Microsoft begins moving Skype for Business users to Microsoft Teams [Updated]

Skype for Business now Teams

Despite some feature overlap, Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business currently operate as distinctly separate services. Microsoft looks to be changing that, however, by bringing Skype for Business under the Microsoft Teams banner.

As first reported by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, a number of users briefly saw a message stating "Skype for Business is now Microsoft Teams" when logging into Skype for Business today. This is despite any sort of official announcement from Microsoft signaling a rebranding.

It's possible that this is just a small A/B test, which is something we often see Microsoft do when it's considering a change. However, it also wouldn't be entirely unexpected to see the two services fall under the same banner. Teams was launched as a workplace communications platform meant to compete in the same field as Slack with instant messaging, Office 365 integrations, and more. In terms of features, Skype for Business features quite a bit of overlap with Teams, but also sports some unique features of its own.

In any case, we may get some clarification during Microsoft's Ignite conference, which runs from September 25 through September 29. As Foley notes, there are several sessions on the conference session list dedicated to the relationship between Teams and Skype for Business.

Updated September 7, 2017: As spotted by Petri, Microsoft has now confirmed the change with a message on its admin portal. The move is on an opt-in basis now, but everyone will presumably be forced to upgrade at some point in the future. You can find the contents of the admin portal message below.

We're upgrading Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams. This will take us some time to complete. For now, this is an opt-in experience, as we continue to work on enhancing the Microsoft Teams experience.We encourage you to take control of your upgrade to Microsoft Teams. Start getting yourself familiar with the Microsoft Teams experience. If you are ready to upgrade your users to Microsoft Teams, click Additional Information to learn more.If you are not ready to upgrade your users, there is nothing more you need to do. We will provide the next notification at least 30 days before we start your upgrade. If there are any actions you need to take, we will let you know.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl