Skype for Business is an instant messaging and collaboration tool which lets individuals chat with one another, share their screen, and start e-conferences and meetings.
Skype for Business is incredibly useful for teams and departments that are spread across different offices, buildings, campuses or geographic areas. It allows for users to send short messages to one another, create small group chats, and to also share content and have a “presence” status, such as busy, available, or away.
Two versions of Skep for Business are currently avialable: a version provided by Provost IT and another version provided by USC Information Technology Services (ITS) that integrates with Office 365. Either one of these versions might be used depending on which department you work for and whether you already use Office 365 or not.
Departments which still use Provost Email and use Skype for Business are likely using the version provided by Provost IT. Departments fully utilizing Office 365 for their email are likely using Skype for Business through Office 365, which is provided by ITS. The desktop client for each version is the same in its appearance, although the ITS-provided version also has a web-based client that appears in Office 365’s web access site.
All users of Office 365 are automatically given a Skype for Business account. The login for this account is the same as their USCNet ID account. All users of the Provost version of Skype for Business require a Skype account to be specifically requested for them. This can be done when their account is created, or at any point thereafter by submitting a request to Provost IT. The login for Provost IT-created accounts is the same as a user’s Provost Account credentials.
Related Services
Eligibility
- Office 365 version: any USC staff or faculty member, and select iVIPs
- Provost version: staff, faculty, student workers and iVIPs within departments supported by Provost IT
Data Security
- Approved to store low-risk data only
Pricing
- Both versions are free for eligible users