Public vs. Private vs. Managed Private Cloud: A Guide for Mitel Partners

When evaluating cloud options for your Mitel deployments, the choices can feel overwhelming. Public cloud, private cloud, managed private cloud — what's the difference, and which one is right for your business?

Public Cloud

In a public cloud environment, multiple organizations share space on a server or virtual server. This model offers simplicity, scale, and savings. The provider handles maintenance, updates, and upgrades.

Pros:

• No infrastructure to manage
• Easy scaling
• Lower upfront cost

Cons:

• Limited customization
• Shared resources with unknown tenants
• Upgrades happen on the provider's schedule, not yours
• Not optimized for real-time voice applications

Private Cloud

A private cloud dedicates resources to a single organization. You get the efficiency of virtualization with the security of dedicated infrastructure.

Pros:

• Full control over your environment
• Enhanced security and isolation
• Upgrades on your schedule

Cons:

• Significant in-house engineering required
• Expensive data center management
• Compliance burden falls on you (STIR/SHAKEN, Kari's Law, RAY BAUM's Act)
• Difficult to find and retain specialized staff

Managed Private Cloud

The managed private cloud model combines the best of both worlds. You get dedicated virtual servers with the control and security of a private cloud, while the service provider handles the operational complexity.

What you get:

• Dedicated, isolated virtual servers
• Provider-managed maintenance and upgrades on your schedule
• Regulatory compliance handled by the provider
• Geo-redundant data centers for reliability
• Billing services included
• Specialized, application-level support

Why Managed Private Cloud for Mitel

For Mitel channel partners, the managed private cloud model is particularly compelling. Real-time voice and UC applications have unique requirements — low latency, high availability, and consistent performance — that generic cloud providers aren't optimized for.

When your infrastructure provider specializes in Mitel, they understand:

• How to tune VMs for voice traffic
• The intricacies of MiVoice Business configuration
• Regulatory compliance requirements specific to telecommunications
• The support model that Mitel partners need

Choosing a Provider

When evaluating managed private cloud providers, consider:

1. Specialization: Do they focus on real-time communications, or is it one of many workloads they support?
2. Support quality: Will you talk to Mitel-certified engineers, or generalists?
3. Transparency: Are there hidden fees, volume commitments, or onboarding charges?
4. Customer relationship: Will the provider compete for your end customers?

The right provider should feel like an extension of your team — not just another vendor.

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Ready to explore managed private cloud for your Mitel deployments? Contact us to learn how AvidStack can help.