How will this affect your organization?

Back in 2017, Microsoft announced that it would be phasing out Skype for Business Online and migrating it into Microsoft Teams. This integration is now complete, and all of the key Skype for Business Online features are a part of Microsoft Teams. Office 365 users should now look to Microsoft Teams for all their messaging, calling and meeting services.

image cloud

Why is Skype for Business Online being phased out?

Microsoft has frequently mentioned that they’re looking to use Microsoft Teams as a fully capable communications hub. Thanks to this integration, Microsoft Teams offers a unified communications platform where users can access a wide array of features including video conferencing, chat, telephony, and much more.

Aside from offering a fully capable cloud-based communications hub, Microsoft Teams also offers a central spot for employees to store notes, documents, and any other information related to a project. These capabilities allow organizations to not only communicate but also track important projects and deadlines all from one cloud-based application.

What does this mean if you’re currently using Skype for Business Online?

If you’re currently an Office 365 subscriber, you likely will be impacted by this change, as all Office 365 customers with less than 500 seats were automatically moved to Microsoft Teams on October 1st. If your organization has more than 500 seats, or are using an on-premises version of Skype for Business, you won’t automatically be migrated to Microsoft Teams, but you may want to look into whether moving to Microsoft Teams would be worthwhile for your organization.

Why is Microsoft combining Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams?

As organizations of all sizes look to collaborate with teams located in disparate locations around the world, it has become extremely important to have a unified platform where communication and collaboration can happen in tandem. With Microsoft Teams, users can communicate via chat, or voice, as well as collaborate using their favorite Office 365 apps such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

What if my organization is already using Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams?

If you’re currently utilizing both Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business, you may think that you can merely disable Skype for Business. This is actually not the case. You’ll want to switch your users to Teams only mode which will allow for a smooth migration to Microsoft Teams.

You don’t have to upgrade all your users to Microsoft Teams at once. You have full flexibility over moving individuals, groups of users, or your entire organization all at once.

The time to move to Microsoft Teams is now

As you can see, Microsoft is investing heavily into Teams. If you’re looking for a fully featured cloud-based communications hub to better collaborate with your colleagues, be sure to give Microsoft Teams a try. Thanks to the recent Skype for Business Online integration, you and your entire team will be able to communicate easier regardless of location.

To learn more about migrating to Microsoft Teams from Skype for Business, don’t hesitate to reach out to MessageOps today. We’ll be happy to discuss any of the many features of Microsoft Teams to help you see just how revolutionary this cloud-based communications tool can be for your organization.

Was this article helpful?
YesNo