The familiar blue icon of Skype has been a staple for online conversations for years. However, with Microsoft set to retire the platform on May 5, 2025, it's time for businesses to look for other options. The good news? Business communication tools have evolved dramatically, offering a wealth of smarter, more integrated alternatives that can truly elevate how your team connects and collaborates.

The award-winning productivity suite Microsoft 365 comes in several different packages to suit the budgets and needs of various types of businesses. Read on to learn which one is best for your company.
Information workers or frontline workers?
Microsoft 365 is the obvious choice if you’re running cloud-based business systems, but the main question is which suite will serve your needs best.

Office 365 has become the go-to all-in-one tool for businesses in recent years. With different Office 365 plans — Business, Business Premium, Enterprise E1, E3, and E5 — you can have a set of services and features that are perfect for your business.

Many industries now utilize Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for better communication quality with lower costs. And with the many options on digital communications, taking your pick could be overwhelming. This guide will help you decide which VoIP system suits you best.

If you wish to bring down your wireless bill, download and use a VoIP app for making calls instead. Most apps are easy to use, and are low-cost or free depending on how you make your calls. Here are four of the best VoIP apps in the market today.

WhatsApp
The increasingly popular WhatsApp provides more than just text chats between users.

Businesses continue to install tools like Skype, Slack, Yammer, HipChat, Google Hangouts, and Microsoft Teams, but many struggle to get users to adopt them. Adoption, however is not something that comes overnight; it requires in-depth strategies. Here are ways to ensure people make use of your collaboration tools.

With more targeted attacks on social networking services than ever, private conversations with your business partners can become public information. To prevent this, Skype has released a new feature that ensures complete privacy by encrypting all types of communication.

Switching to internet-based phones gives you the chance to enjoy innovative new call features and significant cost reductions. There are a lot of options when choosing which voice over IP (VoIP) platform you use, but first you need to pick whether you’ll use an open-source or proprietary system.

Skype has made many improvements to become the go-to audio and video communication tool. But as more people turn to Skype to conduct their business, hackers are sure to follow. Recently, Skype has been plagued with fake Flash ads, which if triggered, lead to devastating ransomware infections.

From Word to SharePoint, Office 365 has a lot offer. But each business requires different features from Office 365. Some may prioritize business analytics, while others may be content with no more than the productivity suite and Outlook. If you’re planning to deploy Office 365, first consider your business needs, then use the information below to find out which license is right for you.