What Next After Skype’s Retirement in 2021
Skype is one of the popular platforms for online business communication that millions of the clients using this service all over the world. Skype for Business Online will be retired on July 31, 2021, and after that date the service will no longer be available. Between now and then, present Skype for Business Online clients will enjoy no change in service and they will be able to run to add new users as required.
It was not unavoidably a shock. On July 30th, Microsoft declared that it would retire Skype for Business Online, its legacy and landmark for office communications platform, in 2021. That might be a long prime time for businesses currently using the services to regulate, but it is still worth quarrying into what precisely that means, and what comes next.
That provide us an exact date to look forward to. In fact, it is two years from today. The most significant context here is that with this early declaration, Microsoft pursues to certify that no business will be trapped off guard. We know the returns of Teams. Now, it is time to practically start thinking them as the only feasible substitute for Office 365 clients.
Realising the Next Step
Initiating at September 1 of this year, Microsoft will start to make teams the default business communication mode for Office 365 handlers. If you are not on the platform already, you might never know that Skype existed. Everyone else has another couple of years, and it is significant to note that both Skype Customer and Skype for business will continue fully functional until that shut-down date.
That means you have plenty of time to design that next step. If just seeing Office 365 for your business, wait until at least September 1 to make sure you do not get trapped in an almost abrupt migration. For existing 365 clients, it is a good clue to think through the migration, what needs to be done, and who to partner with.
Moving from Skype to Teams in or Before 2021
Promote from Skype to Teams comes with a number of deliberations. And yes, it is an upgrade, seeing the various advantages of the more modern and newer platform:
- It’s more comprehensive. In addition to video and audio calls, Teams offers file sharing, chat, and many more.
- Additional video features such as the, blurred video backgrounds, playback of recorded and content secure images annotation.
- Timekeeping features for both managers (Shift) and workers (Home).
- Improved productivity, as focused by a recent Forrester Research whitepaper.
That whitepaper is especially valuable for companies hesitating to make the move to Teams. It unearths results that can advantage any business, from saving up to 4 hours per week to growth ROI by up to 800%. The company naturally wants to highlight these profits. That an independent research firm approves them is a powerful statement.
Moving from Skype to Teams makes the most sense when following a framework provided by Microsoft. That includes:
- Defining and bringing together the participants of both the new and the old system.
- Expounding the migration process including and especially focusing on scope and timeline.
- Ensuring technical will throughout the company to continue a smooth migration.
- Realizing the readiness of clients before the migration through change training and management
- Settling up a pilot group that can give initial improvement and feedback opportunities before rolling out company-wide.
- Approval Teams as the unearthing new capabilities, new system of choice and adopting new features on an ongoing basis.
Microsoft Teams Compliance
Compliance is a generally important thought for many businesses who have constructed out their system in Skype and need to roam that system over to the new service. Luckily, generating compliance in Teams is very easy.
Moreover, Teams is delivered on the same Office 365 facilities that include regional and international compliance standards across industries. The difficulty of the system makes working with an internal and external implementation partner worth the efficiency. The overall compliance competences, still, are both reassuring and impressive for any new business users.
Ready to Migrate to Microsoft Teams?
You do not have to wait until 2021. Now that we know the dissolve of Skype for Business Online is close, it makes sense to start looking into its natural successor.
The above information is a nice initial point to assist you appreciate assistances, timelines for the migration and potential challenges. Absolutely, it does not end there. The migration itself will be a key responsibility that need planning, strategy and facilities.
That is where we come in. Agile IT provides Microsoft FastTrack Teams Migrations that assist businesses migrate onto this new way and strive once they arrive. Contact us for more information about our expertise, and to intake the contact about a potential migration.