating that remote employees transition to a hybrid work arrangement as a condition of continued employment. The shift comes amid broader cost-optimisation efforts, with leadership signalling that adherence to the new workplace policy may directly influence job security.

"As we’ve said before, in-person collaboration is an important part of how we innovate and solve complex problems," Courtenay Mencini, a Google spokesperson, told CNBC. "To support this, some teams have asked remote employees that live near an office to return to in-person work three days a week."

Although Google has broadly operated in a three-day hybrid structure since 2022, some employees were previously approved for full-time remote work.

At the start of 2025, Google introduced a round of voluntary exit offers to segments of its US-based full-time workforce. For some employees working remotely, these buyouts weren’t just optional but framed as the only alternative to complying with a new office attendance mandate requiring at least three days per week on-site.

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