Microsoft Moves to Teams, Drops Skype for Business Online

Have now been using Teams since its inception.  Works well for team operations, chats and goal focused collaboration.    Skype works but has always been shaky,  its advantage is its huge global enrollment.   How will either of these operate versus Slack?  Right now Teams is free.   But converting between any of these will be cumbersome for the enterprise.

Microsoft will drop Skype for Business Online on July 31, 2021
As part of its Skype for Business Online to Teams transition, Microsoft will enable Skype consumer users to communicate with Teams ones using chat and calling starting in Q1 2020.

By Mary Jo Foley for All About Microsoft  .... '

Echo Devices now Support Skype Calling

In further indication of a link between Microsoft and Amazon,  Voice and Video Skype calls can now be made-hands free on Echo devices.  I frequently use Skype for international communications.  Signed up for this and it worked well.  Another move towards Echo for business scenarios.   Text messaging is not yet available, but is coming.

You can now make Skype calls on Amazon Echo devices   By Bruce Brown in DigitalTrends

Just in time for the holiday season, Microsoft and Amazon announced that you can now ask Alexa to make Skype voice and video calls on Echo devices.

In all, 34 countries will soon be Alexa and Skype-enabled. Skype support for the Alexa platform is available now in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Canada, India, Australia, and New Zealand. Support for other countries will be coming soon, according to Microsoft.

You can use Alexa-enabled devices such as the Echo Plus or Dot to make hands-free Skype voice calls.  ... "

Skype Calling Comes to Alexa Devices

This is quote interesting.  Could make for some interesting applications for business applications that can use assistants.  Part of the Amazon and Microsoft agreement about assistant cooperation talked last year.   How about adding Teams as well?  Finally something that looks to have direct business value.  Look forward to taking a closer look as to how this works.

Skype chats are coming to Alexa devices
Voice controlled internet calls to or from any device with Amazon's system in it.

By Richard Lawler, @Rjcc  in Engadget ... "

Robots in Skype Need to Augment Meetings

Not normally a user of Skype, but I have some correspondents who use it.   So I revisited the current Skype system as I needed it.    There has been some controversy about recent re-design.   I loaded it up on an older i-Pad and saw they had added a column of available 'robots' you could interact with.  This option did not show up on i-Phone or Windows versions of Skype.

The robots appear to be skills that can be talked to,  perform various actions. I like the general idea, I may want intelligent support for things I do on Skype.   Even participants in conversations I am having on Skype.  I need a meeting set up with Skype.  Say add a particular kind of expert agent, human or AI, to support a domain I am not up to date in.   Perhaps they could solicit those resources from Linkedin?   Office could take notes.  Azure AI could cross reference them.  Perhaps Cortana could act as a go between in negotiating setting it up?

So now that MSFT has Linkedin, Skype, Teams, Office and Cortana, why not integrate the capabilities with these robots.  Based on my quick look at what was being offered the robots were not doing the right level of skill integration.  All the components are there, so why not?    Microsoft, if you want help with designing this, contact me.

Hands Free Skype Calling via Cortana, and Beyond?

I see you can now do Skype calling hands-free.   A use of Cortana that is fairly obvious.  And one of the few assistant-type serious interactions from Microsoft. I am waiting for.  Would also like some real intelligent integration with their Linkedin acquisition.   Say a search of Linkedin using pattern recognition to extract particular kinds and depth of expertise, and then engaging these people to filter into a team.  And further into an application. And ...   From in our outside your company?

Look at Microsoft Teams

Would think that Teams would be a good thing to connect to Skype, Linkedin and Office tools.  Is it becoming that?

Microsoft Teams: Its features, how it compares to Slack and other rivals

Microsoft's latest entry in the crowded group messaging market continues to evolve. Here's how Microsoft Teams affects Skype for Business and what you need to know to evaluate it against its rivals.

By Matthew Finnegan   Senior Reporter, Computerworld 

Microsoft launched Teams last year as its own take on the booming market for group messaging apps led by Slack and now also fought over by Google, Facebook and Cisco, to name but a few.

As with all team chat tools, the core aim of Microsoft Teams is to connect staff and enhance productivity, providing an alternative to – or even replacing – email. Microsoft describes it as a “digital translation of an open office space.” That’s how a company spokesperson described the software. .... "


             

Skype to Translate Business Meetings

Imagine your conferencing systems translating all the interactions.   Trouble is, translation is still not perfect, so be cautious about this.  In CWorld, 

IFTTT Connects to Skype

IFTTT, a means to create simplified bots based on channels of information, has now been attached to Skype. It is already attached to many other social streams.  No programming required.   Worthwhile experiment that will give you the idea of how bots should be able to work.    At the link, lots of sample recipes for Skype bots.  

Bot Functionality in Skype Conversation

MS appears to be serious in augmenting conversations through new levels of intelligence.  Still primitive, but the direction is interesting ...  Ultimately adding intelligent actors to group conversations.

In CWorld: 
' ... Want to have a group trivia contest on Skype? Microsoft announced updates to the bot functionality in Skype on Friday that let digital quizmasters and other automated participants take part in group text conversations.

Developers that use the functionality can open their robotic conversation partners to groups of friends and coworkers, similar to what Slack offers today. Skype also now supports visual cards that let users see pictures, receipts and more, similar to what Facebook offers bot makers through tools for Messenger ... " 

Microsoft Buying Linkedin

An interesting play, for a mere 26 Billion dollars.  I was involved with looking at Linkedin as an enterprise package for sharing internal connections and expertise.  Can we expect to see this pushed by Microsoft, hopefully cleanly integrated with systems like Skype?  

In particular how the architecture used by a company like Linkedin can be used securely and at scale, for connections to both internal and external sources of expertise.   Does it have this value?   It comes pre-loaded with a large percentage of focused global professionals. Imagine the possibilities for service based applications.    More.

(Update)   I was reminded of Microsoft's Office Graph,  and here in PCWorld. which has similar purpose.  And could be well driven by the Linkedin knowledge.    Also Cortana, which should also be intelligently interconnected,  I hope they do a better job than they have done with Skype integration.

Also,  How LinkedIn failed, Why it's better off inside Microsoft  By Casey Newton

Slack and Skype

Was just introduced to Slack and liked it.  Especially for better email focus.  Now what will its (still limited) integration with Skype look like?   More on the integration in CMSWire:

" .... According to the Skype blog, the integration mirrors much of the way other services work in Slack. All you have to do is type /Skype to begin a conversation with a member of your team. For example, Slack includes several other slash commands like /close, /away, and the always popular /giphy to perform a related commands.

Teams that want to integrate this into their own Slack can do so by adding the Skype button and selecting which channel you want it to work with first. You’ll then be able to launch a Skype conversation, or join an existing one, with any of your Skype contacts in that channel. .. " 

Skype Real Time Translation

Rumored for some time.   And like all translation, variant in context, and never quite perfect.  " .... Microsoft’s impressive Skype real-time translator has finally landed ... ".    When will language barriers actually fall?  

Managing Improvement Knowledge with Concept Maps

Colleague Brian Moon reports an update in Perigean Technologies capabilities statement.  They use concept mapping among other methods, to accelerate improvement through ....

" .... Knowledge Elicitation
   We help experts articulate what they know so that their expertise can accelerate improvement across an organization.
   We provide services and training in Knowledge Elicitation. 

        Expertise Management
  We help identify, articulate, and represent domain expertise so that organizations can preserve and
transfer it.
  We provide services and training in Expertise Management.    ....  "

They worked with us at Procter & Gamble many times, among other clients,  using Concept Mapping.

See their complete capability overview here.

Exemplary group.  See the tag link below for past mentions of Perigean.

Brian Moon
Chief Technology Officer
Perigean Technologies LLC
brian@perigeantechnologies.com
http://www.perigeantechnologies.com
http://twitter.com/perigean
http://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmoonperigeantechnologies
http://gplus.to/perigeantechnologies
P: 540.414.6710
C: 540.429.8126
Skype: perigean
Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA

HoloLens in the Workplace

In CWorld: HoloLens replacing PCs in the workplace?   Even outside the world of design.  Seems a stretch, but why not?    Interface would have to be greatly improved,    Display device light and inobstrusive.  Focused to specific tasks and contexts.   Automatically collaborative and cognitive.

" ... Workers may eventually use a HoloLens headset instead of a traditional Windows computer to communicate with co-workers on Skype or write a report in Word.

That's just one of the predictions from research firm Tractica, which looked at the effect wearable devices will have on enterprises and consumers as the technology becomes more widely used.

Microsoft is pitching its HoloLens augmented reality headset as the next computing platform, said analyst Aditya Kaul in an interview. ... "

Agile Systems by Senex

Today's  ISSIP SIG Education & Research speaker was Dan Greening, Managing Director, Senex Rex LLC. He discussed his perspectives on service innovation and delivered a mind mapping exercise.  Notable is their work with Skype and Microsoft in using Agile methods.

Microsoft Surface Hub

Saw a demonstration of this last week,  Microsoft Surface Hub, with the aim to make it useable from phones to large touch screens using the upcoming Windows 10.  Beyond conferences, can be used to deliver data directly to multiple decision makers that need process synchronization. Saw a presentation of this when it was being delivered by Perceptive Pixel.   And more in CWorld.

" ... Microsoft wants Windows 10 to run on everything—phones, tablets, PCs, and even whiteboards. The Surface Hub is its take on the interactive whiteboard—a collaboration tool for businesses that combines Skype for Business, a 4K HDTV, and the largest capacitive Pen/touch display on the market.

I got some hands-on time with the product at Microsoft's Windows 10 launch event, and came away with one thought—we have to get one of these for the Labs.

I tried the 84-inch and 55-inch versions of the device. Standing next to the 84-inch version, you really get the sense you are standing in front of an enormous blank canvas. The screen runs at 120Hz, which is double what competing whiteboards can deliver.

If you are familiar with Perceptive Pixel, the display company Microsoft acquired two years ago, the Surface Hub will seem familiar, too. In fact, this is the same technology you see on most broadcast news shows. But Microsoft has made some important changes. ... " 

Skype Planning 3D Video

In Fast Company: Not sure this will be generally useful.  Would prefer interface and quality improvements to Skype.  Though in thinking it through it might be an interesting way to augment 3D remote printing applications.

Skype on the iPad

Skype now has an available native App on the iPad. Tested it and it works quite well on wifi. Could use better contact management and additional client options. A few crashes. Overall though it creates a nice video 'desktop' on the pad with a very simple interface. Screen sharing?

Skype IPhone App Includes Video

Engadget post on the update of Skype App which now includes video interaction in 3G and Wifi. Depending on quality could compete strongly with FaceTime.

Making Calls from GMail

You can now make free calls to within the US and Canada from GMail. And make international calls at a low rate. If you have a Google Voice phone number you can also receive calls. Strong competition for Skype? More attachment to Google?

Update: It took a few days until this was up and running. Works well. I would also like a conference call mechanism attached. There may also be a problem if the number is blocked when calling free conference lines. Largely I still use my cell, but this is a convenient connection at times.