Microsoft has replaced its office business communication tool Lync with ‘Skype for Business’.
The new tool was rolled out publicly today as part of the company’s Office update. It is also updated for Office 365 customers who use Lync Online. The new tool was unveiled a week ago as part of Microsoft’s technical preview of the new Office. The transition from Lync to Skype for Business will happen till May end, the company’s official blog noted.
The new tool will have the same user interface as the normal Skype making accessibility easier. It also has enterprise-grade security and compliance features to make it compatible to be used in a business situation. Business conversations through the new Skype interface are authenticated through Active Directory and encrypted, and IT can manage the company’s user accounts and deployments. The system also interoperates with companies’ PBX systems or legacy video teleconferencing systems, if need be.
The Skype for Business allows chats within the company as well as with customers who have Skype ID and are out of the business domain. The tool is now built into Office making IM, voice and video calls better and sharing of notes and documents easier. Skype for Business will also keep the popover window that shows the details of a call if a user moves to another application.
The new way for Lync was paved last year when the company announced its intentions to streamline branding by using “For Business” tag in its tools and services. The brand now also includes One Drive for Business, the online cloud storage service for Microsoft. This unification of the company’s key “for business” tools is in the lines of Google’s consolidation plan.
The new tool was rolled out publicly today as part of the company’s Office update. It is also updated for Office 365 customers who use Lync Online. The new tool was unveiled a week ago as part of Microsoft’s technical preview of the new Office. The transition from Lync to Skype for Business will happen till May end, the company’s official blog noted.
The new tool will have the same user interface as the normal Skype making accessibility easier. It also has enterprise-grade security and compliance features to make it compatible to be used in a business situation. Business conversations through the new Skype interface are authenticated through Active Directory and encrypted, and IT can manage the company’s user accounts and deployments. The system also interoperates with companies’ PBX systems or legacy video teleconferencing systems, if need be.
The Skype for Business allows chats within the company as well as with customers who have Skype ID and are out of the business domain. The tool is now built into Office making IM, voice and video calls better and sharing of notes and documents easier. Skype for Business will also keep the popover window that shows the details of a call if a user moves to another application.
The new way for Lync was paved last year when the company announced its intentions to streamline branding by using “For Business” tag in its tools and services. The brand now also includes One Drive for Business, the online cloud storage service for Microsoft. This unification of the company’s key “for business” tools is in the lines of Google’s consolidation plan.