Sep 24, 2015 - if you planning to upgrade to Office 2016 and you have Skype for Business. You can download Skype for Business Client from here. April 4, 2017, update for Skype for Business 2016 (KB3178717) March 14, 2017, update for Skype for Business 2016 (KB3178656) February 7, 2017, update for Skype for Business 2016 (KB3141501) January 3, 2017, update for Skype for Business 2016 (KB3128049) December 6, 2016, update for Skype for Business 2016 (KB3127980).
At its Convergence 2015 event today in Atlanta, Microsoft today launched a technical preview of Office 2016 for the Windows desktop. To download applications in the suite, you’ll need to sign up for a business profile on Microsoft Connect.
At the same time, Microsoft today also launched a technical preview of Skype for Business. You can download the preview now directly from Microsoft’s TechNet Evaluation Center.
Office 2016 for Windows
Office 2016 for Windows has been in private preview for several months, though anyone could request access if they were so inclined. Microsoft today is expanding the program to its commercial Office 365 customers, specifically targeting IT pros and developers interested in testing the upcoming release.
Microsoft didn’t detail its end-user enhancements planned for this release (that will happen “at a later date”). Since this is a business preview, the company instead offered a brief summary of the improvements meant for IT pros and developers:
- Data Loss Protection (DLP) — In addition to Exchange, Outlook, OneDrive for Business, and SharePoint, DLP is now coming to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. IT admins can thus centrally create, manage, and enforce polices for content authoring and document sharing. End users will see policy tips or sharing restrictions when the apps detect a potential policy violation.
- MAPI-HTTP protocol. The RPC-based sync has been replaced with a new Internet-friendly MAPI-HTTP protocol that supports Exchange/Outlook connectivity.
- Foreground network calls. The use of foreground network calls has been eliminated to ensure that Outlook stays responsive on unreliable networks.
- Multi-factor authentication. Outlook now supports multi-factor authentication through integration with the Active Directory Authentication Library (ADAL).
- Email delivery performance. The amount of time it takes to download messages, display the message list, and show new email after resuming from hibernation has been cut down.
- Lean storage footprint. New settings allow users to better manage storage by only retaining 1, 3, 7, 14, or 30 days of mail on the device.
- Search. The reliability, performance, and usability of Outlook search has been improved, and the FAST-based search engine has been integrated in Exchange.
- Better network traffic management. A new Background Intelligence Transfer Service (BITS) now helps prevent congestion on the network. BITS throttles back the use of bandwidth when other critical network traffic is present.
- Enhanced distribution management. Integration with System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) has been improved to allow IT admins to efficiently download and distribute monthly Office updates using the native SCCM features.
- Flexible update management. Admins can manage the pace at which they receive feature updates and bug fixes while continuing to receive regular security updates.
- Simplified activation management. The Office 365 Admin Portal now allows admins to manage device activations across users.
- Accessibility. Keyboard accessibility for high-value Excel features like PivotTables and Slicers have been added and a number of readability issues in Outlook have been fixed. A new dark theme for users with visual impairments has been introduced.
- Information Rights Management (IRM) — IRM protection has been extended to Visio files, enabling both online and offline protection of Visio diagrams.
Despite all of the above, Microsoft emphasized this early build “doesn’t yet contain all the features we’re planning to ship in the final product.” The company promised to push new features via monthly updates during the preview program.
Skype for Business
The reason today’s Skype technical preview is tied to Office 2016 is simple: Skype for Business will be part of the suite. Skype for Business is built right in: Features like presence, IM, voice and video calls, and online meetings are all available directly in Office applications. A full changelog is available here.
That said, here is how Microsoft distinguishes the two previews:
The Skype for Business technical preview announced today is for the new Skype for Business client rolling out to current Lync customers starting next month. The Office 16 preview announced today, which also includes Skype for Business, currently provides an advanced look for IT pros and developers at the next version of Office for Windows desktop.
In November, Microsoft first announced plans to replace Lync with Skype for Business. The company said at the time this launch was slated for the first half of 2015.
What’s next
Office 2016 for Windows will be launching in the second half of this year. Update: Although Office 2016 for Mac is slated to arrive “this summer,” Microsoft told VentureBeat that the company doesn’t expect the Windows version to debut in the exact same timeframe. Timing simply comes down to the development cycles of each suite.
Microsoft’s hope is to give its business customers a combination of the familiar Skype consumer experience with the security, compliance, and control features required by enterprises. In April, Skype for Business will become generally available to business customers with a new client, new server, and updated service within Office 365.
Once both are generally available, Microsoft will continue with regular updates for both. Today’s previews are meant to woo business customers into trying the new versions before they are ready so they can give the company feedback.
There are many versions of Skype for Business. Whenever I tell a person on the phone to look for Skype for Business download on the Web, it seems for some reason they seem to struggle to find what they are looking for. To avoid confusion, I figured I will write an article that includes some useful information about Skype for Business. If you are not sure which version to download or you may not have access to Office 365, you can download the free version of Skype for Business Basic.
What is Skype for Business Basic?
Microsoft Skype for Business Basic includes online meetings, instant messaging (IM), audio and video calls, availability (presence) information, and sharing capabilities. It’s similar to GoToMeeting and WebEx but is much more flexible in many ways. This is the stand-alone version of Skype for Business. You can download the 64-bit version of Skype for Business Basic from Microsoft. So far I haven’t seen a download for a 32-bit version.
System Requirements
The following system requirements apply to the Skype for Business Basic.
- Operating Systems: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7
- RAM: 2 GB
- Browser: Windows Internet Explorer (IE) 10/9/8/7 or Mozilla Firefox Web browser.
NOTE: At the time of writing, Google Chrome is not on the list of supported browsers.
Different Versions of Skype
There are a lot of ways to install Skype on your computer and that’s where it gets confusing because Microsoft doesn’t offer a single page where all different flavors of Skype can be downloaded. To make matters worse, the names of the products are often changed (e.g. SkyDrive -> OneDrive, SkyDrive Pro -> OneDrive for Business, Lync -> Skype, Lync -> Skype for Business). Each name change requires millions of businesses around the world to change their documentation, update Web sites, flyers, brochures, PowerPoint slide decks, etc. In addition, there are several versions of Skype for Business. Here are the ones that I am aware of.
- Skype for Business Basic is the stand-alone version of Skype.
- Skype for Business also comes with Microsoft Office.
- Skype for Business is also included with some Office 365 subscriptions.
- A consumer version of Skype, which is simply called Skype. Sometimes Microsoft refers to it as the “non-business” version. Other names that you may read include “Skype for consumers” and “Skype for home users.”
So you can see when you tell someone to install Skype you have to be specific as to which version. At the end of this article you will find instructions on how to install the various versions of Skype for Business.
NOTE: If you install Microsoft Office, you will normally be installing the 32-bit version and the Skype for Business included with Office will be 32-bit.
Best Practice: Always install 32-bit version of Office and do not install products from two different versions of Office, such as Office 2013 and Office 2016, on one computer. Microsoft encourages you to use 32-bit Office on all 32-bit and 64-bit computers because there are extremely rare cases where you will actually need a 64-bit version of Office.
The Difference Between Skype and Skype for Business Icons
The consumer version of Microsoft Skype has a different icon than Skype for Business. The consumer version has a white S on a blue background, while the business version has a blue S on a white background, as shown below. This makes it easier to identify them if you use both of them, one for business and one for personal use.
The Difference Between Skype for Business Basic 20xx and Skype for Business 20xx in Office 365
You may find one thing confusing about Skype for Business downloads in Office 365. There are two versions of Skype for Business available for download without any explanation as to why a user should download one or the other version of Skype. I will come back to this in a minute, but let’s take a look at the software download section in Office 365 so you know what I am talking about.
If you click on the Settings wheel in the upper right hand corner in Office 365, you will see a section called Your app settings. Click the Office 365 hyperlink to go to the software download areas. You can also go to the software download section directly by using the the hyperlink https://portal.office.com/ols/mysoftware.aspx. This is where a user can download and install client software.
You will see two versions listed in Office 365. In Office 365 E1 and E3 subscriptions, you will see Skype for Business Basic and Skype for Business 2015. There is no explanation as to why there are two clients listed and which one you should select. The only hint you will find in the fine print is that the first version says “for Office 2016” in parenthesis. If you have Office 2016 installed on your desktop or laptop computer then perhaps this is the version you want to download. My understanding is that the “Basic” version includes fewer features (and hence it’s called Basic). The other version is not called Basic and is really the “Full” version, but is not called Full version. It’s just called Skype for Business 2015 or Skype for Business 2016. However, if you have Office 2016 and you want to install a full version of Skype then do you install the Skype for Business Basic (for Office 2016) or Skype for Business 2015? No matter which one you choose, it seems to me that you will be installing the wrong version. So now you know why it’s so confusing to understand all the versions of Skype, when to use which version and where to go to download the correct version. By the way, Office 2106 Professional Plus includes Skype for Business so if that’s the version you have then simply install the version of Skype that came with it and you will be in good shape.
![Download skype for business 2016 offline Download skype for business 2016 offline](http://www.buffalo.edu/content/www/ubit/service-guides/conference/virtual-conference/microsoft-sfb-win/_jcr_content/par/image_0.img.original.png/1506103279679.png)
How Many Versions of Skype are There?
Well, that’s a good question. There are way too many versions of Skype out there. There is a consumer version, a business version, a standard version, an enterprise version, a basic version, and a full version. Within a version there may be more versions. For example, Skype for Business has a Standard version and an Enterprise version. And then there is a Skype for Business for each year, e.g., Skype for Business 2015, Skype for Business 2016, etc. In addition to all the versions I’ve listed above, there are Office 365 versions which are the “online” versions of Skype and supposedly map to some versions of Office, but it’s not always clear as to which version.
Helpful Links
The good news is that Microsoft has a TechNet article that offers client comparison tables for Skype for Business. These tables compare the various features of all Skype for Business clients going back to the old Lync clients. Lync is the former name of Skype. This article was last updated on January 13, 2017, only a couple of weeks before I last updated this article on January 30, 2017. Check it out: Client comparison tables for Skype for Business Server 2015.
You may find the following links from Microsoft helpful. They include the Quick Start Guides and the instructions for installing Skype for Business.
Last Updated: January 30, 2017
Included the section The Difference Between Skype for Business Basic 20xx and Skype for Business 20xx in Office 365.
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