Microsoft announce Skype for Business for Office365 subscribers

Skype has been connecting people together from across the world since 2003 and yesterday Microsoft announced it will be bringing the revolutionary product to Office 365 with Skype for business. Using Skype’s simplistic and familiar interface Microsoft has bolstered its capacities by integrating Lync’s powerful backend feature set. This will power what they have branded their vision of ‘communication-powered productivity’ delivering sophisticated enterprise level performance, security and control for all business sizes.

Users will be able to connect to people within their own company and anyone with a traditional consumer Skype ID through video, audio or instant messaging chat. These features are now integrated directly into a rich office experience, can be integrated into a traditional PBX or legacy video conferencing set.

Another step further towards the increasing consumerisation of technology, Microsoft explain ‘Everyone knows how to use Skype, so in the workplace, it’s intuitive right from the start. This familiarity, combined with the ability to video call anyone who has a Skype ID, make Skype for Business a powerful communication tool that has the ability to transform the way people work.’

The roll out is now available as part of the April update for current Microsoft Office 365 subscribers that use Lync Online. Also included is an option for system administrators to switch between the traditional Lync and the new Skype interfaces for a controlled roll out.

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