ScanSource (News - Alert), a distributor of communications products and services, has announced that it is now an official distributor of Mitel’s product range in North America.

“Mitel (News - Alert) is a leader in the UC and collaboration space. Their solutions will be of great value to our UC resellers, as well as our Microsoft Lync resellers and service provider customers,” ScanSource president Rich Long said.  “We look forward to working with Mitel and providing the tools, services and support that resellers need in order to grow their communications business.”

With the agreement, ScanSource is authorized to distribute Mitel’s full range of products, including IP phones, as well as its Unified Communications (News - Alert) (UC) and collaboration software.

ScanSource focuses on value-added services and specialty technology products, including Point-of-Sale (POS) barcode scanners. The company has business units in Europe, Brazil, Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.

The company’s business revolves around a “two-tier distribution” model, where resellers purchase products and services from ScanSource, with distributors taking on the service and support roles that would normally be covered by the manufacturer.  In theory, this allows manufacturers to focus on developing new products while resellers handle the support.

The agreement plays to ScanSource’s strengths in communications and collaborations technology, offering technical, sales and professional services to resellers. ScanSource said that it will be able to deliver to its customers what they want, including mobile and UC connectivity.

 “ScanSource has a strong and proven presence in the Unified Communications space,” Sandra Hill, vice president, distribution and sales strategy for Mitel, said. “Their reach and knowledge of these channels will allow the Mitel brand to expand as ScanSource and our reseller partners deliver solutions the way end users want to consume them.”

Mitel isn’t the only company that’s recognized ScanSource. In February, Polycom (News - Alert) named ScanSource the Global Distributor of the Year at its Team PolyCom conference.