Skype for Business (SfB) is a Microsoft product that gives you instant messaging (IM), audio and video calls, online meetings, availability (presence) information, and sharing capabilities all from one program.
Basic features of Skype for Business include:
- instant messaging
- Voice Over IP (VoIP)
- video conferencing inside the client software
Advanced features relate to integration with other Microsoft software:
- availability of contacts based on Microsoft Outlook contacts stored in a Microsoft Exchange Server
- users can retrieve contact lists from a local directory service such as Microsoft Exchange Server
- Microsoft Office can show if other people are working on the same document
- all communication between the clients takes place through a Microsoft Skype for Business Server. This makes communications more secure, as messages do not need to leave the corporate intranet, unlike with other Internet-based Messenger. The server can be set to relay messages to other instant messaging networks (via XMPP), avoiding installation of extra software at the client side.
- a number of client types are available for Microsoft Skype for Business, including mobile clients.
- uses SIP as the basis for its client communication protocol
- offers support for TLS and SRTP to encrypt and secure signaling and media traffic
- allows sharing files.
