Skype is getting a major new architecture change! When the Skype team recently announced that they had grand plans for the VoIP platform, they were not joking, this much is a given.
Microsoft keeps investing in the platform, and is preparing many new exciting features for the service including things like message synchronization across multiple devices and even more improved battery life for Windows phones and tablets.
In essence, the company is no longer focused on peer-to-peer (P2P) technology which has formed the very basis of Skype, and is now trying to move the foundation of Skype entirely to the cloud.
Redmond has revealed the advantages of a cloud based system, explaining that it wants to introduce chat and video messages synchronization from more than one Windows devices — and things like this are not possible without bringing cloud into the picture.
Plus, apparently this is the easiest way to improve and enhance battery life of devices, as they will not require too much processing power, with all the operations being performed on the company’s very own servers:
“We will continue to invest in bringing new Skype scenarios online, putting the people who matter most to you just a click away. For example, in Outlook.com you can now connect through Skype without leaving your browser.
Our cloud will help preserve your device’s battery by enabling the mobile Skype app to stay in ‘sleep’ mode until you need it through the use of push notifications.”
And with the newfound focus on privacy these days, Microsoft talks about how it is particularly focused on the privacy of users, even with this change:
“We take our responsibilities with regard to this data seriously, and to help secure and protect it, we apply strong physical, technical and administrative security protections, only storing partial IP addresses and cryptographically hashing the Skype IDs we store to help protect our users’ privacy.”
Not many would have thought, back in the days that a simple VoIP platform would harness the power of the cloud to bring new forms of communication. But we are truly and surely living in the age of the cloud, and this seems to be the way of the future.
Have any thoughts on this new change of architecture? Share them below.
