#APP FOR SKYPE FOR BUSINESS FREE#
#APP FOR SKYPE FOR BUSINESS WINDOWS#

#APP FOR SKYPE FOR BUSINESS FREE#

Since regular Skype is free and Skype for Business must be paid for through different monthly plans, are businesses getting value for money in paying for Skype for Business? Not everyone thinks so. Managing two Skype accounts that you have to log in and out of is very clunky.вЂќ To pay or not to pay? If you need to call a partner, customer or vendor (anyone outside the office)вЂ¦Skype for Business is not reliable. вЂњSkype for Business is more stable, but only when talking to other team members in 365. We have Office 365 and rely on it for our collaboration,вЂќ says Christine Pietryla, VP, Global Marketing and Communications at inRiver, a product information management solution provider. вЂњWe have two main offices (Chicago and Malmo, Sweden) and a few sales outposts. Others have cited its integration with Office 365вЂ™s productivity apps as a key reason for using Skype for Business. Skype for Business is part of Office 365, meaning it integrates with MicrosoftвЂ™s Office productivity tools For me itвЂ™s more important to have that peace of mind that our information is secure within the company.вЂќ вЂњThe sole reason I use Skype for Business is because it gives you enterprise-grade security. вЂњI have both accounts and I prefer Skype for Business even though we are a small business,вЂќ explains Taylor Murray, lead developer at the company. The security aspect is crucial for many businesses, including call center technology provider Call Tools, which cites it as the key reason it is using Skype for Business. It also comes with enterprise-level security, and вЂ“ currently only for companies in the US вЂ“ Cloud PBX with PSTN Calling, and PSTN Conferencing. вЂњSkype for Business is great for meetings and conference calls with video or presentations, it also allows recording, can be accessed online, and more,вЂќ says Nemcok. Another neat feature is Skype Room Systems where you can use Skype for Business with standalone cameras and monitors, as well as audio equipment from MicrosoftвЂ™s partner network, and the Microsoft Surface Hub a large screen device built for ink and touch. There are a whole host of benefits that it can offer for your company, including Skype Meeting Broadcast, which allows you to broadcast a meeting online to up-to 10,000 people. Skype for Business has the same familiar look and feel as regular SkypeДЇor larger businesses, Microsoft recommends Skype for Business.

Now weвЂ™ve made it clear that there are two different options, the next questions is which (if either) is right for your business? MicrosoftвЂ™s advice is that Skype is suitable for businesses of up to 20 people, with the benefits being that it is free for Skype-to-Skype calls, and you can buy credit to make super cheap calls to mobiles and landlines. What I mean by that is that besides using the same logo, there is very little they have in common.вЂќ Spot the difference Michal Nemcok, PR and marketing manager at LIFARS, a digital forensics and cybersecurity intelligence firm, explains: вЂњThe main difference is that Skype for Business is not really Skype. LetвЂ™s make one thing clear: this is not the same thing as regular Skype, and it doesnвЂ™t mean that the Skype that we all know and (some of us) love has been discontinued. The integration of the two can be traced back (officially) to 2013, which leads us to the announcement at the end of 2014 that Lync would be relaunched and rebranded as Skype for Business.

#APP FOR SKYPE FOR BUSINESS WINDOWS#

Many questioned why the Seattle-based company would buy a product that competes with its existing offering (anyone remember Windows Live Messenger?), and whether they would eventually merge into one. Separate from all of this, Microsoft bought Skype in 2011 for the hefty sum of $8.5 billion. It offered features such as instant messaging, presence, voice and video calls, desktop sharing, file transfer, and mobile apps for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. Once upon a time, Microsoft offered a unified communications product called Office Communications Server (previously known as Live Communications Server), which was replaced and rebranded in 2010 with Lync. LetвЂ™s quickly recap the history of these communications apps. Whatever situation your business is in, weвЂ™re here to help answer these questions and decide which ( if either) is right for your company. Skype for Business or Skype: what are they, how are they different, and which one is really right for your business? Maybe you thought they were the same thing, or maybe youвЂ™ve been living under a rock for the past decade and are wondering what this Skype thing is all about.

App for skype for business