Skype for Business Client for Mac Goodness

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I love updates.

I actually get geekily excited when I get prompted to shut down Office while Click-to-Run updates my Office install. When it’s done, I can’t wait to see “what’s different”.

On Sunday, my TV prompted me to apply a software update, and I had to force myself to not run the update in the middle of the football game.

Heck, I even like seeing that I have updated antivirus definitions.

I know…I need to get out more.

So you can imagine my excitement when I saw the announcement about a new Skype for Business client for Mac. Working with partners and customers over the last year has been a rising crescendo of “When is the new Skype for Business Mac client going to be released?” - frequently followed by “I thought you said it was coming in <insert month here>”.

Well, it’s here now, and it’s beautiful! https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=54108

Edge-to-edge video and fully immersive content sharing and viewing means that Mac users truly get a first class experience!

If you rushed out to order yourself a new MacBook Pro this week – first of all, you should have bought a SurfaceBook. But I’ll assume you need the new MacBook “for testing purposes”. The new MacBook runs the Sierra OS, which is supported with the new SfB Mac client, so - you’re good! (It’s also supported on El Capitan if you aren’t an “update-aholic”.) To get Outlook integration, you’ll need to have the Outlook for Mac build 15.27.

But wait…there’s MORE!

What makes it doubly exciting is that the Skype Operations Framework (SOF) got an update to go along with the Mac client update! If you haven’t yet familiarized yourself with the Skype Operations Framework, you should stop reading this right now and go check it out here: https://www.skypeoperationsframework.com

It’s a fantastic set of documentation and guides that help ensure that your Skype for Business deployment are successful. And it now includes guidance for planning and deploying the Skype for Business client to end users who prefer to use a Mac! There’s even a video training module that shows you the differences between the Mac and other clients and gives some troubleshooting guidance.

Yes, I love updates. And I love it when the updates allow me to pass along good news to our partners and customers – and this news is certainly welcome.

Enjoy the new Skype for Business client on your Mac!