14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft already revealed in late 2014 that it planned to kill Lync, its number one business communication solution, and today the company has made a new important step in this direction.
Today Redmond has announced that Skype for Business, the communication platform that will soon replace Lync, is available in the form of a technical preview for testing purposes. The company says that the new client, server, and online service will be generally available starting April.
Thanks to this preview, Lync customers can give Skype for Business a shot and decide whether they should continue using Microsoft software or look for an alternative.
Skype for Business is a communication platform that looks and feels exactly the same as the consumer version of Skype, which is available on the majority of desktop and mobile platforms right now.
With the business version of the software, however, Microsoft is trying to give businesses a better communication platform, so it integrated it directly into Office for on-the-go productivity and collaboration. Skype for Business will also be part of the new Office 2016 that will debut later this year.
Lync customers that are based in the United States can give the new Skype for Business preview a shot using the download link included in the TechNet Evaluation Center, whereas those who are living in a different region can get it here. The preview will expire on April 30, 2015, so you have more than one month to try out its features.