On the 30th of July 2019, Microsoft announced that the 31st of July 2021 will mark the official retirement of Skype for Business Online, at which time access to and support for the service will end. This news reflects Microsoft’s focused investment in Microsoft Teams, expanding on capabilities in Skype for Business Online by bringing together calling, chat, meetings, Office 365 and third-party productivity apps in a single, intelligent hub. The richer functionality of Microsoft Teams enables organisations to move faster and collaborate more efficiently, and replaces Skype for Business Online as the core communications client for Office 365.
With the focus of helping you transition from Skype for Business Online to Teams, as of the 1st of September 2019, no new tenants will be on-boarded to Skype for Business Online. Customers actively using Skype for Business Online will still be able to add new users to their tenant. While many organisations across the globe have successfully upgraded to Teams, the 31st of July 2021 retirement provides 24 months for remaining Skype for Business Online customers to make the transition. To maximise the economic and cultural benefits Teams brings, we encourage you to start thinking about your upgrade plan.
Skype Consumer and Skype for Business Server services will not be impacted by the retirement of the Skype for Business Online service, and current Skype for Business Online customers should expect no change in the quality service up to its retirement date.
If you don’t know where to start with this journey, Business Cloud Integration Ltd can help you with it. Contact us today!
If you have any questions related to this announcement, please read the FAQ attached, or get in contact with us, we’re here to help you with a smooth transition from Skype for Business Online to Teams.
