Microsoft's Skype platform is about to put on its business suit and go to work.
Microsoft on Tuesday announced that its Skype brand will soon replace Lync, the software giant's video and Web conferencing platform for businesses. The new offering, dubbed Skype for Business, will arrive in the first half of 2015.
"We are bringing together the familiar experience and user love of Skype with the enterprise security, compliance, and control from Lync," Microsoft's Gurdeep Pall wrote in a blog post Tuesday.
Skype for Business will use the familiar Skype icons for calling, adding video, and ending a call. But while the software will look a lot more like Skype, current Lync users won't have to worry about any features going away.
Lync already lets you instant message and call Skype users, but you'll now be able to video chat with them as well. Microsoft has also added the Skype call monitor, which keeps an active call visible in a small window when you move to another app.
"We believe that Skype for Business will transform the way people communicate by giving organizations reach to hundreds of millions of Skype users outside the walls of their business," Pall wrote.
Current Lync Server customers will need to simply update from Lync Server 2013 to the new Skype for Business server in their datacenters to take advantage of these new features. No new hardware is required. Meanwhile, Microsoft will handle all the required updates for Office 365 customers.
At this point, more than 300 million people use Skype and "thousands or organizations, large and small," are using Lync for voice, video, and conferencing services.
For more on Skype for Business, check out the video below, and see PCMag's roundup of Skype tips in the slideshow above.