A business phone system that works the way it should. Reign in your remote workforce with a single place for business conversations, no matter the device or location. With mobile apps that make you feel like you’re working out of HQ, your business phone system now goes where you go. Understand why callers are reaching your business (plus what was said) with native Ai insights.

Get messaging, audio and video calls, online meetings, and sharing all in one app. Meet with up to 250 people – even if they’re not on Skype for Business. All they need is a phone or Internet connection. See contacts’ online statuses, schedule meetings, and start conversations from Office apps.

2020 - Dialpad raises $100M Series E at a $1.2B valuation
Dialpad, the business-centric voice, video and contact-center service, has raised a $100 million Series E funding. The company says its valuation is over $1.2 billion after it has now raised a total of $245 million. The funding news comes only a few weeks after the company also announced its acquisition of video conferencing service Highfive, a move that brought deeper expertise in mobile video and conferencing room devices to the company. Recently, Dialpad has put a lot of emphasis on its AI solutions. Back in 2018, it launched its VoiceAI service, for example, and it now offers a number of AI solutions as part of its Voice Intelligence service (or Vi, as the company calls it). This includes a note-taking service, for example, as well as call transcripts and sentiment analysis, among other features.
2020 - Dialpad acquires video conferencing service Highfive
VoIP provider Dialpad, the company behind the popular video conferencing service UberConference, today announced that it has acquired Highfive, a well-funded video conferencing startup that focuses on providing businesses with conference room solutions. Dialpad is clearly aiming to double down on video. While UberConference does have built-in video conferencing features already, the service is mostly known for its calling features. In addition to its conference call solutions and VoiP platform for business users, Dialpad also offers a contact center solution.
2018 - Dialpad acquired AI-startup TalkIQ
Dialpad, the business communications platform, has acquired TalkIQ to take an injection of artificial intelligence. TalkIQ can capture voice in near real time and apply sentiment analysis and analytics. This could provide a customer service operation with feedback in real time along with advice for managers when to intervene in a call. The TalkIQ functionality will be incorporated natively right into the Dialpad suite of apps, which includes voice and video along with customer service call center management and UberConference for conference calling. So we may assume that Dialpad is now more smart in comparison to RingCentral
2017 - Microsoft Teams will replace Skype for Business
Microsoft announced that its new groupchat Teams will become its core communications platform for users running Office 365. Until now, Skype for Business was the company’s product for this. According to Ron Markezich, the company’s corporate VP for Office 365, Teams will become the “hero and primary experience for all voice, video and meetings.” Over time, Teams will replace the current Skype for Business client. Microsoft obviously knows that enterprises don’t move fast, so for those who don’t want to do away with their existing PBX systems and calling capabilities to the cloud, it’ll launch a new version of the Skype for Business server in 2018. For those who do make the transition to Teams, Microsoft promises lots of new calling features and meeting enhancements with outbound and inbound calls to and from regular phones, support for voicemail, call holding, call transfers and other standard telephony features.
2016 - Skype for Business is available on Mac to fight Cisco Spark
Microsoft announced the launch of Skype for Business for Mac Preview – the business-focused version of Skype’s communications services aimed at a commercial client base. I.T. administrators and individuals can sign up to test the new desktop software, which introduces features like Outlook integration, additional security, and calls that allow for up to 250 people versus Skype’s 25 max. However, Microsoft says invites will roll out first to I.T. admins before becoming more broadly available.
2015 - Microsoft begins rolling out Skype For Business (to replace Lync)
Microsoft’s Skype for Business, which is designed to replace the company’s older enterprise communication tool Lync, has become publicly available. The company is also now rolling out Skype for Business Online to its Office 365 customers who currently use Lync Online. With Skype for Business, enterprise customers will have access to software that greatly resembles Skype’s consumer-facing client application in look-and-feel, but it comes with enterprise-grade security and compliance features that allow an IT organization to better administer and control the software’s use internally within an organization. Skype for Business conversations are authenticated through Active Directory and encrypted, and IT can manage the company’s user accounts and deployments. The system also interoperates with companies’ PBX systems or legacy video teleconferencing systems, if need be.
2014 - Microsoft enabled video calling between Skype and Lync users to challenge Lotus Sametime
Last year Microsoft enabled Skype-Lync interoperation with text messaging and audio. Today, the video integration also becomes available. Skype users can now video call contacts on Lync, and vice versa, Microsoft announced this morning. To use the now cross-platform video calling feature, you don’t have to do anything differently from before – you just kick off the call the same way you do today. However, video calling is supported only on an up-to-date Lync 2013 client on Android, iOS or Windows and on Skype for Windows desktop. Skype is now working to expand this integration to more platforms, starting with iOS and Android. The change follows a series of deeper integrations between the two products, the latter of which will be rebranded “Skype for Business” sometime in 2015.
2014 - Microsoft will rename Lync as Skype for Business
Microsoft will rebrand its enterprise communications solution Lync as Skype for Business in 2015. The change will see Lync’s interface harmonized to something close to the current Skype’s interface. Skype for Business won’t be available until next year. Lync won’t fold into Skype entirely — instead, it will remain a separate application. I saw a demo of an early version of the Skype for Business client last week, and it certainly did appear to be quite similar to how Skype looks now. Users in Skype for Business will able to call regular Skype users from the application. The rebranding fits with Microsoft's strategy to 're-invent productivity' for all, not just business. To that end, it wants to offer a unified experience across services, so consumers and businesses have similar experiences.
2013 - Microsoft connected Lync and Skype
Almost 300 million people around the world use Skype. This is a very large customer base, that's why many companies add skype-address to their contacts in order to offer customers a convenient communication channel. But in large companies using Skype at the workplace - doesn't fit the corporate security policy. Therefore, the integration of Skype with Lync communication server can become a breakthrough for deploying Skype in large companies. And thus Microsoft can get a significant competitive advantage over Cisco, Avaya and other enterprise communication vendors. That's was the main reason why Microsoft acquired Skype for a lot of money.
So now Lync (or Lync Online in Office 365) users can add Skype contacts to their contact list, see their online status, chat and call them. The same actions are available for Skype users.
What is not implemented yet: video calling, conferencing, support for Skype mobile apps. Microsoft promised to add these features later.
2011 - Microsoft unplugs Skype from Asterisk to defeate Asterisk
Today Digium (the developer of the open-source PBX-platform Asterisk) has notified its customers that the sales of its product Skype for Asterisk will be terminated since July 26. Recall, Skype and Digium released this Skype for Asterisk connector back in 2009. It allows companies that use Asterisk-based PBX-systems to integrate them with the Skype network and make / receive Skype-calls using the regular office phones. But the new Skype's owner Microsoft, of course, has no particular desire to support the free Asterisk, that competes with its own product Lync (MS Communications Server). So Microsoft decided not to prolong the contract with Digium. Digium assured that existing Skype for Asterisk users will be able to use their Skype-channels during two more years.
It should be noted that Skype has its own service that allows any SIP-based PBX systems (including the Asterisk) to integrate with the Skype network. It's called Skype Connect (formerly Skype for SIP). And hardly Microsoft will close this service. First, it's sold by Skype, i.e. by Microsoft (and not by Digium) and it requires the subscription fee for the use of Skype-channels (4.95 euros per month). Second, Microsoft is still interested in more companies using the Skype network (even if they use IP-PBX systems other than Lync). Because, if they get linked to Skype, it will be more easy to sell them Lync that will allow to get the maximum features of the Skype network.