Many customers have been most interested in the cut-over deadline to make sure they transit in time and perform necessary steps for Skype for Business upgrade. Microsoft has answered to that and if you are following the recent news on “Skype shutting down”, the deadline is: July 31, 2021.

However, till that time, business can still use Skype for Business Online and continue to add users till the deadline approaches. After that the option to select Skype for Business Online will be diminished and all O365 customers will automatically be on boarded into Teams.

Microsoft Teams feature similarity to Skype for business Online

Microsoft has assured in repeated blogs that Teams will incorporate all features of Skype for business Online. However, in another earlier blogpost from Microsoft, it is revealed that there are a few more enhanced features incorporated in Teams like:

• Dynamic 911: This feature makes use of user’s current calling location and route it to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) call center that is operated by local government.
• Contact Center Integration and Compliance Recording: Teams will be equipped with contact-center capabilities and Microsoft is working on it with different certified partners.
• Teams and Skype Consumer Interoperability: This one is very important. While the hype on the news about “Skype Shutting Down” was created, Microsoft offered a good transition path for Skype for business online customers and has nurtured Interop between Teams and Skype Consumer for using chat and calling. This option will be available in the Q1 of 2020.
• Shorter Retention Periods: this provides the feature of limiting channel and chat retention periods to as small as 1 day! Plus, if data is deleted, it is removed from every permanent storage location.

In order to help users with Moving to Teams from Skype for Business Online, FastTrack onboarding assistance is provided which is a full-fledge training on how to migrate your communication from Skype for business to Microsoft Teams to ease the Skype4B upgrade process.

ALSO READ: Microsoft Teams Features for a better cloud user experience

MachPanel Automation Module for Microsoft Skype for Business

MachPanel is an industry leading full fledge Multi-Cloud Service Orchestration & Delivery Platform (MSOP). It empowers businesses with all the tools needed for successful business automation. Its Automation Module for Microsoft Skype for Business offers Service Providers and Enterprises provides top notch services with features like Enterprise Voice, Billing, Reporting, Dial Plans, Response Groups, Phone Numbers and Persistent Chat. It also provides service providers the flexibility and control to manage their clients and communications infrastructure efficiently by providing a centralized management control panel for Providers, Resellers and End Customers.

Get Started with MachPanel and experience cloud business provision and automation like never before.

Lets TalkRequest a Demo

The post “Skype for Business in Shutting Down”: Mark your calendars as Microsoft makes the move appeared first on MachSol Blog.

With the general availability of Microsoft Skype for business server 2019, there is a hype to know what features are actually present in the final release, as promised in the public preview. Since Microsoft is showing Cloud-first approach for most of its products, this was the most awaited version for the cloud users who were promised a great many features in the public preview. Let’s dig deep into the final release of Microsoft Skype for business Server 2019.

Cloud Services for On-Premises Users

This is the most exciting part of the Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019. When this version is used in a hybrid topology, on-premises users are able to get their hands on the same apps that the cloud users can get like, for voicemail support, Cloud PBX users use Azure VM and not Exchange Unified Messaging, with Microsoft Skype4B Server 2019, users can leverage the same techniques too. A support is given for Hybrid Modern Authentication for all users. Further Hybrid aware Microsoft Office 365 Portal for Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 is introduced which simplifies easier management for Skype for Business Online/On-Premises /Teams.

Cloud Voicemail Support

The Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 enable all users, whether they are on-premise users or Skype4B Online users, to get access to cloud voicemail. Cloud Voicemail feature can be used when Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 is paired with Microsoft Exchange Server 2019. The new Exchange Server 2019 is not offering Unified Messaging. This technique of Cloud Mail is an alternate to that. With Cloud Mail, voice messages will be able to get stored in a user’s inbox. However, if you don’t wish to migrate to Microsoft Exchange Server 2019, you can still continue to use the voicemail feature that is provided by Unified Messaging on your current Exchange deployment. For those who are planning an up-gradation to Microsoft Exchange 2019 should first plan to deploy Cloud Voicemail.

Cloud Call Data Connector

The Cloud Call Data Connector enables simplification of call monitoring in a hybrid environment with the help of online tools which enables monitoring of users call quality. Call Analytics is essential to every Call related system. This feature has been integrated to the core experience related to management and administration in Microsoft O365. Now, you have the ability to upload call quality data into your O365. It means there is no need to store this data on local devices. With Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019, CQD (Call Quality Dashboard) is available for on-premise users.

Migrations to Teams

Administration experience has been improved in the latest release of Microsoft Skype for Business Server to make users move from on-premise to Teams. The experience to migrate to Microsoft Teams has been further streamlined for on-premises users. This is crucial for those on-premises users who plan to shift to the cloud.

TLS 1.2 Support

This TLS 1.2 support provides additional security for the Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 users and this version of Skype for Business Online deprecates TLS 1.0/1.1.

MachPanel Automation module for Microsoft Skype for Business

MachPanel provides a way of smooth Enterprise Voice with its Skype for Business Automation experience for its customers who offer hosted or on-premise Microsoft Skype for business Server 2019, 2015, Lync 2013 and 2010. With MachPanel, you can get an automated experience of Skype for business in your environment as a hosted service. The support and management of the automation module is persistent throughout for a hassle-free user experience at your end.  The Multi-Cloud Service Orchestration & Delivery Platform (MSOP) offers Hosters and Partners a lot of options to manage communications like Billing and Reporting, Dial Plans, Response Groups, Phone Numbers, Persistent Chat in a reliable manner. It offers professional support for 24/7. MachSol also offers complete Turnkey solution where its certified and experienced technology experts can design and deploy highly available and secure Skype for business infrastructure.

So, all you Skype for Business Online users, grab this opportunity and switch to MachPanel for an excellent Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 experience for a better communication channel in your business.

Lets TalkRequest a Demo

The post Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 is Finally Here! appeared first on MachSol Blog.

Skype for Business – Automation and Provisioning Solution

MachPanel Skype for Business enables you to experience and offer Skype for Business to your customers and grow your business. Now with MachPanel Skype for Business, you can provisioning, manage and bill your customer for Skype for Business and leverage UCaaS (UC as a Service) across the globe.

Do you need help to deploy Skype for Business?

MachSol offers turn-key services for Microsoft Skype for Business deployment, configuration, management and setting up complete infrastructure to let you offer Unified Communication as a Services (UCaaS). We can help you migrate or upgrade from legacy Microsoft Lync environment to Microsoft Skype for Business.

Get More Details on MachPanel Skype for Business

The post MachPanel Cloud Automation – Skype for Business is Available Now! appeared first on MachSol Blog.

• – New look and feel
• – Call from Skype for Business using your desk phone for audio
• – Integration with the Skype directory
• – Call Monitor
• – Rate My Call
• – Quick access to call controls
• – Emoticons

The new UI is much similar to Skype and probably intended to keep the same user experience between the two different versions of the Skype. This includes the format of the IM, presence indicators, buttons, icons and other UI elements including emotions in Skype. Calling features include dialling to your desk phone if you have Skype for Business Server 2015 and it is just seamless call experience aside having rich integration of Skype directory to locate contacts. Call monitor is another good and handy feature introduced in Skype for Business which can expand to full screen and to the smaller miniature window for active Skype calls with complete call controls and quick access. Similar to the commercial version of the Skype, you can rate call quality which will help Skype for Business Server administrators to identify problems and improvements based on feedback data collected via rate my call features. However, this feature of Rate My Call works only for the on-premise deployments.

In short, Skype for Business has finally taken over to Microsoft Lync for better messaging, audio and video calls, online meetings and precisely the unified communications.

MachPanel module for Skype for Business helps complete automation for provisioning, management and billing of Skype for Business users. We can even help you to deploy Microsoft Skype for Business and migrate or upgrade from Lync legacy version to Skype for Business.

The post Lync is now Skype for Business — What’s New! appeared first on MachSol Blog.