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Microsoft Lync is now handled through the Skype for Business Server migration path: for supported on-premises deployments, configure hybrid connectivity, move users to Microsoft Teams, and make TeamsOnly the destination. During the transition, choose either an overlapping Teams-and-Skype-for-Business experience or a controlled, workload-by-workload shift. If traditional video-conferencing rooms must remain in service, an interoperability platform such as Pexip may bridge them to meetings, but it needs its own architecture and support review.
What connecting Lync to video conferencing means now
Lync is a legacy product name in this context. Microsoft’s current migration guidance is organized around Skype for Business Server and Teams, rather than a new Lync-to-Teams connector. Teams combines chat, meetings, calling, collaboration, app integration, and file storage in one interface, but reaching that state requires planning the user transition and the real-time media environment.
There are two related but distinct problems to solve: moving people and workloads from Lync or Skype for Business to Teams, and allowing Teams users to meet with participants or room systems that still use older video-conferencing technology. A migration plan may need to address both.
Choose how users will coexist during the transition
Islands: run Teams alongside Skype for Business
In Islands mode, users can operate Teams and Skype for Business at the same time. Microsoft describes it as the default mode for an existing Skype for Business organization, with eventual TeamsOnly adoption as the destination. It can suit a gradual rollout where people need time to learn Teams or administrators need to test meeting rooms and workflows in stages.
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Selective transition: move capabilities in stages
TeamsUpgradePolicy lets administrators control which capabilities move to Teams before a user is fully TeamsOnly. Users who have not reached TeamsOnly continue to use Skype for Business for chat and calling, while interoperability allows them to communicate with TeamsOnly users. This approach gives administrators more workload-level control, but makes it important to communicate clearly which app users should use for each task.
TeamsOnly: complete the user move
TeamsOnly is the target state for users moved from a supported on-premises Skype for Business deployment to the cloud. Teams then handles their chats, calls, and meeting scheduling. Microsoft documents automatic conversion of the user’s on-premises meetings to Teams meetings as part of this move; administrators can track conversion status with migration tooling.
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How to plan an on-premises Lync or Skype for Business move
- Inventory the environment. Record server versions and builds, users, meeting types, dial-in and audio-conferencing requirements, room systems, SIP or H.323 dependencies, and DNS records. Identify which rooms must continue joining meetings during the transition.
- Select the coexistence approach. Decide whether users will begin in Islands or move capabilities selectively with TeamsUpgradePolicy. Define pilot groups and what must work before each group advances.
- Establish hybrid connectivity and check server builds. Microsoft’s hybrid migration guidance lists these minimum builds for moving users between on-premises and cloud: Lync Server 2013 CU10 with Hotfix 7, build 5.0.8308.1182; Skype for Business Server 2015 CU12, build 6.0.9319.619; and Skype for Business Server 2019 CU6, build 7.0.2046.385. Confirm that the deployment meets the applicable requirements before scheduling moves.
- Confirm licensing for dependent capabilities. Assign Teams Phone System or Audio Conferencing licenses when users’ on-premises deployment depends on those capabilities. Check the requirements for the organization’s actual calling and meeting design rather than assuming the migration alone supplies them.
- Prepare the network and rooms. Optimize network paths for real-time audio, video, and meetings. Test cameras, microphones, room controllers, and screen sharing with representative users and room configurations.
- Move a pilot group and monitor it. Move pilot users to TeamsOnly using the documented migration tools. Check meeting-conversion status, user workflows, calls, and room participation before moving the next group.
- Repeat in rolling groups, then retire the old environment deliberately. After all users have migrated, Microsoft’s execution guidance calls for disabling hybrid and decommissioning the on-premises infrastructure according to its procedures.
Skype for Business Online is not a fallback for this plan: Microsoft retired the service on July 31, 2021. The migration path described here concerns supported on-premises Lync or Skype for Business deployments and their move to Teams.
Keep legacy video-conferencing rooms in the meeting path
Moving users to Teams does not by itself establish that every traditional room system can join a Teams meeting. Pexip’s deployment guide describes Pexip Infinity as a way for Skype for Business or Lync users to meet with browser participants and traditional video-conferencing systems. Treat this as a vendor example of an interoperability platform, not as a guarantee that every model, feature, or deployment is supported.
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Before choosing a bridge, validate the current architecture, licensing, security controls, and support requirements. Document which functions are available across the connection—especially chat, content sharing, recording, and lobby controls—rather than assuming the experience matches a native Teams room.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Compare the migration approaches before choosing
| Approach | Coexistence | Meeting behavior | Legacy-room interoperability | Planning emphasis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Islands | Teams and Skype for Business run alongside each other. | Meeting conversion behavior is not stated for Islands in Microsoft’s migration guidance. | A separate interoperability design may be needed for traditional systems; Pexip documents one example. | User training, room testing, network readiness, and clear guidance on which client to use. |
| Selective transition | Capabilities shift to Teams in stages using TeamsUpgradePolicy; users not yet TeamsOnly retain Skype for Business chat and calling. | Conversion behavior for each intermediate policy is not stated here. | Assess SIP/H.323 and room requirements separately; Teams interop between users does not itself establish room compatibility. | Workload sequencing, interop between user groups, licensing, and administration of policy stages. |
| TeamsOnly move | The moved user uses Teams for chats, calls, and meeting scheduling. | Microsoft documents automatic conversion of on-premises meetings to Teams meetings; status is trackable through migration tooling. | Validate any retained legacy-room bridge and its feature limits. | Hybrid prerequisites, supported server builds, licenses for dependent services, media testing, and orderly decommissioning. |
The table distinguishes user coexistence from room interoperability: successfully enabling Teams and Skype for Business users to communicate does not prove a traditional room endpoint can join every meeting.
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What to verify in a pilot
- Users can sign in and use the intended client for chat, calling, and scheduled meetings.
- Converted meetings appear as expected, and migration status can be checked.
- Audio, video, screen sharing, cameras, microphones, and room controllers work over the network paths users will actually use.
- Any retained legacy room can join through the selected interoperability design, with limitations documented for participants and support teams.
- Calling and audio-conferencing capabilities are covered by the required licenses.
- Security and compliance controls remain appropriate across Teams, any hybrid components, and any third-party bridge.
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