For a decade, Skype has been at the forefront of voice over IP (VOIP) technologies that allow us to communicate in a variety of ways using audio, video and instant messaging.
Skype allows us to communicate quickly and frequently over the course of the day, whether we happen to be working in Mexico or traveling to another country for a client presentation.
Skype recently announced that users are spending an astounding 2 billion minutes a day connecting over the network. At peak times, there are more than 40 million Skype users online.
Skype was first released in public beta back in August 2003. Their software has had a large impact on modern communications over the past decade.
Technologies developed by Skype have long attracted the eyes of larger companies. eBay acquired Skype in 2005 for $2.6 billion as part of a strategy to enhance communications between buyers and sellers. Six years later, eBay claimed to have made a total return of $1.4 billion on its original investment. Later, Microsoft bought Skype from investors led by private equity firm Silver Lake, the largest investor in a group that bought 70 percent of the company from eBay in 2009.
This year brings a fresh set of challenges and opportunities for Skype. Millions of us are looking for new ways to efficiently collaborate with peers and communicate with loved ones, and Skype offers everything from group chat to file sharing.
What are your thoughts about Skype? Does your company use it for communication, or are there other preferred alternatives? Leave your comments below!
Jorge Chavez is Senior Editor at Mijo! Brands in Mexico.
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