Switching PBX support provider: how the takeover works
Switching PBX support provider is less dramatic than it sounds. The change is made with an inventory, a handover plan and a parallel period. Users normally notice nothing.
In short
- Read your current contract: notice period, exit assistance and what happens to your documentation.
- Take inventory of the PBX, licences, integrations and operator connections.
- Transfer your software assurance with the manufacturer to the new partner through the manufacturer’s process.
- Change access rights: the previous supplier’s accounts are removed and the new ones get multi-factor authentication.
- Hand over responsibility on a set date, after a parallel period in which fault reporting and remote access have been tested.
Step by step
A support takeover usually follows these steps:
| Step | What it covers |
|---|---|
| 1. The contract | Notice period, exit terms and what the previous supplier must hand over |
| 2. Inventory | Platform and version, servers, gateways and cards, phones and DECT wireless phones, licences, integrations such as contact centre, attendant consoles, Teams and alarms, operator connections and numbering plan |
| 3. Documentation | Operational documentation, backups of configuration and database, network diagram and certificates with expiry dates. Login credentials are only handed over securely |
| 4. Access rights | The previous supplier’s accounts are removed and passwords are changed. New accounts get multi-factor authentication and logging |
| 5. Software assurance | Status and end date of the agreement with the manufacturer, and transfer to the new partner |
| 6. The operator | Who may order and report faults on numbers and SIP trunks (the operator’s phone lines over the internet), and how the operator’s escalation works |
| 7. The manufacturer’s portals | The new partner must be able to open and escalate cases with the manufacturer |
| 8. Parallel period | The previous supplier remains responsible until a set date. The new one reviews the environment and tests remote access, fault reporting and monitoring |
| 9. Handover | Date, checklist, open cases, acceptance and information for PBX administrators and switchboard operators |
Software assurance with the manufacturer
Software assurance is bought through a partner, for example Mitel Software Assurance for an MX-ONE PBX or Software Premium Service (SPS) for an Alcatel-Lucent OmniPCX Enterprise. The manufacturers have processes for changing partner, in which the customer requests the change and the manufacturer informs the previous partner. The new partner handles contact with the manufacturer. We have made such changes with both Mitel and Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, and they have gone smoothly.
If the agreement has expired, a new agreement or reinstatement is needed before new versions and fixes can be installed.
What you should get from the previous supplier
- exit assistance as set out in the contract
- documentation and backups
- details of licences and software assurance
- case history
- return or deletion of your information
- closure of the supplier’s accounts and access
Public sector
In Sweden, a public organisation normally cannot change supplier in the middle of a contract without a new procurement. Below SEK 700,000, calculated over the whole contract term including extensions and options, a direct award can be made under the organisation’s own guidelines. Above that threshold, an advertised public tender is required.
Last updated 14 October 2026.
Common questions
More questions
Will there be downtime when we switch?
Normally not. The switch is planned so that telephony is not affected. The previous supplier remains responsible until a set date, and in the meantime the new one tests remote access, fault reporting and monitoring.
How long does a takeover take?
It depends on the environment, and above all on whether it is documented. If it is, it usually goes fairly quickly. The inventory shows how much needs to be done, and the parallel period lasts until fault reporting, remote access and monitoring have been tested.
Do we have to upgrade the PBX when we change partner?
No. The switch is made on the version you have. The inventory shows whether that version still gets fixes, and an upgrade can then be planned separately.
What happens to our licences?
The licences belong to your PBX, not to the partner. The licence register and software assurance are reviewed and transferred to the new partner.
Further reading
Solution
Third-party PBX maintenance
Keep the PBX that works. We take over support for MX-ONE, OpenScape and OmniPCX Enterprise and keep your PBX up to date with the manufacturer’s security fixes.
Guide
PBX support contract: what it should include
Response times, updates, software assurance and remote access: what the contract should say.
Guide
PBX lifecycle and end of life: extending its life safely
What manufacturers’ lifecycles mean, and how to keep your PBX secure for many years to come.
Third-party PBX maintenance
Start with an inventory
Do you have an MX-ONE, OpenScape or OmniPCX Enterprise? We usually start with a simple inventory of your PBX, licences and integrations, free of charge. You then know where you stand, and we can give you a quote for support, operations or replacement.