Microsoft notified organizations that Skype for Business Online ended on July 31, 2021: moving to Microsoft Teams

Skype for Business Online was retired on July 31, 2021, and the organizations that used it moved to Microsoft Teams. Since then, the versions installed on companies’ own servers have also reached their end (Skype for Business Server 2015 and 2019, in October 2025), and Skype for home users was shut down in May 2025. Below you’ll find what Microsoft announced in 2021 and what still needs to be done now.

In July 2021, Microsoft sent organizations another warning about the shutdown of Skype for Business Online, following a notable one in January of the same year. Microsoft probably insisted more than usual because the move from Skype for Business Online to Microsoft Teams was so complex.

If you’re still using Skype for Business, contact RezolvIT for the migration to Microsoft Teams.

The general practice in migrations like this is to use both solutions in parallel at first, in “coexistence.” Later, users are moved to the so-called “Teams Only” mode, in which all communication takes place in Teams.

What happened to Skype for Business Online?

Time ran out for the organizations using Skype for Business Online: from August 2021, the service was no longer accessible.

“Skype for Business Online will be retired on July 31, 2021, after which it will no longer be accessible or supported,” explained a Microsoft Skype for Business upgrade document.

Microsoft’s warning included a list of the features that disappeared along with Skype for Business Online:

• Services that integrated with Skype for Business Online were no longer supported after July 31, 2021. This includes support for third-party audio conferencing providers (ACPs), Skype for Business Online Cloud Connector Edition (CCE) and hybrid voice configurations, as well as Skype Meeting Broadcast.
• After Skype for Business Online was retired, customers could no longer move online users out of Teams Only mode.
• Coexistence modes let customers use Skype for Business Server and Teams in parallel, until they were ready to move users to Teams only.
• Users could be moved directly from Skype for Business Server to Teams only after Skype for Business had been configured in hybrid mode with Microsoft 365 or Office 365.

If organizations had bought premium licenses for Skype for Business Online features, those features and licenses were extended to Teams, as explained in Microsoft’s FAQ document.

Organizations didn’t get every feature one-to-one when they moved from Skype for Business Online to Teams. The list of “native interop experience limitations” can be found in Microsoft’s document on Teams and Skype for Business coexistence and interoperability.

Luca Vitali, a Microsoft MVP, also published a visual comparison of Teams and Skype for Business features: the Teams and Skype for Business feature comparison table.

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What has changed since 2021?

• Skype for Business Server 2015 and 2019 stopped receiving updates on October 14, 2025, when extended support ended. Organizations that need to stay on their own servers can move to Skype for Business Server Subscription Edition, which installs as an in-place upgrade over version 2019. For everyone else, Teams is the natural path.
• Skype for home users was shut down on May 5, 2025, following an announcement Microsoft made on February 28, 2025. Users were moved to Microsoft Teams (free).
• Teams is sold separately from Microsoft 365: since October 1, 2023 in the European Economic Area and since April 1, 2024 worldwide, for new business customers. When you buy or renew licenses, check whether they include Teams.
• Communication with partners happens in Teams through external access (chats with other organizations) and by inviting partners as guests to your teams.

You’ll find more practical tips in our article Microsoft Teams: productivity and collaboration explained in plain language.

Migrating to Teams with RezolvIT’s help

Microsoft’s assisted upgrade program sounded good, but it wasn’t offered to every customer. “At this time, we have no plans to schedule upgrades for enterprise customers,” Microsoft said in its FAQ document in 2021.

To support smaller customers without dedicated IT resources, RezolvIT offered help with the move from Skype for Business Online to Teams, as well as complete IT services for migrating to the cloud. We still help those who are giving up their Skype for Business servers in the same way today: we configure Teams (teams, channels, guest access) and show employees how to work with it.

IT plans and the model with a single point of contact for IT (SPOC) are competitive advantages that SMEs can use when their budget doesn’t allow for an in-house IT department.