Microsoft’s purchase of Skype in 2011 signalled a major moment in history for the telecommunications industry. The marriage between the world’s biggest software company and the platform which brought IP voice and video to the masses put traditional comms vendors on notice that the big players in enterprise software now had their sights on their market.
There was an air of inevitability about Microsoft’s announcement, four years later, that it was rolling out the Skype brand in the business communications market. Its intentions with Skype for Business were always very clear – to provide a single pane of glass UC platform which would work seamlessly within its market leading productivity and collaboration applications. The big disruption was the level of convergence with standard enterprise software this signalled – Skype for Business brought communications into the fold as part of the IT architecture, not a distinct system in its own right.
However, Microsoft found what other non-specialist vendors have found before it – delivering full spec communications functionality is not so straightforward. Very quickly, Skype for Business began to draw criticism for appearing to be a work in progress, rather than a finished, polished product ready to answer the complex needs of business communications. In particular, there were question marks over whether it could provide the range of multimedia channels, the flexibility and the platform integration demanded by large enterprises.
Telephone Support
The problems largely centred around the cloud version, Skype for Business Online. From the beginning, the on-premises Skype for Business Server – the replacement for the Microsoft Lync Server – provided what could be called a full enterprise UC package – not just the IM, video and in-client voice calls typical of Skype, but a full range of telephony features as well, with PBX, PSTN calls and conferencing, and a Skype Meeting platform capable of connecting up to 10,000 attendees.
Skype for Business Online, on the other hand, did not offer the telephony support. In a world where the telephone remains the fulcrum of business communications, those who subscribed to Skype for Business Online via an Office 365 account would still have to run a separate telephone system. For cloud users at least, the all-in-one solution had not been delivered.
To be fair to Microsoft, it moved quickly to even up the discrepancy in features, and by the end of 2015, Skype for Business Online customers were able to receive and make telephone calls from their client. But the perception had been created that Skype for Business was, in its cloud version at least, simply a repackaging of its consumer cousin – great for those who wanted IM and video calls, but not the comprehensive enterprise solution Microsoft aspired to make it.
Enterprise Class
Two years later, the differences between the Server and Online versions have been removed, and Microsoft has battled hard to position the product as it was originally intended. The online version bundled in with the Office 365 E5 Enterprise Edition now includes a Cloud PBX with PSTN connection – full call handling capabilities are managed within the Office 365 platform, including connections to legacy phone systems. It also offers both telephone conferencing and the highly scalable Skype Meetings web conferencing platform, which also supports desktop and file sharing.
There have been other upgrades and additions squarely aimed at an enterprise audience. Microsoft’s purchase of Event Zero early in 2016 has led to a dedicated analytics and reporting suite for Skype for Business, combining data for all channels. A number of partner solutions have also helped to create so-called ‘Skype Rooms’, meeting rooms solutions which link Skype for Business with external HD video, audio and even AV systems.
Other developments have included the eventual release of Skype for Business for Mac, missing on the original product release. Improvements have been made to both the Android and iOS versions, including full Skype for Business integration on iPhone so you can make and receive Skype for Business calls just like a normal call.
Finally, there is now much improved interoperability between Skype for Business Server and Office 365 versions, enabling the flexible hybrid deployment choices which many large organisations are starting to favour.
So, Is Skype for Business Ready for Enterprise?
With hindsight, Microsoft may regret the decision to bring Skype for Business to market before it had all of its features in place. But two years later, in all of its versions, Skype for Business now looks the real deal – a comprehensive, flexible, single pane of glass communication solution perfect for large scale deployment and which, if you choose the online, Office 365 option, plugs directly into your productivity and collaboration suite, too.
For Enterprise, while it may be easier to consider Skype for Business if Office 365 licences are already in place, it may be best to look to suppliers considered to be comms specialists, and at that, UC specialists to ensure your business comms are truly unified.
