Skype for Business Roadmap Update

Skype for Business Online phone services hosted by Microsoft are available in more countries, and new Skype for Business clients, packaging, and resources could speed deployment. Skype for Business technology lets users connect to external telephony services, and view and publish presence status and initiate real-time communications sessions that include instant messaging (IM), voice, video, file sharing, and application and desktop sharing. As they expand internationally, the services could help organizations consolidate communications billing and infrastructure for offshore sites. However, the services will still require considerable expertise to deploy, and some phone services are expanding only slowly.

Skype for Business Online Phone and Conferencing

Several developments in July 2016 illustrate trends in the Skype for Business Online service that could benefit global organizations:

Skype for Business Online PSTN Conferencing is available in 92 countries, up from 32 in Mar. 2016, and PSTN Calling has expanded from the United States to the United Kingdom. PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) Conferencing enables meeting attendees to use a traditional phone to call in to Skype for Business Online meetings instead of attending online. PSTN Calling enables inbound and outbound voice calls with conventional phones for Skype for Business Online users. Both services could be attractive for delivering voice services to remote sites such as regional sales offices, particularly for small and medium-sized organizations with global operations, because the services offer a single, multicountry service provider (Microsoft) and infrastructure for voice that simplifies management and billing.