Item: Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
Rating: 8
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Skype for Business (formerly Lync) is our communication system for our company. We started using it when it was called Lync and happy still use it. Initially it was only our instant messaging system, but when looking for a phone system, this was the easy replacement as we had already installed it.

Pros and Cons

Communicating using Skype for Business (formerly Lync) is easy and intuitive
It scaled really well to our company
Ready to move to the cloud version

The GUI was a bit dated but has since been improved
Skype for Business (formerly Lync) will eventually disappear, as it will move to Cloud Teams

Return on Investment

Communication made easy for many years at our company
Integration with Outlook/Exchange is good

Alternatives Considered

Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)

We did have an old Cisco UCM call manager implementation that could also do some sort of chat. But it was old and does not really compare. Choosing Skype for Business (formerly Lync) was almost a no brainer for us, as we have a lot of Microsoft products and got a good contract. The software had already proven itself.

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?

Yes

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?

Other Software Used

Splunk Cloud, Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR, Proofpoint Email Encryption, Proofpoint Security Awareness Training (formerly Wombat Security)

Likelihood to Recommend

If you are still hosting your own datacenter, Skype for Business (formerly Lync) is a good product and more or less future proof, as you can move to Microsoft Cloud relatively easy and without interruption. But if you are new to this, then you probably would go for a cloud-based version. Micosoft Teams is more or less the replacement and also a good product.

Skype for Business--grand old daddy of communication--still delivers for on-prem

Overall Satisfaction with Skype for Business (formerly Lync)