PeerSpot user
Principle consultant at Active Data Consulting Services Pty Ltd
Real User
It helps me connect with clients via conference calls, video conferencing and desktop sharing.
Pros and Cons
  • "The Microsoft tech support are very good. They get back to you. I log a support call, and I usually have someone on the phone within a half an hour, so it is pretty good."
  • "There are some issues with stability during phone calls. Sometimes the connectivity drops, and it is frustrating."

What is our primary use case?

I use this solution primarily for my consulting business. It enables me to keep in touch with clients via conference calls, video conferencing, desktop sharing and more.

What is most valuable?

The audio and the screenshot sharing is quite strong.

What needs improvement?

I think sometimes the connectivity needs improvement. Sometimes people have connectivity issues. Once you are running, it's terrific. But, there are unexpected dropouts occasionally. The reliability is not 100%. For example, we had a call today which started great, and then suddenly there were several participants that dropped out of the call due to connectivity.

I also think that it would be great to have a drag-and-drop feature during a call. 

Additionally, the screen sharing is really good. It would be nice to draw notes for screen sharing. This would especially be nice with Touch Pros.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.
Buyer's Guide
Skype for Business
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Skype for Business. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
769,479 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There are some issues with stability during phone calls. Sometimes the connectivity drops, and it is frustrating.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We are small scale, with a small number of users. I do not know how it would handle very large numbers of users.

How are customer service and support?

The Microsoft tech support are very good. They get back to you. I log a support call, and I usually have someone on the phone within a half an hour, so it is pretty good. 

How was the initial setup?

Implementation and setup were pretty straightforward. It took us a half an hour. We did not need any expertise to get it running at all.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is really good. It is quite affordable because it came with our Office 365. It is on a per-user license, which is nice. I quite like that they have made it very granular with all of their licensing.  I get a feeling that smaller organizations can interact with bigger organizations in a more global way by using this service. It is leveling the playing field.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I looked at GoToMeetings. It is a good solution, and it has a few nice features. Skype for Business has better video and audio quality.

What other advice do I have?

If you have Office 365, you should give it a "go" and try it!

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Office Ohrid at AGENCY FOR REAL ESTATE CADASTRE
Real User
Top 5
Good performance, easy to deploy, and stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is scalable and is capable of working on every appliance on every operating system."
  • "The cost of Skype for Business has room for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for virtual meetings.

What is most valuable?

Skype for Business has good performance.

What needs improvement?

The cost of Skype for Business has room for improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable and is capable of working on every appliance on every operating system.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I previously used WebEx and we are still using Zoom. Zoom offers a cheaper license than Skype for Business.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. We only have to click on a link.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

A license is required to use the solution.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution an eight out of ten.

We stopped using the solution because we no longer communicate with the other group that held the license for Skype for Business.

I recommend the solution. Skype for Business offers good audio quality and excellent video quality. There wasn't a lot of demand for our network resources.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Skype for Business
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Skype for Business. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
769,479 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Production Manager for Nearshore SWaT at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Straightforward setup and stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are the history tracking which allows us to see who participated and who didn't in the meetings as well as the integration with Outlook."
  • "The solution has been discontinued by Microsoft."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for online meetings with our internal and external clients.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the history tracking which allows us to see who participated and who didn't in the meetings as well as the integration with Outlook.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for 11 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I give the stability an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. We have 800 people in our organization using the solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution an eight out of ten.

The solution has been discontinued by Microsoft.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Manager at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Useful for virtual meetings and very stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is how useful it has been for virtual meetings during the pandemic."
  • "This service could be improved by adding some missing features. It lacks integration with Teams, which is a feature I would like to see in the next release."

What is our primary use case?

My primary use case is for virtual meetings. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is how useful it has been for virtual meetings during the pandemic. 

What needs improvement?

This service could be improved by adding some missing features. It lacks integration with Teams, which is a feature I would like to see in the next release. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Skype for Business for four years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of this solution is perfect. I would rank it a ten out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This solution is scalable. The conference calls can be between many people. 

How are customer service and support?

I have never dealt with technical support. 

How was the initial setup?

Installation is straightforward. It takes a few minutes. It's part of the Microsoft Office Suite, so when you install Office, you get all these tools together. 

What about the implementation team?

I implemented through an in-house team. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There is a licensing cost, as far as I know, but I'm not sure how much it costs. If you buy the Microsoft suite, you get this product as well. So if you are already installing the suite, you get all these tools together. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I did not evaluate any other solutions before using Skype for Business

What other advice do I have?

The performance is pretty good. This is a mature application with no bugs, and I have no complaints. There are over 500 people using Skype for Business in my organization. But I know that Microsoft intends to end this software and move all users to Teams, so I'm not sure if my recommendation of this software will be of use to people who are looking to implement it. 

I would rate Skype for Business an eight out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Product Line Manager at Edgecore
Real User
Top 5
Simple installation, overall simple to use, but lacking stability
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Skype for Business is overall it is an okay solution."
  • "Skype for Business is not stable."

What is our primary use case?

I use Skype for Business for communication.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Skype for Business is overall it is an okay solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Skype for Business for approximately two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Skype for Business is not stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Skype for Business is not very good.

We have approximately 10 to 15 users using this solution in my organization.

How are customer service and support?

Skype for Business is easy to use and we did not need to contact the support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I previously used Microsoft Messenger, which is now merged into Skype for Business.

What about the implementation team?

We have 10 engineers and managers that do the deployment and support of solutions.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Our company pays for a license for us to use the solution.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Skype for Business a six out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Data analyst at bigcat
Real User
Provides a good option for virtual meetings
Pros and Cons
  • "A good option for virtual meetings."
  • "The stability could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is for virtual meetings and video communication. We also use it to send files via the group chat. I'm a data analyst and we are customers of Skype.

What is most valuable?

I think it's a good solution and provides us with a good option for virtual meetings. I've never had any problems.

What needs improvement?

The stability is sometimes a bit wobbly and could be improved. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for a year. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is fine but there is some room for improvement. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used Zoom and we also had an in-house messaging system developed within the company. 

How was the initial setup?

I wasn't involved in the initial setup, deployment was carried out by our IT department and the company has around 150 users. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution eight out of 10. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Owner and Senior Technical Architect at a consultancy with 1-10 employees
Real User
Much easier and quicker than writing an email to someone and waiting for them to read it
Pros and Cons
  • "The simplicity and ease of use are the most valuable features. It's so much easier and quicker than writing an email to someone and waiting for them to read it."
  • "The ease of configuration or the lack of decent tooling to pinpoint your problems is probably its biggest issue."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is for chat and we use it for internal meetings. We also have a federation between a couple of companies, so we also use it for virtual meetings across those companies that we have the federation with. It is our preferred chat and video solution nowadays. 

My last customer used it and Polycom, but Polycom was historic because of the meeting rooms. And the meeting rooms tended to be set up for Polycom, so if you were doing meetings from one meeting room to another one, then we'd switch to Polycom. Otherwise, it was Skype For Business.

What is most valuable?

The simplicity and ease of use are the most valuable features. It's so much easier and quicker than writing an email to someone and waiting for them to read it. If you actually see in Skype For Business that they're online and free, and you just put your question into there, it's a lot faster. The increase in productivity for messaging people is the number one reason for using it.

What needs improvement?

With respect to installing it in a large multinational, I find that installing it so that it gives decent performance across the company, can be a bit of black science. The ease of configuration or the lack of decent tooling to pinpoint your problems is probably its biggest issue. That's not just an issue with Skype For Business. That's pretty much across the board with unified communication systems.

What I'd really love them to provide would be an easy method of linking or connecting to other Skype For Business personnel in other companies who are also using Skype For Business without having to set up a federation. There are lots and lots of companies now using Skype For Business with other unified communications products. You can send someone a link, and then they can come into your Skype For Business meeting. We have issues trying to do Skype For Business.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution since 2006 when it was called Communicator. It's actually been 14 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We quite often see glitches where it jitters and stuff like this, but that's all to do with the wide-area network links. I'm sure we could improve that if our unified communications guys had better tooling and understanding of the complexities. What we see is that in most companies the implementation is not optimal.

How are customer service and technical support?

I haven't actually had to contact Microsoft support about Skype For Business related issues. Technical support with Microsoft depends upon your support contracts. If you're paying for the highest level, then it's absolutely fantastic.

You get what you pay for. The standard support contract is no worse or better than any other company. I have to say, the few times that I've had to call Microsoft with a priority support call, and the technical account manager gets put on it and keeps on top of the Microsoft side and stuff, then that goes really well. As well as you could expect it to go. I don't have any experience with Microsoft technical support when it comes down to Skype For Business.

Times in the past with respect to Azure issues that I was experiencing, I know that both the premium and the next level down, they were both absolutely fine. I always ended up talking to people that knew their stuff and when it was resolvable, it got resolved.

What other advice do I have?

I definitely recommend the product. If you are in a complex distributed environment, with offices with varying levels of connection and various different bandwidths of connections and latency, that it's worth spending the extra money to get someone who really knows their stuff with respect to unified communications to set up Skype For Business across their organization. Someone that understands the pitfalls, because how your infrastructure is built is key to whether you're going to get a decent and stable experience or not.

I would rate it a nine out of ten. I would give it this rating purely because of the fact that when it gets installed across a complex environment, you really need someone who knows their stuff to install it. But once it's installed properly, it's absolutely fine. It does what it says on the tin.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Info Sec Consultant at Size 41 Digital
Real User
Top 5
In one of two companies, I was introduced to it as, "problematic." Now, having used it for months, multiple times a day for video, voice and chat, I never had a problem with it.

Enterprise voice in the cloud

I've used Skype Business (name change from Lync) in two companies. In one of them I was introduced to it as, "problematic." Now, having used it for months, multiple times a day for video, voice and chat, I never had a problem with it. 

Voice calls - great quality if it was with someone in the same building or half way across the globe. No fuzzing or dropping. 

Video calls - same. Great quality. No big drain on the computer so I could do other things. Again, good quality for the same building or globally. 

Chat - what to say here apart from, it worked. Chat is a nice feature if you want to keep a history of messages. 

(source: Skype.com)

Meetings - we managed to get +10 people, all from various locations, on different systems, using varying bandwidths, some connecting via Skype/Skype for business/mobiles, landlines. Only 1 person had a problem and that was due to their AD FS set up. We had video, audio, and chat. We transferred files. Some of us switched to muted mics just to listen.... 

Some people have had sign on issues but I think that may be more to do with internal set up because my experience hasn't included this. 

Security and features that I used/like: 

Skype For Business traffic is encrypted using TLS

You get archiving of messages

P2P file transfers

IM and conferencing 

HD 1080p available depending on plan

Ability to have a presenter for training or to chair meetings

You can record content

Meetings can be scheduled via Outlook


The thing I want from any app is this: it needs to deliver. For me, Skype Business did. Does it take a bit of work to integrate into systems? Well, I've yet to meet a bit of kit with more than three features that doesn't. Is it worth it? I believe so. Skype for business is convenient. It's one of those things that's there, you use it, you forget about it - we're all happy. (or, at least, I was)

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Skype for Business Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2024
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Skype for Business Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.