Skype for Business retires

Skype for Business is retiring on 31 July 2021 as Microsoft Teams becomes the central communication client for businesses with Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365). Skype for home / personal use is unaffected.

Skype was very popular when Microsoft purchased it in 2011 and the platform was adapted to business users. "Recently, Microsoft could see that the limited feature set of Skype for Business was not meeting modern business needs. Microsoft Teams was developed to provide a comprehensive communication tool for businesses that works across a wide range of devices and online. Teams integrates with other Office apps and uses security policies to easily manage what colleagues can access and do," explains Chris Joberns, Managing Director at Strident.

Business working with Skype for Business should consider moving to Microsoft Teams urgently. Strident can provide full support transitioning to Teams and your can download our Guide to Microsoft Teams here.

What's the difference between Skype, Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams?

Skype that you use at home is fine for small businesses. It is free to use, unless you want to buy credit to make calls to landlines and mobiles. Skype for Business let you add up to 250 people to online meetings, provided enterprise-grade security, manage employee accounts and integrated into your Office apps. Microsoft Teams has replaced Skype for Business.

Microsoft Teams lets you host audio, video, and web conferences with anyone inside or outside your organisation. Teams of 10 or 10,000 can meet and easily share files, participate in one-to-one and group chats all with enterprise-grade security. Skype users can have one-to-one chats and calls with Microsoft Teams users.

For more information on moving to Microsoft Teams, call Strident on 01473 835 280.