
Skype for Business is built right into Microsoft Office, so features like presence, IM, voice and video calls, and online meetings are available to be used by other Office apps.

Screenshots released by Microsoft show Skype for Business video calls (top) using the same Skype interface, able to connect to a list of Skype or Lync contacts. Skype for Business will also keep the popover window that shows the details of a call if a user moves to another application. It’s possible, but I don’t see it happening anytime soon. It would also require all Skype for Business users to have the Office Suite, which isn’t practical. And certainly isn’t likely for the Skype Consumer users.” A fresh new look “That would require Outlook to adopt a UI that supports telephony, IM, video, and desktop/application sharing. Learn to plan Exchange Online and Skype for Business Online deploymentsand prep for Microsoft Exam 70-347: Enabling Office 365 Services. “I can see making calls from Outlook, but the Skype for Business client and Skype Consumer clients won’t go away. Snodgrass said he doesn’t think so, at least in the short term. Will video conversation and chat eventually just be a component of Outlook? Microsoft This definition explains the meaning of Skype for Business, formerly called Microsoft Lync Server, and how it enables online meetings, video conferencing and cloud-based unified communications. Tivo, for example, was founded on a novel concept-“pausing” live TV-but DVR functions are now just a feature of modern cable boxes.

You have to wonder now, however, how long Skype will be maintained as a separate product. With Lync now dead, Skype will carry the torch. On the other hand, Microsoft essentially had the best of two collaboration products to pull from. Why this matters: Since 2013, customers have wondered why Microsoft kept both Skype and Lync around, because the overlap between the two products was so great. The small businesses that should seriously consider using Skype for Business are those looking to drive internal efficiencies through deeper integration with Office 365, or those wanting more control and security over their company communications, or those looking to hold larger meetings with more than 25 participants or with more advanced capabilities that enable webinars or large group presentations.Basically, “there’s no massive underlying technological change that has occurred,” said Andrew Snodgrass, a research vice president at analyst firm Directions on Microsoft. While Skype and Skype for Business are two different products, you can call anyone with a Skype ID from within Skype for Business.

Very small businesses that use Skype sporadically or for limited purposes may want to stick with Skype for consumer experience now. Sharing screens is easy, as is sending files through Skype - and much more. You can do video or voice calls, or text chat. You can hold conferences with up to 25 people at one time. You can receive and make calls to mobile and landline numbers (for an added fee).
#Using skype for business with office 365 free
With the free Skype for consumer version, you can make unlimited Skype-to-Skype calls. You can present documents, share your screen and even grant permission for someone else to remotely control your desktop from within Skype for Business - and do much more, depending on which Skype for Business plan you choose. Skype for Business meetings can be scheduled within Outlook, and launched instantly with one click. On-demand Unified Communications across the Globe using Private, Public and Hybrid Clouds with comprehensive ROI.

Available as a project or as a service / subscription. If I need an answer now, I can go into Skype for Business and see if anyone in engineering is involved in a meeting and ask the question if I don’t want to wait until the other person returns.” Office 365 Voice: Skype for Business Voice, Video, Call Center and Apps available in your choice of on-premise, private / public / hybrid cloud hosting. If I have a question for someone in engineering, I can see if they are out of the office. According to Stark, “Right next to their name in Outlook I see whether they are participating or are out of the office. Skype for Business can display each employee’s availability, such as if they’re free, busy, in a meeting or offline. This makes it easy to send an IM or start a voice or video call from directly within a Word or PowerPoint document, for example. Skype for Business is more deeply integrated with Outlook and Office 365, Microsoft’s cloud productivity suite, which includes the core Office apps like Word, PowerPoint and Excel, as well as email, cloud storage, and other collaboration tools.
