Microsoft seems to be preparing a new on-premises server for Skype for Business.
At the same time, they should define more clearly where Teams fits into the unified communications framework for business.
VNext from Skype for Business
Microsoft has kept quiet about its Skype for Business strategy.
Checking the list of sessions about Skype for Business to be held at Microsoft Ignite, the conference for IT professionals taking place in September, we notice titles such as: Plan your UC refresh correctly: Skype for Business on-premises vNext
or, in translation:
Plan your Unified Communications upgrade correctly: vNext on-premises from Skype for Business
The session presentation invites you to discover Skype for Business’ vNext on-premises server and the role that Microsoft Teams, on-premises and hybrid, will play in achieving your strategic objectives.
Let’s remember that in 2015, Microsoft made its latest on-premises version of Skype for Business – its unified communications platform and successor to Lync Server – generally available.
While Microsoft officials have made it clear that the company will provide more on-premises versions of the SharePoint server, they have not done the same for the Skype for Business server, and this has led to much speculation about the latter’s future.
Microsoft Phone System and Calling Plan
Checking the list of Microsoft Ignite sessions, we also notice that Microsoft is planning to change the names of some services within Skype for Business Online.
Here’s the presentation from the session entitled Is Voice in the cloud right for you?
Cloud Voice is part of Microsoft Office 365.
This session will provide you with more details on the features and strategy of Microsoft Phone System (the former Cloud PBX) and Calling Plan (the former PSTN Calling).
In 2015, Microsoft is offering three new Skype for Business services as part of its Office 365 E5 plan:
In the months that followed, they continued to add new features to PSTN Calling and Conferencing, including Callkit iOS integration, Skype for Business client for Mac and a new Cloud Connector server to connect on-premises phone systems to Skype for Business Online.
Additional calling features were added to Skype for Business in March 2017.
Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business
Several sessions at Microsoft Ignite aim to clarify the relationship between Microsoft Teams (called by Microsoft “the chat-based workplace in Office 365”) and Skype for Business.
At present, there is some overlap between the functionalities of Teams and those of Skype for Business.
Both provide instant messaging, real-time presence, video calling, group meetings and scheduled meetings.
Teams, unlike Skype for Business, provides threaded chat.
Skype for Business, on the other hand, offers features such as meeting broadcasting, PSTN conferencing and calling, and video interoperability.
Microsoft officials confirm that Skype for Consumers and Teams run on the same server in the cloud.
This is not the case for Skype for Business (which is based on Lync).
