ThinkTel becomes the Canadian communications industry's first Microsoft Authorized Education Partner
TORONTO, March 12, 2019 /CNW/ - ThinkTel, a division of Distributel, announced today that it has become the first Canadian communications provider to receive the Microsoft Authorized Education Partner (AEP) accreditation, an investment that reflects the company's ongoing commitment to transforming the connectivity experience for educational institutions.
ThinkTel's unified communications practice leverages Microsoft's cloud-based technology and allows educational institutions and school boards to integrate voice calling, email usage, instant messaging and classroom management tools into one easy-to-use platform. The program is easy to implement, flexible, efficient and can reduce capital and operational expenditures by more than 50 per cent. This means that both time and money can be reinvested in schools, teachers and students.
"Over the last decade we've worked closely with school boards and have learned that many are still using legacy phone systems because a complete overhaul is simply too time-consuming and expensive to implement," says Jim Dawson Vice President of Commercial Sales, ThinkTel. "By integrating our communications services and expertise with Microsoft Teams, we deliver a modern, cost-effective solution that serves their needs today and also expands to meet their future requirements."
The Microsoft AEP Program is designed to authorize and equip organizations that deliver academic products and services through the Office 365 for Education subscription with the training, resources and support they require to provide their education subscribers with superior experiences and outcomes.
"ThinkTel was instrumental in the success of our district's migration to a Skype for Business voice communication platform," says Cody Henschel, School District No. 69 in Qualicum, British Columbia. "Their team worked seamlessly with ours to transition our largest schools and coach our team to easily and efficiently migrate the rest of the school district."
ThinkTel's commitment to the education sector is further demonstrated through its SIP Trunking solution, which complements the Microsoft Office 365 offering by allowing school boards to benefit from capacity on demand. Rather than paying set monthly costs for fixed phone service availability, schools can instead increase capacity in real-time when call volume is expected to be high (such as during inclement weather) and reduce capacity – and costs – during the summer months and the holiday season when school is not in session.
"Education associations and school boards across Canada are facing significant budget and staffing constraints, so any expenditure must be made wisely and efficiently," explains Brad Fisher, CRO of Distributel. "In that spirit, ThinkTel is committed to giving its education partners control of their connectivity so they are only required to pay for the capacity they need, when they need it. This will allow our educational partners to reallocate cost savings back into the classroom where they belong."
About ThinkTel
ThinkTel is a division of Distributel. Established in 1988, Distributel is a leading national, independent communications provider offering residential high-speed Internet, Television, and Home Phone services in Canada. With offices across the country and a National Network, Distributel continues to forge new partnerships and bring innovative solutions to market. ThinkTel, the Business Services Division of Distributel, is a provider of advanced voice and data services for the SMB and Enterprise throughout Canada. As a top Microsoft Gold Communications Partner, the Business Service division is a driving force for innovation in the industry. For more information, visit: www.distributel.ca or www.thinktel.ca.
SOURCE ThinkTel
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Aby Bueno, Broad Reach Communications, T: 416-858-3135, E: [email protected]
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