The client update affects those using Lync Online with Office 365 ProPlus, Office 365 Business Premium or Office 2013. For those that have used Skype the UI will be familiar, keep in mind this will look different to your users if they currently use the Lync client. New User Interface ( UI ) – A new look and feel to the Server and client interface that was inspired by Skype.Making improvements and adding new features only sweetens the deal.

Leveraging a familiar consumer brand that has already shaped how people communicate and combining it with an existing enterprise unified communications platform, one can only expect an increase in business and easier user adoption.

The Skype for Business re-branding was a great marketing and business move for Microsoft. Today we will discuss these challenges and things to consider with the new Skype for Business. Depending on the size of the organization this can be challenging and has caused some headaches for administrators like myself as we quickly tried to prepare. However, between the announcement in March and the actual release dates a month later it didn’t leave much room to test the update and prepare users for the impending changes. The first round of changes started with a Client update that was released on April 14 th 2015 by way of Microsoft Office updates, with the second wave for the Skype for Business Server update which was released on May 4 th. In a nutshell, Skype for Business is a re-branded and upgraded version of Lync Server with improved integration with the Skype Network and added new features. If you have not heard yet or been sleeping under a rock, Microsoft has updated Lync and the Lync client but most importantly a brand new name of Skype for Business.

Skype for business 2015 client update