Item: Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
Rating: 10
Author: Greg Madden, CISSP

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Skype for Business is used across the entire organization to simplify communication across the board. Anyone is able to reach out directly to someone else and that decreases the time for response as emails can take hours some times. It is also useful as an auditing tool to ensure employees are using resources appropriately.

Pros and Cons

Easy roll out and simple set-up.
Almost no learning curve for users, even the least experienced employees can figure out how to contact fellow employees.
Simplified licensing.

Need better remotes. I know this is a business software but inner team discussion should be light-hearted.
Sometimes there is a delay between password changes on the machine and when Skype for Business recognizes it.

Return on Investment

Increased productivity by decreasing communication time.
Increased morale by allowing employees to stay in touch with each other even in different departments.

Alternatives Considered

HipChat and Google Hangouts

Easier integration than some, but unlike Google Hangouts, it is not free. We chose Skype for Business because of the easier integration and simplified licensing when bundled with Office365.

Support Rating

I have never used Skype for Business support which means the product is good enough to not need support all the time.

Key Insights

Do you think Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams's feature set?

Yes

Did Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Nmap, KeePass, Microsoft Office 365

Likelihood to Recommend

Skype for Business is great for all general communication. Even some urgent situations can be handled depending on the amount of information that needs to be relayed. I look at Skype for Business as a sub 10 minute response time whereas email can be an hour or more. It's not always instant depending on how busy the other party is, but it does allow you to instantly reach out and pop up on someone's screen to get their attention rather quickly.

Wonderful product with simple integration and immediate results

Overall Satisfaction with Skype for Business (formerly Lync)