[German]Microsoft has also announced the availability of its Skype for Business Server Subscription Edition (SE) as of July 1, 2025. This is intended to provide and maintain an on-premises solution for Skype for customers who do not wish to rely on the Microsoft Teams cloud solution.
A blog reader commented on the German article Exchange Server Subscription Edition (SE) verfügbar (1. Juli 2025) and pointed out the release of Skype for Business Server Subscription Edition (SE) (thanks for that). Microsoft has published the details in the Techcommunity post Skype for Business Server Subscription Edition (SE) is now available.
Microsoft states that it will continue to offer an on-premises unified communications platform that integrates instant messaging, voice and video calls, online meetings and presence information. While Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 rely on the cloud and include Microsoft 365 Copilot, Skype for Business Server SE will continue to run on the customer's servers.
Similar to the Exchange Server Subscription Edition (SE), the Skype for Business Server Subscription Edition (SE) is also being converted to a new model with a Modern Lifecycle Policy. This means that there is no longer a fixed end date for support. Customers' Skype SE configurations will be kept up to date by means of updates. Microsoft refers to the code base of Skype for Business Server SE as an "evergreen" product that is continuously maintained without further major versions with a yearly number. This is somewhat reminiscent of the Windows 10 approach, which lasted a whole 10 years until Windows 11 came along.
The Release to Manufacturing (RTM) build of Skype for Business Server SE can be installed as a Cumulative Update (CU) to Skype for Business Server 2019 (see). More information about the upgrade process can be found in this article from April 2025.
For customers already using Skype for Business Server 2019, Microsoft recommends upgrading to Skype for Business Server SE. Microsoft has published an article Why "in-place upgrade" from Skype for Business Server 2019 to Subscription Edition (SE) is low risk.
Skype for Business Server SE RTM differs from previous Skype for Business Server RTM versions as it uses Skype for Business Server 2019 CU8HF1 (i.e. the March 2025 cumulative update 7.0.2046.548 for Skype for Business Server 2019) as its codebase and does not contain any major changes compared to Skype for Business Server 2019 CU8HF1. Details of what changes with the in-place upgrade (nothing is added or removed, but there is a new eula and new branding) can be found in the Techcommunity post.
