How to know if Skype meets your business needs

There has been a lot of hype about Skype, a global P2P telephony service, primarily due to it's nearly non-existent price point. This month the vendor's business offering, Skype for Business, debuted. It's a solution designed to help small businesses manage communications, boost productivity and cut telecommunications costs. The vendor has built a Skype for Business Web site, is offering new Skype hardware from Plantronics and new features in Skype for Business Control Panel (formerly named Skype Groups) to simplify management of grouped users and pre-paid services.

The good news is that the service lets businesses centralize the purchase of credits needed for SkypeIn, SkypeOut, voicemail, personalization and third-party conference calling. Administrators can then distribute Skype credits, topping off all customer accounts. The acquisition and distribution of credits and other functions are managed in the Web console. But it's also clear that the service may not be a perfect fit for every enterprise. There are some serious issues you need to consider before making the shift to Skype for Business. It doesn't provide centralized reporting, there is still no call transfer capability and calls are still encrypted--not good for those who have to meet compliance regulations. Those are just a few reasons Skype hasn't taken over the business marketplace. Article | Release