Microsoft Floats Uncertain Plans for Skype for Business Server ‘VNext’ — Redmondmag.com

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Microsoft floats uncertain plans for Skype for Business Server ‘VNext’

Microsoft announced on Monday that it had no details to share about Skype for Business Server “vNext,” a “subscription-only” version of the product designed for customer on-premises installations.

The announcement hinted that Microsoft is currently evaluating customer demand for the subscription-only server product. Organizations using current Skype for Business Server products should plan to migrate to Skype for Business Server 2019 to save for the vNext upgrade, the announcement suggested.

Here’s Microsoft’s statement to that effect:

At Ignite 2020, we announced version-less subscription plans called “vNext” for an on-premises solution. We continue to evaluate customer demand for this opportunity and are committed to supporting Skype for Business Server after October 14, 2025, but we do not have additional details to share at this time. Customers who want to stay on-premises should plan to upgrade to Skype for Business Server 2019 because this version is the furthest window for the core service, the easiest upgrade to “vNext,” and the easiest way to move users to Teams in the future.

The statement that Microsoft is “committed to supporting Skype for Business Server after October 14, 2025” is a bit odd because the current product, Skype for Business Server 2019, will be phased out on the same date, according to Microsoft’s lifecycle. Support page. Presumably, Microsoft’s statement clearly confirms that the VNext product will indeed be released.

Microsoft has cut the extended support period for Skype for Business Server 2019 to two years. It will reach the end of product support at the same time as Skype for Business Server 2015 — that is, on October 14, 2025.

It’s unclear why Microsoft made such an announcement, although the VNext subscription-only Skype for Business Server product is expected to arrive sometime this year. Presumably, VNext’s subscription-only Skype for Business server product will miss its intended 2022 shipping milestone.

Such a timetable is still being announced for the upcoming vNext subscription-only Exchange Server product. Production of vNext Exchange Server is now expected to arrive sometime in 2025, Microsoft announced in June.

Other server products such as SharePoint Server and Project Server have already transitioned to Microsoft’s subscription-only VNext model. In this model, organizations run server software on infrastructure, but pay Microsoft monthly for each user. Microsoft announced this general vNext shift for its application server products in 2020.

A VNext license, at least for SharePoint Server, also requires payment for a server license and a client access license. According to this Microsoft statement, registrations are maintained by annually renewing software certification (also required).