Colorado State University

In this article we’ll cover what Teams is and why it’s replacing Skype for Business. Later on, we’ll discuss how Teams integrates with other Office apps and even 3rd party apps.

Historically, Microsoft created Lync and then years later bought Skype and built Skype for Business from these platforms. Microsoft has been listening to feedback on this platform and has decided to not just overhaul their collaboration application but to design it anew with Teams!

Teams is a collaborative application that Microsoft has been working on for some time now. They have sought input from multiple cultures, international academic institutions, and international businesses, knowing that collaboration in today’s age, knows no borders! The ideas at the forefront of Team’s development has been how to create a flatter, streamlined, chat based, inclusive platform in real-time as well as linearly, so collaborators can go back and review individual and group work with ease.

Currently, over 125,000 organizations worldwide are utilizing Teams in one form or another. Over time Teams will be the central player in handling video calls, video conferences, text/messaging and file sharing. Teams will eventually phase out Skype for Business but will continue to work with the old client until an unspecified time. In addition to what we’d expect, we will see some new features. For instance, outbound and inbound calls to and from landlines and cell phones, support for voice mail, comprehensive call holding, and call transferring, to name a few.

If you’d like to get a head start on using Teams, you can download it from here: https://teams.microsoft.com

If you’d like assistance installing or using Teams please feel free to reach out to us via a ticket at: https://cnsit.colostate.edu/help