Microsoft Teams has always been compared to Skype for Business in terms of functionality. As a result, many businesses have to choose one over the other by weighing the pros and cons. However, this will no longer be the case in 2019, as Microsoft has confirmed that Teams will be replacing Skype for Business.
Will that make an impact on how you do business?
Definitely.
Moving forward, companies will see more improvements on the set features of Microsoft Teams. Companies that use Skype for Business are also encouraged to transition to Microsoft Teams now in order to get a better, more robust platform.
Simply put, it’s no longer a battle between Skype for Business or Microsoft Teams. Teams is now the primary communications platform for businesses using the Microsoft Office 365 suite, as it has completely matched—and supplanted—Skype’s features.
What to Expect from the New Microsoft Teams
It’s likely that Microsoft Teams will include most—if not all—functionalities seen in Skype for Business. Of course, not every functionality of Skype for Business will be released on Teams at the same time. New additions are expected to be rolled out with every update.
For companies that depend on the advanced features present in Skype for Business for its advanced features, you may want to wait until all features have been transferred to the new platform. Microsoft Teams will eventually be able to provide organizations with the same functionalities once the transition is complete.
Additionally, Microsoft Office 365 is improving Teams’ existing features by including functions from other collaborative tools.
New Additions and Additional Features
One of the latest additions is the Microsoft Team’s desktop app. It functions like Skype for Business combined with the kind of collaborative tools offered by SharePoint. Auditing, file storage and indexing, phone, chat … you can find everything you need in one place.
In the Teams desktop app, you will also find a stripped-down version of Skype. It can only be opened programmatically, meaning you can’t find any shortcuts. The program automatically launches the embedded Skype when a user requests a feature that is still not available in Teams. This makes the process of migrating staff less complicated.
Is There a Need to Choose Between Teams and Skype?
As mentioned earlier, there is no longer a need for companies to decide between the two. Choosing is much easier because Microsoft Teams completely encompasses the functions of Skype for Business in just one platform. This is a more convenient option, allowing organizations to easily invest more time in effectively managing their software solutions.
Businesses can have access to a complete collaboration environment when paired up with Microsoft Office 365’s advanced features. This eliminates the need for companies to rely on Skype for Business or any other specialized apps.
Microsoft’s move to replace Skype with Microsoft Teams puts more pressure on Slack, the main competitor of Microsoft Teams, to up the ante. Slack had previously shown concern over Microsoft Teams’ latest software, especially since Teams was bundled with Microsoft Office 365 as a free add-on. As a result, millions of loyal Microsoft Office 365 users will move over to Microsoft Teams and drop their Skype for Business accounts for good.
