Skype for business incorporates Lync

Skype for Business client is now rolling out as part of the April monthly update for Office 2013. For those who have been using Lync, there will be a seamless transition.

If you already use Skype to stay in touch with friends and family in your life away from work, you’ll appreciate the power and simplicity of Skype for Business where it’s easy to find and connect with co-workers.

It is built right into Office, so features like presence, IM, voice and video calls, and online meetings are an integrated part of the Office experience. And with Skype for Business, you can search for and connect with anyone in the Skype network.

Does this mean that everything is changing?

Not at all! The essential Lync features are still there – like the Quick Actions buttons, which let you IM or call a contact (and more) with just one click or tap

In the Skype Meeting window, the simplified arrangement of controls and menus makes it easy to find the command you need. In the conversation window, chat text is formatted so you can easily see who’s talking, and tabbed conversations allow you to keep track of several discussions at once.

Skype for business comes with numerous advantages like;

Professional collaboration and meetings—all integrated with Office

You get everything you need for conversations in one app—IM, audio and video calls, online meetings and sharing. And because Skype for Business and Office work together, it’s simple to collaborate right from your Office apps. You’ll see the contact card of everyone working in the same app as you so you can quickly send them an IM or email, or start a call. You can also schedule meetings and see IM history in Outlook, and start meetings from apps like Word and PowerPoint to present whatever you’re working on.

Connect with anyone, anywhere, on your favorite device

Reach out to anyone in your company, or to the hundreds of millions of people on Skype, on your favorite device or web browser. Even if they’re not on Skype for Business, up to 250 people can join meetings—all they need is a landline phone or Internet connection.

Help keep info safe and manage accounts easily

All communications are protected by strong authentication and encryption. You control employee accounts, so you can add or remove subscriptions and assign features based on people’s collaboration needs. If you’re already on the Microsoft platform, the account info stored for each person in your organization will be immediately recognized across Skype for Business.

Reduce cost and complexity with one solution

Skype for Business will work with most communications technology, so you can still make and receive calls on PBX phones and join meetings with video teleconferencing systems. You’ll also reduce the cost of supporting multiple services by upgrading to one solution that includes everything—voice, video, and online meetings. And you can continue using the on-premises equipment you already have as you gradually move to the cloud.

And for Mac users?

For you, nothing changes, you will still use Lync and will still able to interact with Windows users. It will take a few more month before the MAC version of Skype for Business version is released.