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Nathan Stotts
Asked: 2017-02-23 11:53:30 +0800 CST

Is there a way to retrieve skype for business conversations without going into the OWA?

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The organization I work for will be implementing Skype 4 Business 2016 to replace our Lync Servers.

I have been tasked with logging and giving certain users access to investigate conversations for security violations.

I've searched and searched and Googled and Googled, and haven't found much. I did find that the conversation history is stored somewhere on the server, but no such location. There is also the OST File. While the OWA will work, it's not ideal and super clunky. And could open up other security violations.

Is there a way to retrieve the conversation history from the Server-Side GUI? Or even a PS Script?

skype-for-business-2016

2 Answers

  1. Skype for Business stores its data inside the user's Exchange mailbox. In theory, any client that can talk to Exchange/Office 365 mail can look at this stuff so there's nothing to stop you finding a third party mailbox archival app you like and telling it to archive the conversation folder, for example, but that's about it.

    As for "the OST File", remember this isn't really designed to be manipulated directly, its simply a local cache of the contents of the user's Exchange mailbox.

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  2. The specific answer to my question is: leave things as is and continue as we have in the past.

    Or:

    We could upgrade our Exchange servers to 2013 or newer to take advantage of the Server-Side Conversation Logging.

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