
PCMAN – Skype has expanded its wings from personal to business, and it hasn’t stopped updating Skype for Business since it was first introduced in a global conversation back in 2014. Microsoft announced that Skype for Business was made to replace Lync, an instant messaging and web conferencing software developed by the company in 2010.
Skype for Business has a new client experience, new server release, and updates synced to Office 365. It is designed to transform communication by giving organizations accessibility to reach Skype users outside the walls of their businesses. Skype for Business is supposedly a combination of the best features from Skype and Lync, where it adapts Skype icons for calling, adding video and ending a call, and improves Lync capabilities of content sharing and telephony. As an example, transferring a call has been reduced from three clicks to only one click away.
Features
The basic Skype for Business features include instant messaging, voice over IP (VoIP) and video conferencing. The users can import Microsoft Outlook contacts stored in Microsoft Exchange Server and retrieve contact lists from a local directory service.
Skype for Business accommodates online meetings, messaging, calls and video with up to 250 people. It can also allow the user to find anyone within the company and schedule meetings through Outlook. It has an enhanced enterprise-grade security and management of employee accounts.
Extensions
Lync used a number of extensions for instant-messaging protocol for some features. It provided federated presence and IM to non-Microsoft instant-messaging clients such as AOL and Yahoo to have complete functionality—a feature adapted to Skype for Business.
On top of that, Skype for Business keep information safe by protecting it with strong authentication and encryption. The users are able to control employee accounts, so they can add or remove subscriptions and assign people’s collaboration needs. If the company is already on the Microsoft platform, all of the personnel database will be automatically recognized across Skype for Business.
Cost
Skype for Business is not limited only to be used on particular devices. As long as the users have a phone and an Internet connection, they can join meetings with video teleconferencing systems. Users will also reduce cost by downloading one-solution software that includes voice, video and online meeting.