Microsoft assures continued support for hybrid organizations using Skype for Business Server on-premises, though cloud-based users must transition to Teams. Starting immediately, Skype users can sign into Microsoft Teams using their existing credentials, enabling automatic transfer of chats, contacts, and call histories. The move underscores the company’s strategic shift toward consolidating its consumer communication tools under Microsoft Teams, a unified platform designed to bridge personal, educational, and professional collaboration. During the transition period, cross-platform communication will remain seamless, allowing Teams and Skype users to interact without barriers. We honor its legacy while embracing Teams’ potential to redefine connectivity.” The company has prepared detailed guides to ease the transition and urges users to adopt Teams before the May 2025 deadline. In 2003, Skype revolutionized global communication by enabling free voice and video calls over the Internet, bypassing costly international dialing charges. By 2021, Microsoft had phased out Skype for Business, signaling a gradual decline in its consumer relevance. New users will no longer access Skype’s paid services, such as Skype Credit and international calling subscriptions. Existing subscribers can utilize their credits until the next renewal cycle, after which the Skype Dial Pad will migrate to Teams and the Skype web portal. Microsoft’s $8.5 billion purchase in 2011 aimed to solidify Skype as a cornerstone of real-time communication, integrating it into Windows and Xbox ecosystems. For those opting out of Teams, Microsoft provides tools to export data, including conversation logs and contact lists. Recent statistics reveal a fourfold increase in Teams’ meeting minutes among consumer users over the past two years, hastening Skype’s obsolescence. The 2017 launch of Microsoft Teams, initially targeting enterprise collaboration, marked a turning point.
This Cyber News was published on cybersecuritynews.com. Publication date: Fri, 28 Feb 2025 17:15:11 +0000