Microsoft sees Skype for Business Online shutdown as opportunity for Teams
Skype for Business Online will be retired in one year, so Microsoft is helping people transition to Teams.
What you need to know
- Microsoft outlined resources available to ease the transition from Skype for Business Online to Teams.
- Skype for Business online will be retired on July 31, 2021.
- Microsoft has training, guidance, and other tools to help make the switch.
Microsoft announced a year ago that it will retire Skype for Business Online. In that announcement, Microsoft stated that it felt Microsoft Teams was "at the point that we can confidently recommend it as an upgrade to all Skype for Business Online customers." The retirement of Skype for Business is set for July 31, 2021, meaning it's now one year away.
With an increased emphasis on working from home, Microsoft states that many Skype for Business Customers accelerated the move to Teams. To help companies transition from Skype for Business to Teams, Microsoft outlines several resources available in a techcommunity post.
The retirement date for Skype for Business Online is not new, but these resources will help companies make the switch to Microsoft Teams. Microsoft has instructor-led Teams training, Teams upgrade guidance, Teams upgrade planning workshops, and FastTrack and Partner support available. Microsoft links to all the tools you can utilize in its techcommunity post.
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Sean Endicott is a News Writer at Windows Central, where he covers Windows 11, Surface hardware, Microsoft 365, AI, apps, and the broader PC ecosystem. Since joining the site in 2017, he has written well over a thousand articles across the Microsoft landscape, covering breaking news, analysis, and feature reporting.
He writes Windows Wrap, a weekly column covering the biggest stories in Windows and the PC industry, and what they mean for the platform going forward.
Before joining Windows Central full-time, Sean worked in journalism and media production after earning a First Class degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. Outside of tech, he is an award-winning American football coach based in Nottingham, England, and was named BAFCA Youth Coach of the Year in 2024.
