Back in the day, Skype for Business was formerly known as Lync 2013. Today, the app is the powerful marriage of both Lync and Skype for your favorite digital device. And features the best of both into a single interface that’s easy to use.
If you have used either Lync or Skype before, the business edition will prove to be just as indispensable. As a business comms tool, there’s little to touch it, either on Android or iOS.
The app gives you 360-degree coverage for all your comms, a must today given the upsurge in home working, remote teams, and online meetings. So if you have a dispersed team, Skype for Business is almost certainly a great solution to keep in touch and on track. Or it was.
Skype for Business on the way out
Microsoft issued a reminder that Skype for Business is being retired on July 31, 2021, and will be replaced by Microsoft Teams.
The tech company is keen for Skype for Business users to begin the migration to the new platform now and not leave it till the summer.
The reminder followed their announcement 18 months ago that Skype for Business was on the way out.
Voice and video
Instant messaging
Video conferencing
Enhanced security
Skype for Business ensures you have your finger on the pulse, either with internal or external business communications. No matter your whereabouts, you will be reachable by both clients and your geographically distributed team, subject to having an internet connection.
The app lets you initiate group chats and video conversations, as well as invite additional participants.
With Skype for Business Meeting, you can join and set up meets to collaborate with others. To this end, you can share videos among meeting participants and chair the meeting by muting or removing participants.
However, to attend a meeting, you need either a Lync or a Skype for Business account to use all the app’s features. You may also need to update your servers, Lync and/or Skype for Business, to ensure all users have the full suite of features.
Upcoming meetings are listed, and you can join them with a single top. Or find your recent conversations and resume from where you left off.
Finding contacts, too, is easy as you can search by name, phone number, or email.
It’s free
Multi-language support
An extra layer of security via Active Directory Authentication Library
About to be replaced by Microsoft Teams
Skype for Business is downloadable from Google Play and Apple’s App Store.
The Android version’s requirements vary by device. The app scores a respectable 4.2 out of 5 among Google Play users.
The iOS flavor needs 97.4 MB of storage space and iOS 10.0 or later. The app fares marginally better among Apple users, scoring 4.3 out of five in the App Store.
However, since it has six months before retirement, you would be well advised to get on board with its Microsoft Teams replacement.
