Having read the post written by Zig Serafin, corporate vice president for the Skype for Business team, we would like to announce the new updates on Skype for Business that Microsoft launched earlier.

As Microsoft promised all the customers that launching the Skype for Business was just the beginning, Microsoft fulfill the promise and deliver new Skype for Business voice and meetings capabilities in Office 365. These new capabilities will magnify the existing Skype for Business experience, and enable all customers to offer a complete, enterprise-grade communications solution at global scale as part of Office 365.

We are glad to publicize the beginning which is the Technical Preview. Moreover, all Office 365 enterprise customers can register to get a sneak peek and try the new following features:

• Skype Meeting Broadcast, available to eligible Office 365 customers worldwide, enables broadcast of a Skype for Business meeting on the Internet to up to 10,000 people, who can attend in a browser on nearly any device. Skype Meeting Broadcast makes it easy to host large virtual meetings like internal “Town Hall” style meetings and public webinars. The preview includes integration with Bing Pulse, for real-time polling and sentiment tracking, and Yammer, to enable attendee dialogue during the broadcast.
• PSTN Conferencing, available in preview to Office 365 customers in the U.S., allows people invited to a Skype for Business meeting in Office 365 to join the meeting by dialing in using a landline or mobile phone. This traditional dial-in capability is in addition to simple, single touch join options on PC, smartphone and browser, and allows people to join an online meeting even in places with no Internet access. PSTN Conferencing in Office 365 will also allow people to add others to a meeting by dialing out.
• Cloud PBX with PSTN Calling, also available in preview to Office 365 customers in the U.S., provides people the ability to make and receive traditional phone calls in their Skype for Business client, and manage these calls with features like hold, resume, forward and transfer. This preview is built on the proven enterprise voice technology available in Lync Server and Skype for Business Server. Later this year, we will ship Cloud PBX for customers worldwide, with a configuration option for customers to use existing on-premises phone lines for inbound and outbound calling.

Besides the aforementioned previews delivered by Microsoft, it will be delivered direct connections to Office 365 Skype for Business customers later this year through Azure ExpressRoute for Office 365 by Microsoft also.

Office 365 is the world’s cloud for productivity. Through making complete, enterprise-grade communications an integral part of Office 365. Microsoft is enabling people to connect with one another across all forms of human expression—verbal, written, visual and emotional.

Welcome to the new era of workplace communications where Microsoft bring traditional calling and conferencing into with much greater flexibility over the Internet. Keep your fingers crossed.

To see a demonstration of the Skype Meeting Broadcast experience and learn more about how it works, watch this Office Mechanics video and share us your comment: