When Skype became part of the Microsoft empire in 2011, plenty in the telecoms industry suspected that the purchase was driven by more than just a desire to own a popular consumer comms brand.
Sure enough, some four years later, Microsoft finally revealed its hand. The Skype name was transposed onto a brand new business UC platform, Skype for Business. Far more comprehensive and feature rich than its free-to-use consumer cousin, the name was nonetheless a statement of intent.
It was a statement that said, in the eyes of the one of the world’s true tech giants, the future of business communications lay in integrated voice, video and IM, in simple-to-use apps with a focus on user experience (UX), and in the Cloud. All brand values integral to the success of Skype.
However, although Microsoft did signal these intentions by making Skype for Business part of its Office 365 cloud application suite, it also recognised the importance of maintaining continuity with the traditions of business UC. And so, alongside Skype for Business Online, it also launched an on-premises software edition - Skype for Business Server 2015.
But what exactly does the Skype for Business Server edition do, how does it work, and why was Microsoft so keen to create an on-premises version?
Skype for Business Server 2015 Basics
Skype for Business Server 2015 is a business UC software platform designed to run in a company’s own data centre. It was a direct replacement for Microsoft’s previous on-premises UC product, Lync. It is available in two editions, Standard and Enterprise.
In terms of features, it does all of the things you would expect from a enterprise-class UC solution. It provides secure IM with both internal and external contacts, along with a full contacts directory and real-time presence information so users can see who is online and available.
It also provides video and voice communication, both one-to-one and conferencing. These are supplemented with collaboration features such as the ability to share files or screens, and there is in-built scheduling for virtual meetings.
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Skype for Business Server 2015 is the on-premises engine which runs Skype for Business clients across different platforms.[/caption]
Crucially, and a key departure from the original Skype, Skype for Business also acts as a VoIP telephone system, linking to external telephone lines and offering full PBX call management features. Like many modern business telephone systems, it supports remote and mobile connections, meaning home workers, branch offices and field staff on their mobiles can use the office system features, such as directories and phone numbers.
The word ‘server’ is important. Skype for Business Server 2015 is technically not the part you use to make a call or IM a colleague, the user interface. That is the Skype for Business Client App. Clearly, you need to run both for Skype for Business to be useful, but the server specifically refers to the part that sits in your data centre and powers everything else. A bit like the engine in a car compared to the gears and wheel you drive with, if you like.
Skype for Business Server 2015 is deployed in what is known as a distributed architecture - it is actually run across two separate servers in your data centre. The front-end server handles things like application delivery, contact directories and user authentication, while a back-end server contains databases of all the programs that drive the front-end server.
Skype for Business Server 2015 is deployed using a distributed server architecture for improved redundancy and availability.[/caption]
