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Microsoft Office Communicator

Skype for Business
Skype-for-Business.svg
Developer(s) Microsoft
Stable release
16.0.7571.7095 / 25 January 2017; 5 months ago (2017-01-25)
Operating system Windows, Windows Phone, macOS, Android and iOS
Type Instant messaging, web conferencing, and collaborative software
License Trialware
Website products.office.com/skype-for-business

Skype for Business (formerly Microsoft Office Communicator and Microsoft Lync) is an instant-messaging client used with Skype for Business Server or with Skype for Business Online (available with Microsoft Office 365). Skype for Business is enterprise software; compared to Skype, it has different features that target businesses. Skype for Business replaces Windows Messenger, which ran with Microsoft Exchange Server.

On 11 November 2014, Microsoft announced that in 2015, Skype for Business would replace Lync. The latest version of the communication software combines features of Lync and of the consumer software Skype. There are two user interfaces – organizations can switch their users from the default Skype for Business interface to the Skype for Business (Lync) interface.

Microsoft released Office Communicator 2007 to production on 28 July 2007 and launched it on 27 October 2007. It was followed by Office Communicator 2007 R2, released on 19 March 2009. Microsoft released the successor to Office Communicator, Lync 2010, on 25 January 2011. The full-featured desktop version of the client requires Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or newer. Lync 2010 was released for the Windows Phone, Android, and iOS platforms in December 2011. Lync 2010 was succeeded by Lync and Lync Server 2013, which were released in 2012.

On 11 November 2014, Microsoft announced that Lync would be replaced by Skype for Business in 2015, which would combine features of Lync and the consumer Skype software. In April 2015 Microsoft officially launched Skype for Business. On 22 September 2015, Skype for Business 2016 was released alongside Office 2016. On 27 October 2016, the Skype for Business for Mac client was released.


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