Business Collaboration Tools Reviewed

Business Collaboration Tools Reviewed: Microsoft Teams Vs Skype For Business

Microsoft has launched many exciting tools over the years – but Skype was truly a game-changer at the time. Offering Wi-Fi video calls in a way few others could manage, it was a popular choice for many years until easy-to-access and use competitors such as Zoom and Meet overtook it. Skype has since become something of an outdated tool.

However, Skype For Business, which was once known as Lync, has remained popular thanks to its enterprise-level communications abilities. Unfortunately for fans of the platform, Skype For Business will be retired in July 2021 in favour of Microsoft Teams. However, the server version of the app will continue to be supported for some customers who are unable to change.

In this article we’ll take the time to explain how Teams replacing Skype For Business is nothing to fear: in fact, many businesses will perform better using Teams than Skype could have ever allowed, as it is solely a communications tool compared to Teams’ collaborative suite.

Video conferencing

Obviously, Skype is well known for its video conferencing capabilities. However, Skype For Business does not offer the flexibility of a system like Teams. With Teams, video calling becomes more intuitive and interactive – with users able to ‘pin’ speakers to a grid, ‘raise their hand’ to get attention without interrupting and take part in collaborative sessions through Whiteboard and other collaboration tools. Skype For Business does allow file sharing, but deeper collaboration is only possible through Teams.

Integrations

Teams offers a full ‘stack’ of app integrations for the Microsoft user – providing access to Word, PowerPoint, Excel etc. It gives a user access to SharePoint online document libraries, OneNote, planner and more. Teams is fully integrated with Microsoft 365, which means its more than just a communication tool. You can share and work collaboratively on documents within the Teams app, creating an effective co-working digital space.

Whereas Skype For Business cannot compete with this array of features and concentrates solely on communications. Now that Teams can offer the same level of communication functionality with the addition of new tools, it has made Skype for Business redundant.

Upgrading your business

If you are currently using Skype For Business, its imminent discontinuation may seem worrying. But moving to Teams gives you so much more utility and versatility than you have ever had access to. Teams is powered by SharePoint and OneDrive, so your business will be able to leverage the power of a cloud-storage SharePoint site with Microsoft Teams.

Simplicity is largely the reason many businesses have stuck with Skype. They want a video conferencing tool they can rely on and it has provided that for many years. As a future-facing company, Microsoft is making Teams the new normal so that it forces changes in businesses – making them work smarter through cloud-storage, collaboration tools and more.

Teams is so much more than chat, calls or video conferencing. It is a shared platform that aligns content, tools, people and conversations into a single workspace.

Comparison of Skype to Microsoft Teams

We’ve put together a handy side by side comparison of Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams to see how their features differ.

As experts in business collaboration tools, Windsor Telecom can help make the transition easier. If you don’t have Skype For Business but have been researching tools, we can also help integrate Microsoft Teams as a fresh new business tool for you to leverage and maximise your productivity.