LONDON: Microsoft has started the official rollout of Skype for Business, just a few weeks after releasing a technical preview of the Office chat system that replaces Lync.
The company informed users to look out for the client in the Office 2013 monthly update, or the Office 365 equivalent. An online version will follow by the end of May.
Lync Online users will get a period of time in which to get used to a move across to Skype for Business, and Microsoft is making it easy to switch and will ensure a consistent experience.
Anyone who uses or has used Skype will be familiar with the chat system, Microsoft said, and should find its direct integration into the Office productivity suite easy to manage. Consumer users will find the experience unchanged.
All Lync Online users will be moved over to Skype for Business Online automatically within the next six weeks, but this can be delayed if preferred.
Microsoft recommends that companies refer to their administration options and tailor the rollout to their own needs.
Microsoft has provided Lync users with plenty of notice, having announced the name change to Skype for Business in November, and its plans for a switchover.
The firm said that at the time that the adoption of the Skype service would give enterprises quick and accessible communications access with a large community of existing users.
“We believe that Skype for Business will again transform the way people communicate by giving organisations reach to hundreds of millions of Skype users outside the walls of their business,” said Gurdeep Pall, corporate vice president for Skype.
