The COVID-19 pandemic revolutionized the way businesses conducted both internal and external communication, putting the emphasis on video conferencing over travel and in-person meetings. While Zoom stepped up and seemed to take the world by storm, the fact is that video chat has been around since the arrival of Skype in 2003. Skype was the benchmark for video calls, allowing everyone to make calls around the globe with nothing more than an internet connection.  When Microsoft acquired Skype, the application replaced Lync as the company’s enterprise telecommunications application of choice, and it was renamed Skype for Business. So if they already had a leading platform for video conferencing, why did Microsoft move on to develop Microsoft Teams Calling ?

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The goal of Microsoft was to develop a collaborative platform that can work seamlessly with the Office 365 suite. Although the Skype product had evolved quite a bit it’s launch, the aging application could only be upgraded so much before the legacy product could no longer keep up. Microsoft, wanting to keep it’s position as a leading provider of communication in this space was motivated to build a  new communication and collaboration platform, which they rolled out in Microsoft Teams. This platform has been developed on the cloud architecture, making Calling much more customizable, scalable and secure. Microsoft Calling through Teams optimizes bandwidth usage and minimizes disruptions. The upgrades allowed Microsoft to enhance the capabilities of the Teams application and prepare Skype for its exit.

Microsoft Teams Calling Plan Advantages

  • Chats are autosaved in Microsoft Teams: Skype for Business chats disappear once the window is closed, unless the conversation is saved purposefully, and only by someone with Outlook as their default mail client. If an important chat window was accidentally closed, the transcript is lost. With Teams, conversations are available from the beginning of history until and unless they are specifically deleted.
  • Microsoft Calling is collaborative by design: A stark difference between Skype and Calling/Teams is that Skype was created primarily as a communications tool, and collaboration features were added later. Microsoft Teams Calling was developed and designed as a collaborative platform.
  • Microsoft Teams/Calling cuts needed infrastructure: Teams utilizes the Direct Routing method or Calling Plans to access PSTN services. Skype for Business Online requires a Skype for Business Server or Cloud Connector Edition to access PSTN capabilities. Microsoft Teams reduces costs significantly because it does not require much on-site infrastructure.
  • Teams and Microsoft Calling can save and store files: With Teams, files shared on chats are stored in SharePoint sites, permitting offline users to access and search those files. The searchability in Teams requires users to be Office 365 Business Premium or Office 365 Business Essentials subscribers.

Microsoft Calling / Teams and Skype are Interoperable: Teams users can interact with Skype users by utilizing their email addresses. Microsoft Teams users can search for and start an individual text-only conversation or audio-visual call with a Skype user and vice-versa.

Users for Skype for Business Online can continue to use the application till July 31, 2021. If your business needs to upgrade to Microsoft Teams Calling or needs to migrate from Skype for Business, the professional IT team at Alliance IT. We can help you with all of your IT infrastructure needs. Call today for more information.