Microsoft has released some new guidance for when it will launch Skype for Business Server Subscription Edition (SE). This will be the next major version of its Skype for Business Server application, replacing the current Skype for Business Server 2019 edition,
In a blog post, Microsoft stated that Skype for Business Server 2019 will receive its eighth cumulative update, also known as CU8, sometime in the second half of 2024. The company says CU8 will add some new features, including Persistent Chat. The blog post states:
PChat lets users create discussion rooms centered around specific topics, with those conversations persisted over time. Based on valuable feedback from our user community, we are providing an option to install PChat in our next CU.
The Modern Admin Control Panel will also get some new features in CU8, including a new tab for instant messaging and presence management, real-time monitoring and archiving capabilities, centralized security settings, and more,
However, Skype for Business Server 2019, along with the earlier Skype for Business Server 2015, will both reach their end-of-support date on October 14, 2025. In its place, the company plans to launch the Skype for Business Server SE sometime in the early part of the third quarter of 2025. Microsoft says the hardware specs, the operating system, and other requirements for Skype for Business Server 2019 will remain the same for Skype for Business Server SE.
The post added:
The licensing model for Skype for Business Server SE is the same as SharePoint Server Subscription Edition and Exchange Server Subscription Edition, which requires subscription licenses or licenses with active Software Assurance for server and user licenses.
Businesses that have the earlier Skype for Business Server 2015 are being recommended to update to Skype for Business Server 2019, and then get the CU8 upgrade later this year, and then finally perform an in-place upgrade to the upcoming Skype for Business Server SE when it launches. Skype for Business Server 2019 can upgrade to CU8 in 2024, and also perform their own in-place update when Skype for Business Server SE launches.
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