We are using Skype for Business mostly for meetings.
IT Systems Administrator at Gama Türkerler Ortaklığı
High availability, scalable, and but difficult user interface
Pros and Cons
- "I have found Skype for Business to be stable."
- "Skype for Business could improve the interface. It could be easier to use. Additionally, it's hard to find the people or add people you want to communicate with."
What is our primary use case?
What needs improvement?
Skype for Business could improve the interface. It could be easier to use. Additionally, it's hard to find the people or add people you want to communicate with.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Skype for Business for approximately four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have found Skype for Business to be stable.
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Skype for Business
August 2025

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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Skype for Business is a scalable solution.
We have approximately 350 people are using this solution. All departments are using it.
How are customer service and support?
The support for Skype for Business is good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Skype for Business was simple.
What about the implementation team?
We did the deployment of Skype for Business in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are using the subscription-based version of Skype for Business. There is a free version of the solution.
What other advice do I have?
We are in the process of moving to Microsoft Teams and it is integrated into Microsoft Office.
I rate Skype for Business a six out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

Regional Sales Director - India & Middle East at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Straightforward to set up and offers a fast deployment but needs to be user-friendly
Pros and Cons
- "The deployment is very fast."
- "There are not many options, in terms of some other third-party integration."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for business purposes. We use it for virtual meetings.
What is most valuable?
The initial setup is pretty straightforward.
The deployment is very fast.
What needs improvement?
It needs to be easier to use. The product is very heavy. It's very unmanageable. It used to take up a lot of memory of my computer system.
There are not many options, in terms of some other third-party integration. The adoption of Zoom primarily spiked during the pandemic and is sort of better. This solution is now being used much less.
The solution isn't scalable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been dealing with the solution for one and a half years so far.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable and unmanageable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product doesn't really scale all that well.
We have about a hundred users on the solution.
How are customer service and support?
I don't have any experience with technical support. I can't speak to how they are in terms of helpfulness or responsiveness.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I'm also familiar with Microsoft Teams or Zoom.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not overly difficult. It's pretty straightforward in general. A company shouldn't have any issues with the process.
The deployment is also quick and only takes a minute or so.
What about the implementation team?
I handled the implementation myself. I didn't need the help of any consultants or integrators.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
While it's my understanding that users would need to pay for a license, I have no visibility on the costs involved.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution at a five out of ten.
I wouldn't really recommend the solution to other users or organizations. I'd rather suggest Zoom or Microsoft Teams, which are better options.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Skype for Business
August 2025

Learn what your peers think about Skype for Business. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2025.
867,676 professionals have used our research since 2012.
AVP - Cyber Secuirty at Cloud4C Services
Enables our teams to have real-time collaboration
Pros and Cons
- "It has benefited my organization because I can use it on the phone, I can use it on a laptop, wherever I want. The communication channel is very easy now and I can call and chat. It's experienced. Together, my team manages everything. It's very easy."
- "We have found that there is a lag because it cannot integrate with the internal landline."
How has it helped my organization?
It has benefited my organization because I can use it on the phone, I can use it on a laptop, wherever I want. The communication channel is very easy now and I can call and chat. It's experienced. Together, my team manages everything. It's very easy.
What is most valuable?
There are many valuable features. For collaboration purposes, there are many motivation integrations.
What needs improvement?
We have found that there is a lag because it cannot integrate with the internal landline. It's easier to integrate in the U.S.
We use a link as a browser calling so only calling is available.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Skype for Business for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
You need to follow the guidelines for the HN to be built on multiple servers and multiple in procedures. It's not a big challenge. The stability and the scalability are not a big challenge at all.
We haven't received high availability. There is no problem because you need to follow their guidelines, build the HN high availability solutions. We don't have an issue.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There are 900 users who use it in my company. It's used on a daily basis.
How are customer service and technical support?
Microsoft support is fantastic. I don't have any problems.
What other advice do I have?
People are working from home and this collaboration is efficient and we see real-time collaboration happening from the teams. This is a very good solution for work from home concepts.
In the next release, I would like to see the ability to do group calling.
I would rate Sype for Business a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
AVP - Cyber Secuirty at Cloud4C Services
Easy to use, great for remote meetings, and has lots of collaboration potential
Pros and Cons
- "Making calls and having meetings is easy."
- "The solution isn't connected to Microsoft Teams, and I feel like there is better communication on that particular solution. The group capabilities are a bit less than Teams."
How has it helped my organization?
The solution has improved the flexibility of meetings for our organization. For example, I can use it from my phone or laptop. I can use it wherever I am. It's increased our communication channels.
It has everything in one place from sharing to team management. It makes everything easy.
What is most valuable?
There are many valuable aspects of the solution. For collaboration purposes, there are many integration capabilities.
Making calls and having meetings is easy.
There are a lot of very fundamental functions on offer.
What needs improvement?
There is sometimes a lag, often because this is not integrated with a few fields. We are in India, so we have some restrictions on some key integrations. For example, it cannot integrate with our internal landlines. When I was in the United States, this wasn't a problem at all.
We need some sort of functionality whereby users can use a link as browser calling. Calling only is what is available to us. That's not in every country, however, just a few. They should make it standard across the board around the world.
The solution isn't connected to Microsoft Teams, and I feel like there is better communication on that particular solution. The group capabilities are a bit less than Teams.
I have some standard meetings that happen on a regular basis, and it would be nice if I could just go directly to them from Skype instead of looking into my calendar and clicking on a link.
Group calling is not available on Skype right now.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for almost a full year at this point. The company has been using the solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution is great. There aren't bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash. We don't face any challenges with the solution in that sense.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have limited employees, so we've never really experimented with scaling the solution. I can't speak to how easy it would be to expand the solution.
We have about 900 users on the solution right now.
We use the solution quite often. It's used on a daily basis.
How are customer service and technical support?
We get our technical support from Microsoft, who owns Skype. They've always been fantastic. We have been satisfied with the level or response we get.
How was the initial setup?
The implementation of the solution was handled before I came to the company, so I didn't participate in the initial institution. I don't know if the product has a straightforward or complex setup.
I believe that deployment took place under the supervision of another team.
What other advice do I have?
With work from home situations increasing, and a company would benefit from using this solution. The collaboration capabilities are great and allow for real-time interactions within teams. It's perfect for remote work.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Owner at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees
Great for remote meetings, very stable, and reliable
Pros and Cons
- "There are free versions of the solution available."
- "It would be ideal if the solution could make instant messages more permanent. Currently, if you close the conversation, you lose the instant messages that you shared during the meeting. If those could last beyond the meeting, that would be a great addition, due to the fact that frequently, people give each other key details, important information, or email addresses, etc., during the meeting. If you don't write it down during the meeting, after the meeting closes, it's gone forever. That can be quite frustrating."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for our business meetings.
What is most valuable?
The solution is stable.
There are free versions of the solution available.
What needs improvement?
It would be ideal if the solution could make instant messages more permanent. Currently, if you close the conversation, you lose the instant messages that you shared during the meeting. If those could last beyond the meeting, that would be a great addition, due to the fact that frequently, people give each other key details, important information, or email addresses, etc., during the meeting. If you don't write it down during the meeting, after the meeting closes, it's gone forever. That can be quite frustrating.
The ability for the solution to offer a grid view, so you can see all of the people on a call at the same time, instead of just a few selected ones, would be ideal.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for about a year now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution appears to be quite stable. There aren't bugs or glitches. There aren't any crashes. It doesn't freeze. I would say it's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Our IT team would handle any scaling that needs to be done. It's not something I have direct experience with.
We have about 20,000 users on the product in our organization currently. Everybody uses it, from the accountant to the CEO.
The number of employees has remained fairly stable for a long time. Right now, they're just maintaining it at the same user level. We haven't had any recent growth. I have no idea if we'll increase usage in the future.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Skype is actually the first tool like this that I have used. Another company I work with is trying out Zoom, but that's fairly recent.
How was the initial setup?
I wasn't a part of the initial setup of the solution. I don't know if it was complex or straightforward. I'm just a user. The IT team is the one that sets it up and configures everything for us. I also can't say if the process of deployment was fast or not or how long the process took.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I'm sure there are licensing fees for it, however, I don't know what they are. I know there are free versions of the solution. However, that probably doesn't apply to us as we have a high number of users in this company.
What other advice do I have?
I'm just a user of the product. I'm not a reseller or an integrator.
I use Skype for Business every day.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. It's been great so far.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Automation Systems Developer at a tech consulting company with 1-10 employees
Easy video conferencing with a simple setup and capable of saving conversations
Pros and Cons
- "I like the fact that it opens up your video conferencing, and, in many cases, the audio at the same time."
- "The integration with Outlook could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
Recently, we all went remote, so we needed a way to implement virtual meetings on a large scale and we utilize Skype for Business for these purposes. It might have a lot to do with the response to COVID and getting more people connected for remote access.
What is most valuable?
The solution connects to meetings pretty well.
I like the fact that it opens up your video conferencing, and, in many cases, the audio at the same time.
It's very useful that the solution can save conversations.
What needs improvement?
The implementation could be improved.
In my case, I don't necessarily pick up audio, so I have to dial in. I have two connections. One is a visual and one is strictly for audio calls. Some other users aren't experiencing that issue. It's inconsistent and I'm not sure why. I also can't say with certainty that this is a Skype problem or if something else is causing the discrepancy.
There seems to be some sort of setting whereby it pretty much keeps instant messenger open all the time. I don't know what the settings are, or if this can be switched off. I believe there's an integration with that, where it assumes a certain status. I haven't had a chance to manually change it or to look into how to adjust it.
The integration with Outlook could be improved.
There could be more opportunities for setting up your current status.
The solution feels like it's pretty bare-bones. There could be some additional features added, perhaps on the statuses or something of that nature because as it stands now, it's pretty sparse. I have heard that they're going to be introducing some features pretty soon. I hope that's the case.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've personally used Skype itself for years. However, in terms of utilizing Skype for Business, I've only been using the solution for the last month, or, more accurately, about three weeks.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution seems to be pretty stable and is just as stable in the business version as the regular version. I haven't had any issues whatsoever with crashes or glitches. However, it does feel like it's pretty bare-bones.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is pretty scalable. You can use it across the company, and certainly within IT. Since everybody's working remotely now, with COVID-19, I think it scales quite well.
Even when you add people, it's still easy to manage many multiples people in a single meeting
I don't know how many people in our company are actually on it at this point. I imagine it's quite a few, however, I'm not sure of which departments that are using it, or if it's been deployed across the board.
How are customer service and technical support?
I've logged into technical support a few times on the Microsoft store. They used to actually go through edX at one point. They may have their own portal now. I've looked at it for various products such as SQL, Visual Source Code, etc. and not just for Skype, so I can navigate it pretty well. I've been helped there. They do have paths to different types of certifications and stuff. I have not gone through any of that myself, however.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. It's not complex at all.
What other advice do I have?
We're just a customer.
I'd advise other organizations that the implementation is pretty smooth as far as installations go, so they shouldn't be afraid to give it a try. Using it is very straightforward, and it just sits on your desktop as an icon, so it's easy to access when you need it.
Overall, I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Manager, Quality and Process Excellence at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
A stable solution with good support for working from home
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is stability."
- "We have had trouble with scalability when trying to host large meetings."
What is our primary use case?
We use Skype for all of our video conference purposes.
How has it helped my organization?
Skype for Business and video conferencing makes it easier to work from home.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is stability.
What needs improvement?
The quality of calls has to be improved. I don't know whether it is a server problem that is taking away from the quality, but I have found that it is sometimes poor.
We have had trouble with scalability when trying to host large meetings.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Skype for Business for close to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is good but there are issues with call quality.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate scalability average because I have found that there is an upper limit to the number of people that can be added to a conference. I'm not sure whether it is depending on the license that my organization has, but I do find that scalability is an issue in a large conference scenario.
It is used across our organization, with close to 15,000 or 16,000 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
Our in-house team is responsible for technical support, although if they cannot handle the problem then they contact Skype. When this has happened, our problems have been resolved very fast.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have been receiving meeting invitations from outside of our organization using other solutions, such as Webex. When I attend those meetings I use their software.
What about the implementation team?
Our in-house IT group pre-installed this solution for me. They also handle our support.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Sr. IT Project Manager at a university with self employed
Easy to set up and organize meetings, and integrates with Outlook
Pros and Cons
- "The quality of the meetings is very good."
- "We need a feature where you can virtually raise your hand to silently let the presenter know that you have a question."
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the ease of organizing and setting up a meeting.
It is integrated with my Outlook, which is helpful.
The quality of the meetings is very good.
What needs improvement?
We need a feature where you can virtually raise your hand to silently let the presenter know that you have a question.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Skype for Business for between five and seven years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The meetings can easily be expanded. Once you have the link you can push it, even in a WhatsApp group, to have all of your invitees become part of the meeting. The typical meeting for me is about 30 people.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have begun using Microsoft Teams in place of Skype for Business and it is very good for collaboration. However, it is also missing the "raise hand" feature.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was not difficult for me.
What other advice do I have?
My understanding is that Skype for Business will be retired in July of 2021, so I am in the process of migrating to Teams.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

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