Microsoft Rebrands Lync, Offers 'Work & Play' Bundle Promo

Microsoft (MSFT) will rebrand its Lync unified communications product to “Skype for Business” beginning in 2015, unwrapping new versions of the Skype for Business client, on-premise server and online service tied to Office 365, officials said.

The new Skype nameplate undoubtedly will give more exposure to Lync, whose brand doesn’t carry near the weight nor reach of the former VoIP service. The biggest impact of the change is Lync’s client will look and feel like Skype while retaining the same features and adding a few, including a user’s Skype contacts.

Microsoft’s Lync and Skype development groups reportedly have collaborated for two years since the vendor bought the VoIP service provider in 2011 for some $8.5 billion.

“In the first half of 2015, the next version of Lync will become Skype for Business with a new client experience, new server release, and updates to the service in Office 365,” wrote Gurdeep Pall, Skype corporate vice president, in a blog post. “We believe that Skype for Business will again transform the way people communicate by giving organizations reach to hundreds of millions of Skype users outside the walls of their business.”

Voice and instant messaging already are interoperable between Lync and Skype, and the new release will incorporate video messaging and access to the Skype user directory. Existing Lync Server customers will be able to access the new Skype for Business features by upgrading from Lync Server 2013 to the new Skype for Business release without making any hardware changes, Pall said. Office 365 users won’t have to do anything—Microsoft will do the required updates, he said.

Separately, Microsoft is packaging together its Office 365 Home, Skype Unlimited World and WiFi, Xbox Gold and Xbox Music Pass into one offering called the Work & Play Bundle, priced at $199 for a one-year subscription, as reported by ZDNet and shown on the vendor’s website.

The promotion runs through Jan. 4, depending on how long the supplies last. The bundle is available in some of Microsoft’s U.S. retail stores.