UPDATED 13:30 EDT / MARCH 16 2015

Microsoft previews Office 2016 & Skype for Business

office_2016_announced-640x400Microsoft rolled out a couple of new software previews this morning, including the first look at Office 2016 for Windows, and a technical preview of its Skype for Business client, which basically blends the enterprise features of Microsoft Lync with the world’s most popular VoIP program.

The releases are designed to put the software in front of developers and IT pros for further testing, before a more widespread roll out. Of the two previews, the Office 2016 IT Pro and Developer Preview is the most intriguing, given that it’ll likely come out at the same time as Windows 10 is released, which means enterprises will probably evaluate both programs together.

It’s important Microsoft gets this right, because with Windows being given away for free, the company will need cash from the sales of Office 2016 to pick up some of the slack.

Previously, Microsoft said the next version of Office would be released sometime in the second half of 2015, and today’s announcement gives us an idea of what to expect. The software can now be had by Microsoft’s commercial customers, who can test it out before initiating a wider deployment.

In a blog post, Microsoft said the Office 2016 IT Pro and Developer Preview doesn’t have all the new features that are expected to be included in the final release, but there are some interesting ones that may entice enterprises. These include data loss protection, and click-to-run deployments that should ease activation, network traffic and update management.

As for the Skype for Business preview, this is also available today for current Lync customers to try out. The preview will only be offered to current Lync customers, and will introduce a new client, server and updated service within Office 365. Skype for Business is built on the existing Skype infrastructure, and will allow customers to communicate with people inside their organizations and also any Skype user on the outside.

The software, which was first leaked last year, bears the traditional look and feel of Skype, but comes with Lync’s enterprise-grade security, compliance and control features. It’s also built into Office, which means that features like IM, voice and video calls will all become a part of the new Office experience.


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