With support for Skype for Business (SfB) coming to an end, now is the time to re-evaluate your communications strategy. Microsoft Teams is the natural successor, providing a unified platform for messaging, meetings, collaboration, and enterprise-grade PSTN calling.
Migrating to Teams unlocks greater flexibility, cost savings, and scalability. As organisations continue to embrace cloud-first strategies, moving away from traditional on-premise telephony is a logical and forward-thinking step in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
At Nasstar, we’ve helped numerous organisations make the transition from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams, ensuring minimal disruption and maximum long-term value. However, we also recognise that migration isn’t always immediately possible due to regulatory, technical, or operational constraints.
In these cases, we offer an interim solution, Skype for Business Server Subscription Edition. This option allows you to maintain business continuity while you prepare for a full migration.
Wherever possible, we recommend modernising your telephony environment with Microsoft Teams and enabling calling through solutions like Operator Connect, Direct Routing, or Microsoft Calling Plans. And when a phased approach is required, Nasstar is here to support you with secure, strategic alternatives every step of the way.
Key features
Microsoft Teams has quickly become Microsoft’s flagship platform for communication and collaboration. Designed as a single pane of glass, Teams brings together chat, meetings, calling, productivity, and collaborative tools into one unified workspace. Building on the foundation laid by Skype for Business, Teams was initially adopted for its instant messaging and VoIP capabilities. However, it has since evolved to offer far more, integrating channels for team collaboration, app extensibility, and native integration with the wider Microsoft 365 suite.
As of now, Microsoft reports that Teams is used by over 320 million daily active users, with more than 20 million leveraging Teams Phone to meet their enterprise telephony needs.
Here are the top five key features of migrating from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams:
Cloud-based calling
Modern telephony options with Teams Phone, including Operator Connect, Direct Routing, and Microsoft Calling Plans
Enhanced collaboration
Persistent chat, file sharing, co-authoring, and team channels for better cross-functional teamwork
Enterprise-grade security
Built-in compliance, encryption, and governance controls to meet organisational security needs
Unified communication
One platform for chat, meetings, calls, and collaboration
Microsoft 365 integration
Deep integration with tools like Outlook, SharePoint, and OneDrive
Ash Ward
Comms Capability Lead at Nasstar
"The move from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams is more than a platform upgrade, it’s a shift towards a more integrated, agile, and future-proof way of working. We’ve seen first-hand how migrating to Teams reduces friction across business communication, enhances productivity, and unlocks the full potential of the Microsoft ecosystem. At Nasstar, we combine deep technical expertise with a strong focus on user experience to ensure your migration is smooth, secure, and strategically aligned with your goals."
Related Services/Solutions
Skype for Business has long served as a core communications tool within the Microsoft ecosystem. However, as the digital workplace has evolved, so too have the demands on communication platforms. With the rapid growth of hybrid work, and the increasing integration of AI, security, and collaboration tools into everyday workflows, Skype for Business has struggled to keep pace.
Migrating to Microsoft Teams offers a significant upgrade - not only in functionality but also in integration. Teams is built to work natively with the full Microsoft 365 suite, enabling your organisation to streamline processes, reduce app switching, and gain valuable insights through Microsoft’s advanced analytics and AI capabilities.
At Nasstar, we offer end-to-end support throughout your migration journey, from strategy and planning to technical execution and user adoption, ensuring a seamless transition that delivers long-term value. 365
Our expertise
At Nasstar, our extensive partnership with Microsoft places us in an ideal position to expertly guide you through your migration from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams. Transitioning to Teams provides your business with a host of benefits that outclass legacy communication systems, and our team is dedicated to making this changeover as smooth as possible.
Our seasoned professionals, with considerable experience in Microsoft migration projects, will ensure a seamless shift from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams. We meticulously plan and execute every step of the
Why choose Nasstar?
Nasstar is a trusted Microsoft Solutions Partner with deep expertise in unified communications and cloud transformation. We’ve helped organisations of all sizes navigate the complexities of moving from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams, ensuring minimal disruption and maximum value.Here’s why clients choose us:
- Proven experience
We’ve delivered hundreds of successful migrations across a wide range of industries.
- End-to-end support
From strategy and planning to deployment and user adoption, we guide you through every step.
- Tailored solutions
We understand that no two businesses are the same. We build bespoke migration plans based on your environment, goals, and constraints.
- Technical expertise
Our certified Microsoft specialists and cloud engineers are always on hand to solve complex challenges.
Flexible options
Whether you're ready for Teams or need a bridge solution like Skype for Business Server Subscription Edition, we’ve got you covered.
Choosing Nasstar means choosing a partner committed to your long-term success in the Microsoft ecosystem.
years Microsoft Partnerr
Member of the FastTrack program
Azure, AI, Modern Work, Business Applications and Security certifications
strong team of experts in our dedicated Microsoft Practice
Alain Erasmus
Deputy Network Manager at South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust
"Partnering with Nasstar was a game-changer for us. Their team took on the challenge of moving us from a legacy PBX system to Microsoft Teams and made it look easy. They handled everything from technical hurdles to user adoption, all while making sure we stayed on track. The benefits have been clear: reduced costs, improved comms, and better care for our patients. We’re thrilled with the results and grateful for the support Nasstar provided throughout the process."
FAQs
Skype for Business 2015 and 2019 both reach end of life in Oct 2025. After that point Microsoft will no longer provide technical support for these products, including:
- Technical support for problems that may occur.
- Bug fixes for issues that are discovered and that may impact the stability and usability of the server.
- Security fixes for vulnerabilities that are discovered and that may make the server vulnerable to security breaches
Organisations are encouraged to transition to Microsoft Teams, which offers enhanced communication and collaboration features.
Short answer: to remain supported and secure. Unless there is a compliance or performance reason to remain on-premises, in which case Nasstar can assist in an upgrade to Skype for Business Subscription Edition, organisations should look to migrate to Microsoft Teams. Microsoft’s investment in Microsoft 365, and cloud services, means organisations gain the benefit of easy to use, secure communication and collaboration tools, as part of their wider end-user computing estate.
Yes. Microsoft Teams has been designed as the cloud-service replacement to Skype for Business Online and remains as such for Skype for Business server platforms. Nasstar can support the assessment of use cases, configuration and useability to ensure as close as like-for-like end user experience as possible as part of migration planning activities.
The migration from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams is dependent on several factors, including the number of users, complexity of configuration and risk management. The process is relatively straightforward, and the Microsoft Teams platform would be built out, configured and tested prior to user migration. Once Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams are integrated, and configuration and functionality has been validated, the migration of users is driven based on a customer’s migration schedule. This can be a single event, or several smaller events over a period.
Unless you are new to the Microsoft 365 world and have elected to purchase Microsoft 365 without Teams, then you are likely already using it today. Migrating to Microsoft Teams from Skype for Business will likely simplify the user experience, by only having a single communication platform, rather than having both in individual islands.
Users may experience a brief disconnect in functionality during the scheduled cutover event as the telephony element moves from one platform to another. General use of Microsoft Teams will remain constant throughout, making the migration as seamless as possible.
Nasstar engagements are all scoped to include a level of project-led hypercare support as part of the delivery. Following on from that, Nasstar can provide on-going managed services around the Microsoft Teams Voice and wider Microsoft 365 platform for complete peace of mind.