Back in December, Microsoft demoed how it was unifying Lync – it’s
old business-centric video chat app – and Skype into a singular Skype for Business product, with the promise of giving organizations reach to Skype users outside of their business’ walls.
Now it’s offering up a technical preview, which it announced at its Convergence conference today. Lync customers can trial it to get ready for the full transition to Skype.
Skype for business is obviously based on Skype’s design, but pulls in
many of Lync’s features, such as online meetings, enterprise-grade
security and compliance and control tools for IT departments. It also
connects Lync customers with any Skype user, regardless of whether or
not they are part of their organization.
The new app also offers some additional flexibility for businesses
with integration directly into Office, allowing users to connect via
Skype right from Outlook, for instance.
Microsoft first announced it was integrating Lync into Skype in February of 2013. It’s been a long time coming, but Skype for business is the final step in that transition.
The company says businesses set up for Lync 2013 should also be
qualified for Skype for Business. If your company is interested, you can
check out the demo at Microsoft’s TechNet Evaluation Center.
➤ Get ready for Skype for Business
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