Skype Business

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Includes online versions
of Office, plus email
Includes full, installed Office
for desktop, plus email
Microsoft 365
Business Basic
Microsoft 365
Business Standard
$5.00 user/monthBased on Annual CommitmentStart Trial$12.50 user/monthBased on Annual CommitmentStart Trial
Note: Microsoft® Teams replaces Skype for Business Online as Microsoft’s professional online meeting solution.

Online meetings with Office Online, email, and file storage and sharing

  • Join on any device—PC/Mac, tablet, or phone
  • Group HD video and audio calling for up to 250 people
  • Presence and IM during and outside of meetings

Plus!

  • Online versions of Office
  • Email with 50 GB mailbox per user
  • 1 TB file storage and sharing per user

Online meetings with everything in Office 365 Business Essentials

  • Join on any device—PC/Mac, tablet, or phone
  • Group HD video and audio calling for up to 250 people
  • Presence and IM during and outside of meetings
  • Online versions of Office
  • Email with 50 GB mailbox per user
  • 1 TB file storage and sharing per user

Plus!

  • Full, installed Office applications on PC/Mac
  • Office Apps on tablets and phones
Money-back guarantee15 days15 days
Connect from Skype for Business desktop app or from web
Schedule meetings in Outlook
Join anonymously from web browser or free mobile apps
Share your presentation and transfer control to other meeting participants
Audio and HD video calling to Skype for Business users
Advanced meeting options including Polls and Q&A
Online versions of Office including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
File storage and sharing with 1 TB storage per user
Business class email, calendar, and contacts with a 50 GB inbox per user
Full, installed Office applications Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, and OneNote on up to 5 PCs or Macs per user
Office on tablets and phones for the full, installed Office experience on up to 5 tablets and 5 phones per user
Integration with on-premises communications systems, such as PBX and video teleconferencing systems
$5.00user/monthBased on Annual CommitmentStart Trial$12.50user/monthBased on Annual CommitmentStart Trial
  1. Skype Business App
  2. Skype Business Download
  3. Skype Business Account


  1. Receive Skype calls on your office phones and make low cost calls by integrating Skype with your SIP or VoIP phone system. By adding Skype Connect to your existing SIP-enabled PBX, your business can save on communication costs with little or no additional upgrades required.
  2. May 10, 2019 Microsoft Skype for Business Basic gives you instant messaging (IM), audio and video calls, online meetings, availability (presence) information, and sharing capabilities all from one, easy-to-use program.
  3. Skype for Business, formerly Lync 2013, for Windows Phone extends the power of Lync and Skype for Business to your mobile device – including voice and video over wireless, rich presence, instant messaging, meetings, and calling features from a single, easy-to-use interface.

All Our Skype for Business plans include

FAQ - Your questions? We got answers!

How exactly will Apps4Rent help me with these plans?

Uninstall Skype for Business like any other application on your computer. Get the Office Deployment Tool. For the configuration.xml file, replace the current configuration with the following.

Apps4Rent will help you to set up your DNS server and external firewall to optimally deal with Skype for Business Online network traffic. We will also assist in setting up mobile clients and creating new users. We advise you on the right choice of plans, for using Internet Protocol (IP) phones with Skype for Business.

Is a Skype for Business accounts separate from personal Skype account?

Yes. Skype for Business will use the Active Directory credentials. Personal Skype account will continue to use the individual’s Skype ID.

As a current customer, how do I get Skype for Business?

If you are a current Lync Server customer with Software Assurance, you will automatically be able to use Skype for Business. Office 365 customers with Lync Online will receive updates automatically. The way Lync was earlier, Skype for Business will also be an integral part and experience for Office as well as Office 365.

Is Skype for Business a different brand than the current Skype Brand?

No. Both belong to the same Skype Brand. User accounts, contacts, user interfaces, and functions will be the same for both.

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Skype for Business Retirement 2021: Are You Ready?

In Summer 2020, Microsoft announced Skype for Business retirement.

But fear not, Skype for Business is not going away immediately, but Skype for Business Online does have an end of life date of 31st July 2021.

Read on for insights from industry experts and Microsoft MVPs to see what Skype for Business retirement means to them, and what it should mean to you.

Firstly, should the announcement cause mass panic?

My first port of call was Patrick Watson, Analyst at Cavell Group. He covered the news and was quick to assemble a podcast with Microsoft MVP, Tom Arbuthnot.

I asked Patrick how the Skype for Business retirement announcement would change IT Manager’s day to day lives.

“The Skype for Business retirement date doesn’t change anything at all for Skype for Business Online customers.

Patrick was to the point, rather than fluffy and dancing around Microsoft’s communications.

“Admins should already be working on their migration strategies.”

He also said, “Managers should have known this was coming as Microsoft has been clear about its progression path from Skype for Business to Teams generally.”

Skype Business

What has been the immediate reaction to Skype for Business retirement in the MVP community?

I asked Tom Arbuthnot for his take on the feeling in the Microsoft MVP community. His sentiment echoed Patrick’s.

The MVP community is, by definition, on the pulse of what Microsoft is doing, so the end of life of Skype for Business Online in favour of Microsoft Teams was unsurprising.

Tom went on to suggest that the MVP community is in favor of Microsoft’s decision: “Microsoft Teams use is growing massively and Microsoft is putting all its efforts into their cloud-native UC and Collab proposition, which makes sense.”

Another Microsoft MVP, Joel Oleson, was keen to point out in his blog that IT Managers need to act sooner rather than later.

Skype business free

“Prepare Now: Don’t Just Mark Your Calendars: July 31, 2021.”

It seems fair to say that the Microsoft community was ready and waiting for the retirement announcement but there is still work to be done in IT.

The timing was just before Gartner named Microsoft leaders in UCaaS, does this change anything?

Each year, Gartner publishes a Magic Quadrant for the UCaaS industry.

Skype Business App

This year, Microsoft was named a leader, and appeared in the desirable top right-hand corner.

The timing of the Skype for Business Online retirement announcement was only a week after Gartner named Microsoft as a leader.

One question raised on Twitter was whether the removal of Skype for Business Online removed the UCaaS element to Microsoft’s offering.

I reached out to collaboration expert, Chris Isak, Founder and Journalist at TechAcute to get his thoughts on the matter:

“I don’t think Gartner relied on Skype for Business in Office 365 for their judgement too much.”

Chris added that Microsoft will still deliver Unified Comms-as-a-Service – just not through a Skype body.

He justified his remarks with a counterquestion to me:

What is there that Skype can do that Microsoft Teams cannot do?

My immediate answer was the lack of federation and the guest access alternative. But, overall it’s not lacking much in the way of functionality.

For a breakdown of the differences between the two platforms, this post compares Skype for Business vs Microsoft Teams.

I also reached out to Gartner to see if they had any insider info on the matter before release the 2019 Magic Quadrant but they suggested they do not reveal their research process to the public.

Should end users be going to Microsoft or partners for help with Skype to Teams migrations?

Our recent Unified Comms influencers list didn’t include any direct employees of Microsoft.

It did, however, include many partners, resellers, and managed service providers that are fully qualified Microsoft MVPs.

I asked one influencer, Randy Chapman, Modern Workplace Architect at Symity, for his take on where IT Managers should start with migrations.

Drivers megaware. He suggested if a company does want to migrate to Teams, whether from Skype for Business Online or Server, they should engage a partner that can help.

Skype business online

“A partner can help them understand the features and benefits and also the implications of moving to Teams. They can also help with governance, change management and user adoption.”

Sticking with the theme of change management, Kristof Maes at Xylos suggested the main reason for organizations not already adopting Teams is the change & adoption requirements to move to Microsoft Teamsas a complete Workstream Collaboration tool.

Randy also mentioned that there isn’t a certified Teams migration partner directory.

It’s a sought after tool that IT Managers would love to get their hands on.

He said: “Gold level partners and those with a track record with Skype for Business are a great place to start. Although not all will have jumped in with both feet for Teams.”

What are the major differences IT Managers need to be aware of?

While feature parity is the ultimate goal for Microsoft Teams, there are some differences between the platforms.

The most requested feature on the Microsoft community forum is guest access.

Users of Skype for Business will be familiar with the external federation access, where users from one company can Skype another company.

This is yet to be made quite as straight forward in Microsoft Teams.

There are some key differences between the two platforms as we move from instant messaging to team collaboration. The most obvious is not being able to chat with external users like you could on Skype. But, chatting to users of Slack or Webex Teams is now possible via Mio.

Universal channels allow you to stay in one messaging tool and chat with your external business contacts as if they were a colleague.

By enabling clients, freelancers, and suppliers to chat in universal channels, everyone can collaborate together, share files, reply to message threads, and edit messages—all from their tool of choice.

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Universal channels are available to install for Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Webex Teams.

Your first universal channel (with up to three organizations) is completely free.

Does Skype for Business retirement mean I have to move to Microsoft Teams?

The simple answer here is no.

There are tons of Skype for Business alternatives.

Does Skype for Business Online retirement mean on-premises version will be retired soon too?

Microsoft has committed to supporting Skype for Business Server to at least 2024.

While it’s not clear when the plan to retire Skype for Business in its entirety is, Chris Isak suggested there is nothing to worry about just yet.

“Skype For Business may well run for another decade on-prem.”

There will be some careful decisions that need to be made when assessing whether to stick or twist with Skype for Business.

Skype business 64 bit download

Ultimately, only the folks at Microsoft know the answer to this question.

And they may not have decided yet.

I use Skype for Business with other apps, what happens when I move to Microsoft Teams?

Firstly, you are not alone.

In fact, 63% of companies using Microsoft apps are using Slack in parallel.

There are a few ways to remedy this conundrum…

Firstly, the Microsoft app store has a whole host of integrations ready to install out of the box.

So, for apps like Trello and Zoom, your experience will likely become more streamlined.

Drivers marvell semiconductors. For other messaging apps, like Slack and Cisco Webex Teams, Microsoft Teams opens the door to complete messaging interoperability.

Check out what is possible in this video…

Further outreach a year on

This post has now been updated one year after Microsoft announced the retirement of Skype for Business. I reached out to two more Microsoft MVPs – one customer and one vendor.

Craig Chiffers, Principal Solutions Architect at Icomm Australia, said there were three key things he’s learned since the announcement.

“One of the things I see often is customers remaining on Skype for Business due to their reliance on it to work with their existing call centre software.”

Microsoft’s recent announcements around call centre integration within Teams should be good news for those who have been waiting.

Next, Craig says not to fear the move to Teams but to ensure that user adoption isn’t left out or an afterthought. Often IT and project teams treat Skype to Teams as an upgrade. When in reality, it’s a new technology that needs training and support.

“Keeping everyone across what is happening and why is critical to success.”

Adam Fowler, IT Operations Manager, gave me his insight as a customer of both Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams.

“The upcoming retirement of Skype for Business Online should make current users get a plan ready to go.

Trying to line up the migration just before the plug is pulled (and in reality, there’s a decent chance Microsoft will extend it out, or leave it running for a while longer with zero support) is a big risk in many ways.

These include finding a partner who has available resources to do so when they’re helping everyone else get off the platform at the last minute too.

There might be other catches you find in the migration – do your phones work with Teams?

It also means you need to be ready for Teams which is a big undertaking in itself. It’s not just a phone platform, so do the other parts of the product meet your requirements around security?”

What is Cisco’s take on Skype for Business retirement?

Recognizing the high volume of mixed messaging environments in the workplace, I reached out to Jono Luk, Director of Product Management for Cisco Webex, to see what Skype for Business Online retiring meant to Cisco.

Jono said: “At Cisco Webex, we believe in providing the best possible collaborative experiences for our customers, even when they’re using other platforms too.

The retirement of Skype for Business Online is an opportunity to offer our customers what we believe to be a richer collaboration experience with Webex, but at the same time a call to ensure that whatever they decide.”

“We’ll support their choice and continue to allow their users to work across platforms with the help of partners like Mio.”

Ultimately, Cisco is more than open to interoperability.

Skype Business Download

Contrary to recent history, collaboration vendors now realize that they must coexist and that one-size-does-not-fit-all.

If you are one of the 91% that use at least 2 messaging apps, and will continue to do so when you move to Teams, schedule your demo of Mio’s interoperability solution here.

Common FAQs

Is Skype for Business being retired?

Microsoft has confirmed that Skype for Business Online is being retired July 31st 2021. There is no formal communication regarding on-premises versions of Skype for Business.

Is Microsoft phasing out Skype for Business?

Microsoft has announced that Microsoft Teams has reached feature parity with Skype for Business. Furthermore, Skype for Business Online will be retired on July 31st 2021.

Will Teams replace Skype for Business?

Microsoft has announced that Microsoft Teams has reached feature parity with Skype for Business. Furthermore, Skype for Business Online will be retired on July 31st 2021.

Is Skype being discontinued?

Skype is not being discontinued. Skype for Business Online will be retired on July 31st 2021. There is a distinction between Skype (consumer) and Skype for Business (business).

Skype Business Account

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