Skype for Business Online Retirement Announcement What you need to know

Skype for Business Online retirement set as Teams momentum grows July 31, 2021 Edit Master text styles Second level Third level Fourth level Fifth level Skype for Business Online will be retired on July 31, 2021, at which point access to the service will discontinue Current Skype for Business Online customers can expect no change in the service up to its retirement date Though this announcement comes a full 24 months before the retirement of Skype for Business Online, we encourage organizations to plan and fully complete their upgrades to Microsoft Teams today “ Teams has greatly enhanced our communication and knowledge sharing across the company. It has definitely helped us get faster, more organized, and execute better. - Steven Winkler, Manager of IT Networks, CommScope ”

What about other Skype products and configurations? Both Skype (consumer) and Skype for Business Server will not be affected by the retirement of the Skype for Business Online service Skype for Business customers with hybrid configurations (server and online) will need to transition online users to Teams to maintain cloud-based access and functionality “ It is probably the easiest company-wide migration from one platform to another that I've experienced - Pete White, Director of Global IT, Solera ”

Why is Microsoft making this announcement now? As the functionality and performance of Teams goes beyond Skype for Business Online, this focus ensures we’re providing your organization with the best chat, calling, meetings, and collaboration experiences available The transparency and timing of this retirement announcement are meant to facilitate IT planning and resourcing in order to execute your move to Teams-only by July 31, 2021 “ Globally, Teams has brought down communication barriers because the online meeting experience is so improved. Across the organization, I hear, "We've tried other tools. Teams is the one that just works." - Nathan Pieper, IT Manager, Trek Bicycles ”

Roadmap updates Features Description Release Date Screen sharing in Teams <=> Skype for Business interop Enables a Teams user to share their screen in chat or VoIP call with a Skype for Business user Q4CY19 Teams <=> Skype Consumer chat and calling interop Enable Teams and Skype for Consumers users to chat and make VoIP calls to each other Q1CY20 Shorter Retention (on par with EXO) Enable Compliance Administrators to set a Teams chats retention policy as low as 1 day. Note: complete deletion of the content may take additional few days, on-par with Office 365 Retention standards. Reverse Number Lookup Display PSTN Callers Name based on Azure Active Directory data and/or Telco provided display name Dynamic E911 Enables Public Safety Answering Point to receive the current location where a Teams user is making an emergency call (launching first in the United States) Teams Voice Platform Enable Contact Center integration, Remote Advisor integration and Graph API for Presence Microsoft is extending support for Skype for Business Online integration with third-party audio-conferencing providers (ACP) to align with Skype for Business Online retirement (July 31, 2021). UPDATE:

Teams adoption and upgrade support Programs and resources to enable your success Upgrade Guidance aka.ms/SkypeToTeams Start planning your upgrade Upgrade planning and guidance from Microsoft Microsoft will help you design a strategic plan based upon a proven change management framework and the specific needs of your organization1 Access upgrade tools, guidance, planning workshops, blocker mitigation, and monitoring We’re here to help you with your upgrade Teams Training aka.ms/TeamsLiveTraining Learn with free, live, online training Teams Roadmap aka.ms/TeamsRoadmap Evaluate your needs relative to Teams capabilities and timing Teams Adoption Toolkit Understand business outcomes, best practices and real-world use cases for Teams Download assets to onboard your Helpdesk aka.ms/TeamsToolkit Whether you use a combination of self-directed documentation and videos, instructor-led training, or FastTrack-assisted planning workshops (for customers who qualify), we offer a variety of modes of guidance to help you successfully upgrade from Skype for Business to Teams. Teams Knowledge aka.ms/SuccessWithTeams Explore technical documentation, rollout and adoption resources

Partner Calls to Action While the retirement date is still 24 months in the future, you should continue to encourage your customers to adopt Teams as their primary communication and collaboration application in Office 365. Familiarize yourself with the FAQ to prepare for customer questions Leverage the Skype for Business Online to Teams upgrade planning workshop materials and Teamwork Assessment resources to help your customers transition to Teams. Familiarize yourself with Upgrade Guidance to help you plan and implement a successful transition Attend free, live online training to learn more about Teams and upgrade planning Microsoft Teams Partner Guide for Calling and Meetings Microsoft 365 Partner Portal Teamwork Practice Development aka.ms/TeamsCallingMeetingsGuide aka.ms/TeamworkPractice

When should we make the move to Microsoft Teams? Although Microsoft Teams offers the best communications and collaboration experiences, we encourage you to transition from Skype for Business Online as it makes sense for you The first step is to pilot Teams within your organization, leveraging our online guidance to help ensure a successful roll-out. As adoption and usage grows within your organization, access proven frameworks and support for making the transition to Teams-only, including the network of certified Microsoft partners.

Plan your upgrade to Teams Only ROUTE 1 Journey from Skype for Business to Teams For organizations already using Teams Plan your upgrade to Teams Only Upgrade to Teams Only Coexistence + 1 2 If your organization is already using Teams alongside Skype for Business, whether in Islands Mode, Skype for Business with Teams collaboration, or Skype for Business with Teams collaboration and meetings, you’re close to making the upgrade to a Teams Only, single-client experience. Coexistence is the presence of both Skype for Business and Teams in the Journey from Skype for Business to Teams. Supported coexistence configurations for Skype for Business and Teams Skype for Business or Teams Only Skype for Business and Teams – Islands Combination (but no overlap) of functions across both Customer deployments can involve multiple modes at different times “Islands” mode (side-by-side) when: Teams Collab or Collab+Meetings when: Skype for Business Online and most on-premises (recommended path) Desire to quickly move to Teams Users can handle two-client setup More complex organizational environment (on-premises and hybrid) Expect a long co-existence period Wish to avoid overlapping UC features Third-party integration points

ROUTE 2 Journey from Skype for Business to Teams For organizations not yet using Teams Envision teamwork for your organization Pilot Teams Coexistence Plan your upgrade to Teams Only Deploy Teams Adopt Teams Upgrade to Teams Only + 1 2 3 4 5 6 URL on modes: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/migration-interop-guidance-for-teams-with-skype If you’re still planning your organization’s journey from Skype for Business to Teams, we’re here to help take the guesswork out of your upgrade journey. We’ve employed a proven success framework for driving change, incorporating guidance, tips, and resources throughout. Coexistence is the presence of both Skype for Business and Teams in the Journey from Skype for Business to Teams. Supported coexistence configurations for Skype for Business and Teams Skype for Business or Teams Only Skype for Business and Teams – Islands Combination (but no overlap) of functions across both Customer deployments can involve multiple modes at different times “Islands” mode (side-by-side) when: Teams Collab or Collab+Meetings when: Skype for Business Online and most on-premises (recommended path) Desire to quickly move to Teams Users can handle two-client setup More complex organizational environment (on-premises and hybrid) Expect a long co-existence period Wish to avoid overlapping UC features Third-party integration points