The initially unclear motivation behind Microsoft’s move to purchase Skype last month has become a little clearer, with a top executive saying the software giant is looking at combining the VoIP platform with its new, cloud-based Office suite.
Lync, the communications software included in Office 365 that allows users to make phone calls, send instant messages and hold video conference calls, could be integrated with Skype in the next Office 365 iteration, Microsoft executive Kurt DelBene has confirmed.
"The ability to connect Lync users with Skype users is a huge opportunity for us,” Delbene says.
Linking the popular VoIP platform with Office 365 will allow businesses to maintain direct contact with consumers.
Microsoft purchased Skype for $US8.5 billion in May, but although the US authorities have acquiesced the deal is yet to be signed off by European regulators.
Meanwhile, industry analysts Ovum have warned that although the beta sticker is off, Office 365 is still ‘a one-dot-zero release’, making it relatively untested.
Ovum principal analyst, Richard Edwards, says although Office 365 comes with built-in compatibility with what most organisations already have, as well as a financially-backed 99.9% uptime guarantee, it is far from perfect.
"Microsoft has said it will release updates to Office 365 every 90 days,” Edwards says, "so businesses and IT managers should reassess this offering on a regular basis to determine its overall appeal and business value.”
Read yesterday’s story on the release of Office 365 here.
