Skype for Business: overview of opportunities

Lync: reset

"Skype for business" appeared as a result of rebranding of the Microsoft Lync service well familiar to many companies. In "reincarnation" of a product all opportunities of Lync for communications, joint work and security and also tools for administration remained.

"The industry moves to a konsyyumerization of IT: customers want to use for business of the device and the program to which they got used at home. Having renamed Lync into "Skype for business", we say that now it has the same interface, as well as Skype, but its "stuffing" is corporate", - note in the Russian representative office of Microsoft.

Screen of the first start "Skype for business"

"Skype for business" appeared as updating of Lync 2013. Owners of licenses for Lync Server can update Lync Server 2013 to Skype for Business Server without the need for installation of the additional hardware. Clients of Office 365 received updating to Skype for Business automatically with its exit in April.

The communication framework can be unrolled both on own servers of the company, and in a public cloud or in the partner's cloud. As well as Lync, it is integrated with the Microsoft Office programs from which it is possible to start joint work processes.

Integration into office programs of Microsoft allows to initiate communications with employees in "Skype for business", for example, from Outlook

The mobile client of "Skype for business" is available under the platform Windows Phone, and in August, 2015 Microsoft released the preliminary version of Skype for Business for platforms iOS and Android.

It is possible to enter "Skype for business" only through corporate accounts

Interface

It is impossible to call the interface of the client "Skype for business" absolutely identical to the interface of house Skype, however basic elements of management, the main dialogs, icons from it were borrowed. In particular, from Skype the blue color gamma, the rounded design of icons and presence statuses, a design of a window of a chat and messages, the animated smilies removed.

In addition to a color gamma of "Skype for business" borrowed from house Skype and many other elements of the interface

Functionality

Key innovations

• The ability to integrate with the VIDEOCONFERENCING normal systems implemented using a separate component - Video Interoperability Server (VIS). It performs function of the video gateway between the VKS system and "Skype for business" and allows to establish connection with 16 end devices. At the initial stage an opportunity to ring "Skype for business" from Cisco devices is implemented, however Microsoft conducts works on expansion of this opportunity and on devices of other producers;
• Use of SILK – the codec borrowed from the house Skype providing resistance to networks with insufficient capacity;
• The Call via Work function allowing to call the user of "Skype for business" from one device, and to continue a conversation on the stationary or mobile phone. At the same time it is possible to continue to communicate in a chat window "Skype for business". Earlier this function was available only in mobile clients of Lync, and now became available also in the desktop version;
• The Skype Meeting Broadcast function allowing to broadcast meetings in "Skype for business" on the Internet for audience to 10,000 people with a connectivity to a meeting in the browser from any device. This function should become available with autumn updating to "Skype for business";
• Support of technology of the program configured networks (Software-defined networking, SDN);
• For users of Office 365 – an opportunity to use the existing server framework for connection to telephony of the company and an exit to the city line. This function also should become available in the fall;
• Development of mobile clients: their alignment on functionality which took place because of the existing restrictions in different platforms earlier;
• Possibility of quality evaluation of a voice and video after a call to "Skype for business";
• Possibility of upgrade from the Lync 2013 server to "Skype for business" of 2015;
• Support of the Always On technology implemented in SQL Server of 2014. It is intended for providing the high level of availability and disaster recovery.

It is important to note that the functionality of "Skype for business" is not fixed and will be replenished with new opportunities in process of an exit of the updates released on average quarterly.

Contacts in "Skype for business"

In "Skype for business", unlike house Skype, the user can see only contacts of the people registered in service of the uniform Microsoft Active Directory directory. Thus, it is possible to be sure that the person with whom you communicate is that for whom issues itself. Use of the shared directory allows to implement also flexible search of contacts within the organization: they can be looked for by name, to phone, a position, etc. At the same time contacts of the user from Outlook also are connected to search.

The photos of users displayed in contacts are stored on a centralized basis in the shared directory. Having clicked a contact photo in the Skype for business window, it is possible to see the list of options for interaction with it at once: sending the text message, it is ringing on the computer or on the normal phone number, sending e-mail, a video call, the message for voice mail.

Display of the contact list in "Skype for business"

Communication is not limited to the staff of one company: if the security service allows, it is possible to add the staff of the friendly companies which use "Skype for business" or the previous versions of Lync to the contact list and to communicate with them as with internal colleagues.

In "Skype for business" it is possible to communicate also with normal users of Skype if it allows a security service. At the same time the user of "Skype for business" cannot be found by name in the shared directory of contacts of house Skype: it is necessary to know the address of its e-mail at least.

One of the important functions "Skype for business" is an opportunity to set a presence status, allowing to define whether the contact can communicate now and if can, then by what method. The status can be exposed manually – for example, "is occupied" or "not disturb". In a case with the last only the elected colleagues for whom the raised trust level is set can disturb the employee a call or the message. The mode "not disturb" can join and automatically, for example, if the user began with the computer to show the PowerPoint presentation.

Contact card

At the same time in the status also the reason for which the user cannot be disturbed at present is displayed: for example, whether he speaks by phone or is at a meeting. With necessary access rights it is possible to see also where and at what meeting there is a contact. It is also possible to establish the notification about when the status of the user changes and it will become available to communication. For home users of Skype detailed information on the status of the user of "Skype for business" is not displayed.

Possibilities of audio, video conference and conferences

From "Skype for business" it is possible to make voice calls both on the client, and on normal phone and also to set video conference. In the presence of good communication channels and the good camera it is possible to receive quality of video up to Full HD both at communication according to the scheme "point-to-point", and in the conference mode.

After end of a call or a session of video conference it is possible to estimate at "Skype for business" sound qualities and video

One of "counters" of "Skype for business" regarding video is existence of function of a mirror in it: before connection with the interlocutor at a video call it is possible to open video preview to be convinced that with own appearance everything is all right and it is not a shame to prove to be.

"Skype for business" gives opportunities for the organization of online conferences with a possibility of simultaneous participation to 250 users without additional investments. With dedicated servers connection to a conference to one thousand people is possible.

Meeting in "Skype for business"

In the nearest future the new feature of Skype Meeting Broadcast should become available to users also. She will allow to organize broadcasting from "Skype for business" on the Internet for audience to 10,000 people who will be able to join a virtual meeting in the browser from any device. Record of broadcasting at the same time automatically remains in a cloud of Microsoft where it will be available to downloading.

In a conference window in "Skype for business" about 6 "live" video images of active participants can be displayed, and other participants it is displayed in the same place, provided by photos. If the person begins to speak, the photo turns into video and vice versa – video becomes the photo if the person stops speaking. If someone from participants wants to see in the colleague participating in a conference irrespective of, that is silent or speaks, it is enough to click on his photo.

A virtual meeting invitation can be created in Outlook. It will contain all necessary information for connection of the participant, including through the web client. It is possible to set a reminder on start time of a conference for participants. The invitation can be sent not only to the staff of the company, but also third-party users at whom "Skype for business" is not set.

One of interesting functions of the mode of a conference is an opportunity in one click to switch-off microphones of all participants and to include separate of them when someone speaks. It can be useful if someone from participants of the meeting is in a noisy situation: in this case all other users should not hear foreign sounds.

During the conference it is possible to show PowerPoint presentations. At the same time each participant can at the time of the story-teller's performance on the device waste the presentation forward and back, browsing other slides.

Demonstration of the presentation during the online meeting

One of functions of the presentation mode – vote. Directly during the conference it is possible to create the questionnaire and to provide it to participants. One more interesting function is an opportunity to take notes during the conference through One Note which after its end can be sent to participants.

Security

All communication sessions in "Skype for business" are protected using algorithms of authentication and enciphering. At program installation in it all functions connected with mobile devices with external access, with opportunities of the organization of conferences, etc. "Skype for business" - the product which is initially closed in internal network to which afterwards, using different security policies, it is possible to permit connection of external devices and users are by default switched off.

Adding of third-party contacts in the list of the user can be controlled by a security service. It is possible to configure giving of queries to add contacts in the list through the special form sent to a security service. At the same time at the expense of the built-in monitors the last can trace what information the user with these contacts exchanges. "Skype for business" allows to save all correspondence, records of video conferences in archives, and the security service can scan afterwards records on a key word.

Settings of security policies also allow to limit possible types of communications in "Skype for business" with the users who are not the staff of the company: for example, to expose prohibition on video calls with separate contacts.

Material is prepared with assistance of the Russian representative office of Microsoft.