On 31 July 2021 Microsoft will formally retire Skype for Business. This announcement, though a surprise to some, has been in the works since Microsoft shifted focus towards Teams in an effort to make the service ready for enterprise level customers.
With this announcement, customers will need to migrate over to Teams, as Skype for Business will no longer be accessible after the retirement date. Starting 1 September 2019, Microsoft will launch a new feature to encourage the switch. This feature includes supplying Teams for chat, meetings, and calling for all new Office 365 customers.
Additionally, for those who are using Skype for Business on-premise, you will not be affected by this new feature. However, you can participate in Microsoft’s technical guidance or planning resources to help make for an easy transition.
Having roughly two years to make this switch may seem like a long time, but it can go by quickly. It may be best to consider Software Asset Management to assist in the migration.
How can TBSC’s Smarter Software Asset Management help you?
- Smarter IT Inventories
We can discover your users, applications, and licenses, which gives you a complete, visibie inventory on your current subscriptions. Not only can we target the cloud, but we can help discover what you have on-premise. This information is used to plan the migration stage, where you can sort out what you use, what you don’t use, to ensure you do not carry over redundant apps.
- Smarter 365
Smarter 365 can show you who is accessing Skype for Business. Not only can you see the usage, but you can monitor in real-time your current licenses. This visibility allows you to target the users still on Skype for Business. This data remains a solid foundation on planning the switch to Teams by knowing who to target for license adjustments and Teams training.
For more information on how we can help you make the switch, please contact a member of our sales team at Sales@businesssoftwarecentre.com or visit our website: https://tbsc.cloud/.
