The PBX is dead, and I don’t mean that metaphorically, or rhetorically, or poetically, or theoretically, or in any other fancy way. It’s dead, straight up.
Avaya’s final EoLs are fast approaching. Mitel, meanwhile, is facing down the barrel of bankruptcy. The message, then, is clear: upgrade as soon as possible, because the PBX is becoming obsolete.
We’re here to say goodbye to this longstanding backbone of enterprise communication. We’ll look at its storied history, the cause of its death, and what it leaves behind.
The PBX has been an insanely reliable system for decades, widely used by businesses since the 1960s. That timeframe includes the evolution from analog switchboards to IP-based PBXs, all of which served their purpose well keeping companies connected.
Back in the day, these systems provided everything their users needed. This includes voicemail, call-routing, and conferencing. The good ones were often described as feature-rich, and for good reason. Business communication simply didn’t function without one.
Throughout the years, Avaya has been a key player in the industry, alongside companies like Cisco and Mitel. There was a time when even electronics companies like Toshiba produced their own PBXs, though they’ve since exited the telecom industry.
That’s largely because the PBX was built for another era. It’s big, blocky, and designed for a world that runs on-premise. As modern communication moves into the cloud, with apps, smart phones, and now fancy new tools like AR and AI, the PBX looks more and more dinosauric.
The PBX’s legacy is a storied one, but with very little place in the modern world, it’s time for its life to end.
It’s been the case for some time that PBXs are difficult to maintain. They require specialized hardware and licenses, along with regular upkeep from skilled telecom workers. Then there’s the upgrades. Whether it’s new boards or updated software, PBX providers love to sell their customers upgrades at premium prices.
It’s a lot of money and a lot of headaches for a system that doesn’t fit the modern era. The PBX simply can’t keep up with the flexibility of the modern cloud solution. Organizations across the world are moving to the cloud.
In fact, Avaya and Mitel have made their own moves to the cloud. Avaya’s made a major pivot to the Avaya Cloud Office, while Mitel has established Mitel CloudLink.
Embracing the cloud means companies like Avaya are also pulling support for their older solutions. Avaya’s last PBX, the Avaya Aura, will be in End of Manufacturer Support by the end of 2026. As for Mitel, it already no longer sells new PBX systems, and won’t sell new licenses by December 2025.
It used to be the case that third-party maintenance providers could keep these systems running even after EoMS, but that’s likely to not be the case much longer. By the end of this year, copper lines will be decommissioned across the United States.
The Copper Sunset could be considered the final nail in the coffin for the PBX. Analog devices that rely on copper lines will either be freakishly expensive to maintain or simply won’t work at all after 2025.
It’s time to lay these old systems to rest and make way for the future of communications.
There was a time when certain organizations faced concerns that modern solutions wouldn’t be able to match all the features of their PBXs. They may not have had the same sophistication in call-routing, or their auto-attendants weren’t as efficient. Some even had misgivings about a lack of hold music in Cisco Webex and Microsoft Teams.
That worry is a thing of the past. Platforms like Webex, Teams, and Zoom don’t just replicate the functions of a PBX, they expand on them.
Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) platforms bring messaging, calling, meetings, and other collaboration features together in one application. Meanwhile, Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) solutions, or Customer Experience (CX) platforms, provide omnichannel contact centers that intelligently connect customers with agents and make life easier for both.
Among the marvelous UCaaS and CCaaS offerings of today are Continuant Connect and C4.
Continuant has spent the better part of 30 years helping organizations of all sizes with telecom systems, mainly PBXs. Our bread and butter in those days was maintenance contracts. We offered these at a better price than even the system's original provider, along with stellar customer service and higher flexibility.
Now we’ve evolved with the times. Continuant Connect is a specialized platform that facilitates migrations from a PBX to the cloud. From there, it makes it easy for users to use and switch between different platforms.
Then there’s C4, otherwise known as the Continuant Connect Contact Center. This omnichannel CX platform enables effective communication between agents and customers, leveraging advanced features, myriad software integrations, and the awesome power of AI to perfectly replace any old-school setup.
Continuant maintenance had its day, but Continuant Connect is here to stay.
With that, we say our last goodbye to the PBX, to copper lines, to (most) analog devices, and to the old world of telecom maintenance.
As the page closes on PBXs, it’s clearer than ever that it’s time to migrate to the cloud. Modern solutions like Continuant Connect and C4 will set up your organization to scale, adapt, and evolve while filling the spaces legacy telecom has left empty.
To honor the memory of the PBX, we’ll set you up with a Continuant Connect demo and help you get your migration started.