Last week Skype improved its Skype For Business package to include new central management and IT administration features, as well as optional add-ons:
The new features in Skype For Business primarily concern internal management: a more efficient process for installing the software on multiple workstations, and an expanded "business control panel" for administrators so that they can distribute SkypeOut calling minutes, assign phone numbers and deal with company-wide invoices.
While many of the features in Skype For Business are analogous to its consumer offerings--video calling, text chat, SkypeOut for making external calls and SkypeIn for receiving them--the enterprise version has a separate home page and exclusive opt-in "extras" created in collaboration with third-party companies. Some of Skype's new business extras include screen-sharing tools, conferencing software and "call center" services.
