As most of you know by now, Panasonic business telephone systems branch is exiting the PBX business by the end of 2022. It’s sad to see Panasonic exiting the PBX business. They have been around a long time, and their products are solid. However, it should also not be a surprise.
What Happened to Panasonic Business Telephone Systems?
Twenty years ago Panasonic was ahead of the game in business communications technology. At that time, it was important to be producing all the right hardware to last a long time and require as little maintenance as possible. Panasonic business telephone systems had a good reputation for being high quality and durable, which was the most desireable for the level of technology of the times. As in every industry, whether it’s automobiles or mobile phones, the technology is constantly evolving. While there’s no way to say for certain why Panasonic PBX wasn’t able to keep up with the evolution of business communication technology, it’s clear that whatever effort they may have made was too late to keep up.
Why is the Panasonic PBX Arm Exiting By 2022?
The PBX market has changed in the last ten years quite a bit – today, we call the market Unified Communications because the phone systems support voice and video, collaboration, file sharing, and messaging. And UC systems today also include support for office phone numbers to your laptop and your smartphone in addition to your desk phone. And Panasonic’s letter to their partners (I just chose a random posting by a partner if you want to read it) referenced a shift to cloud, lagging behind competitor R&D and new types of communications demand. Innovation is essential to keep a viable business, no matter what the business.
What’s Next for Panasonic PBX Resellers?
If you are a reseller selling Panasonic products, what is next? For sure, you will support this business, and I’m sure Panasonic will do the exit right and support you for the periods they have stated by providing continued access to spare parts and technical support until 2029.
However, the fact remains that PBX Panasonic phones are guaranteed to phase out sooner than later. If you’re relying on a Panasonic business phone system, I’m sure you are looking, or have been looking, for a new UC system to sell to your prem and cloud base. One way to look at this is in a positive way – how to move forward and grow your business. You know business phone systems, and you know the prem business well. And you also see the market changing right in front of you.
Farewell Panasonic PBX, Hello Sangoma
So you might want to look at a Unified Communications company that sells both prem and cloud and has the new types of communication being demanded today, such as video and collaboration, so you have a modern UC system to sell. And you want to look for a channel-friendly such company. And you want the company not to be so big, so you are just a number.
Sangoma is the company for you.
Not only do we have award-winning UC systems (we recently earned Frost and Sullivan’s North American Unified Communications and Collaboration Competitive Strategy Leadership Award), but we also have our own end to end solution that works seamlessly together (UC system, phones, headsets, SIP Trunking, SBCs, and Gateways) all coming from Sangoma.
Why Sangoma is Best After Panasonic Business Phone Systems Close
We treat our partners like family and want you to succeed; therefore, we offer quote assistance for cloud with a 15-minute turnaround, customized demonstrations for your customers that are vertical-specific, showing the customer exactly what they want to see. Finally, through our new partner portal, we offer customizable and co-brandable collateral, as well as content and social syndication, keeping your feed and website always up to date.
Our Unified Communications systems include advanced collaboration and productivity-enhancing features for every user and can be deployed on-premise or cloud-hosted, allowing businesses to select the best option for their needs. Visit our Partner Program or give us a call.