A recent invitation to test a "Skype Enterprise Edition" mentioned five features without defining them.

• Enterprise network compatibility.
• Company-owned Skype Name creation.
• Customisable to your corporate requirements.
• Direct technical support from Skype.
• Ongoing upgrades maintenance.

Skype's spokespeople were non-responsive when asked about them. So here's my best guess. 

"Enterprise network compatibility."

This could mean anything. For now it likely means a customizable Microsoft installer so you can tweak Skype's behavior. For example, directing all Skype traffic through a particular proxy or a port on your firewall at time of installation. This is available today as Skype for Business.

Ideally (meaning not in this first edition), network compatibility would include:

• Inventory. Network management software that would list installed, active, and unregistered Skype clients on your networks.
• Feedback. Reports on aggregate bandwidth consumption, usage by times of day, etc.
• Controls. The ability to turn off specific Skype nodes or restrict their passage through the firewall. Post-rollout.

Pretty sure bigger companies would pay for a subscription to this service.

"Company-owned Skype Name creation."

ID lifecycle management is a big deal in a SOX and 9-11 world. I'm assuming this means "create Skype names your company owns." Features to look for:

• Provision via web service. "Web services" are a way for my computer to talk with your computer. You really want to automate creating Skype names the same way you automate creating email addresses and enterprise software logins. Your corporate directory should generate new Skype names when personnel directories change. It also should create role based identities (ShiftSupervisor-at-AcmeInc) from business process systems.
• Skype name End Of Life controls. When an employee dies or leaves, you want to deny them access to their phone, voice mail, email, etc. You also want to give some control over the behavior of those accounts to their supervisor or to other internal authorities. Skype would need to offer a web based control panel changing these authorizations.
• Enterprise Skype name Directory Services. Variations for intranet, extranet, and public people search.
• Push directory updates to Skype Contact Groups. When a new person joins a team, they should automatically show up in each of the team members' contact groups. Most companies have internal yellow pages. Skype for Enterprises clients should subscribe to those yellow page systems. Those systems will automatically define, populate and update contact groups.

Unlikely to have any of these at launch.  

"Customisable to your corporate requirements."

Oooh, this could mean anything.

• Corporate ring tones?
• Company colors?
• Standard bundle of Skype compatible software or hardware?
• Enterprise Karaoke plug-in? (the company that sings together)
• Different terms of service?
• Special SkypeIn and SkypeOut rates?
• Company stock price IM'd to everyone?
• The CEO on everyone's buddy list?
• The CEO on nobody's buddy list?
• A custom tab?

"Direct technical support from Skype."

This exists today, sorta, via Jira prioritization for paying customers. Major accounts could pay more for 7x24 phone support, premise visits, etc.

"Ongoing upgrades maintenance."

Perhaps an RSS feed with the latest public releases as a feed enclosure, downloaded in the background, even via iTunes or any other enterprise feed reader.  

see also:

• Jan Geirnaert. How to apply to this Early Adopter Program.
• Dan York. "Will be interesting to see what evolves out of this."