Skype for Business: What Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM users can expect

With Lync becoming Skype for Business, Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM users may be wondering how the change will impact existing solutions that use Lync, what they can expect to pay in terms of pricing and licensing for the new product, and the key reasons for adopting Skype for Business now.

Here, Jenna Bourgeois, technical sales architect at Neudesic, a Microsoft partner based in Irvine, California, clears up these and a few other pressing questions regarding the changeover.

MSDW:  What key changes do Dynamics ERP and CRM users need to be thinking about with Lync becoming Skype for Business?

Jenna Bourgeois:  The major change is the infrastructure behind Skype. The main complaint end users had in the past, for example, came when they were at an airport and trying to make a Skype call from their mobile phones. Sometimes it worked really well, and other times there was interference and other problems. It had to do with the way Skype was built (using traditional telephony technologies that are extremely limiting). The new version uses the SILK audio compression protocol, which is a much lighter-weight protocol and a complete cloud backend.

MSDW:  How will this development impact users?

Bourgeois:  The premise is that on a go-forward basis, end users will see an incredible improvement in quality. And because of the reduction in bandwidth, there will also ...