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Skype for Business Online will be fully functional through July 31, 2021 to allow customers time to transition users to Teams or to an instance of Skype for Business Server. Here are some other details you should know about the Skype for Business Online service retirement:

 

The Skype consumer service and Skype for Business Server products will not be affected by the retirement of the Skype for Business Online service.

 

What can organizations with hybrid configurations (Skype for Business Online and on-premises Skype for Business Server) expect when Skype for Business Online retires?

Hybrid customers with online and on-premises configurations will be required to upgrade online users from Skype for Business Online to Microsoft Teams by the July 31, 2021 retirement date. Microsoft will provide assisted upgrades to help upgrade remaining Skype for Business Online users to Teams Only mode after the retirement date.

Organizations with a hybrid configuration can continue to use Skype for Business and Teams side-by-side until they're ready to move to Teams Only mode. After the Skype for Business Online retirement date, when a Skype for Business Server user is moved to the cloud, that user will be in Teams Only mode.

After the assisted upgrade is complete, all online users will be in Teams Only mode. Users in Teams Only mode receive incoming chats and calls, and schedule meetings, in Teams. Users in Teams Only mode will not be able to initiate chats or calls or schedule meetings in Skype for Business Online. Teams Only users will still be able to join Skype for Business meetings scheduled by users still using Skype for Business Server.

 

Skype for Business Online retirement FAQs

  • ​​​​​​​What happens after my users are upgraded?

    • After your users are upgraded to Teams (Teams Only mode):

      • Their Skype for Business client will be disabled for use as all chat and calls will go to Teams. This client will continue to be used for previously scheduled Skype for Business meetings. If this desktop client is uninstalled, users will be redirected to access previously scheduled Skype for Business meetings via the Skype for Business web app.
      • Any Skype for Business meetings scheduled before the upgrade will work as designed, but all new meetings will be scheduled in Teams. If users attempt to sign-in to Skype for Business, they'll get a notification from their client that they've been upgraded to Teams. Users will need to manually uninstall the Skype for Business client on their mobile device.

 

  • Will customers in all clouds be subject to Microsoft-assisted upgrades at the retirement of Skype for Business Online?
    • Some cloud environments, such as GCC High, DoD, 21Vianet, and Microsoft Cloud Germany require unique upgrade experiences and won't be included in the Microsoft-assisted upgrades to Teams at the retirement of Skype for Business Online.

 

  • Will current Skype for Business Online customers be able to add new seats to their tenant?
    • Current Skype for Business Online customers may add new seats to their tenant with the understanding they will need to upgrade these users to Microsoft Teams prior to the July 31, 2021 retirement of Skype for Business Online.

 

  • What is the future of Skype for Business Server?
    • We recognize customers may need to use Skype for Business Server for some users or geographies due to their requirements. In these instances, we encourage organizations to adopt Teams along with Skype for Business Server to drive teamwork and collaboration. The latest version of Skype for Business Server 2019 was released in October 2018 with Mainstream Support planned through January 9, 2024.

 

  • What does this mean for the Skype consumer service?
    • The retirement of Skype for Business Online will not impact the Skype consumer service.

 

  • What does this mean for existing Microsoft 365 customers?
    • We've brought the key set of Skype for Business Online capabilities into Teams along with new and innovative functionality for voice, video, and meetings. We encourage all Microsoft 365 customers to start using Teams today, independently or side-by-side Skype for Business Online and/or Skype for Business Server.

 

  • Will you continue to invest in improving Skype for Business Online?
    • We plan to support Skype for Business Online through the July 31, 2021 retirement date. However, with Microsoft Teams replacing Skype for Business Online as the core communications solution for Microsoft 365, it will continue to be where ongoing development and innovation is focused. Customers seeking the latest functionality and performance are encouraged to upgrade to Microsoft Teams.

 

  • How can I get Teams licenses for my organization?
    • Teams is available in many of the Microsoft 365 suites. Capabilities that are premium workloads in Skype for Business Online today will continue to be premium workloads in Teams. Existing licensing investments made by customers carry forward to Teams. For example, if a customer has purchased Audio Conferencing standalone or as part of E5 with Skype for Business, Audio Conferencing will be enabled in Teams as it's available today.

 

  • How will the retirement of Skype for Business Online affect organizations with hybrid Skype for Business configurations for on-premises Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) connectivity and online Phone System capabilities?
    • Some organizations have split users between homed on-premises for PSTN connectivity and homed online for Phone System capabilities. Once access to Skype for Business Online ends, organizations will need to upgrade online users to Microsoft Teams and connect their on-premises telephony network to Teams through Direct Routing.
    • Customers with eligible subscriptions are encouraged to engage with FastTrack for Teams onboarding assistance.

 

  • What happens to customers with third-party audio conferencing (ACP) once Skype for Business Online is retired?
    • We believe the best audio conferencing experience for customers using Teams is through our Audio Conferencing services. For this reason, we don't have plans to support third-party audio conferencing providers in Teams. Support for the integration of third-party party audio conferencing providers in Skype for Business Online will end on July 31, 2021, along with Skype for Business Online.

 

  • Is Skype Meeting Broadcast going to retire at the same time as Skype for Business Online?

 

  • My organization is already running Teams alongside Skype for Business. Can I just disable Skype for Business?
    • No, you'll want to switch users to Teams Only mode to complete the upgrade to Teams.

 

  •  Are third-party audio conferencing providers (ACP) supported in Teams?
    • There are no plans to support third-party audio conferencing providers (ACP) in Teams. 

End of life program for the integration of Skype for Business with third-party audio conferencing pr...

  •   What's the plan for video interoperability support for Teams meetings?
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Notice: I am an HP Poly employee but all replies within the community are done as a volunteer outside of my day role. This community forum is not an official HP Poly support resource, thus responses from HP Poly employees, partners, and customers alike are best-effort in attempts to share learned knowledge.
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