Changes to Lync Instant Messaging Coming Soon

Faculty/Staff instant messaging and presence will be changed from Lync to Skype for Business by June 2016. This will be done in two stages:

• First, the Lync service will be transitioned from on-campus infrastructure to Skype for Business in Office 365 on May 8. When this happens, you will need to recreate any personal contact groups you had in Lync, as contact groups will not carry over to Skype for Business. You can easily find individual users using the search feature. You might want to take a screen shot of your contacts before this migration so you can easily add them back after the switch. If you use the Lync app on any mobile devices, you will need to update to the Skype for Business app after this change.

• Second, Lync will be upgraded to Skype for Business on all University-managed Windows computers over two weeks starting May 17. Skype for Business has the same functionality as Lync, but the interface will be slightly different. This upgrade will not affect Mac users, as Microsoft has not yet released a Mac version of Skype for Business. If you are on a Mac, you will still be able to communicate with the rest of the University through the Lync interface. 

Here's some documentation from Microsoft that explains what you can expect in Skype for Business:

Lync is now Skype for Business - see what's new
Why do I see Skype for Business when I'm using Lync?

Why are we making this change?
This change is part of the larger Office 365 project. Skype for Business in Office 365 give us access to new features and services that will be coming soon including access to the Public Skype Network. For more info on ODU's Office 365 Project click here. 

Posted By: Dawn Midgette
Date: Mon Apr 25 16:21:44 EDT 2016