Microsoft [MSFT]’s inter-office communication tool Lync has been approved for use in the Department of Defense, the company said on Sept. 26.

Microsoft Lync enabling a virtual meeting. Photo: Microsoft.

Lync 2013 aims to provide a consistent and secure platform for voice communication, instant messaging and video conferencing. It also offers connectivity between mobile devices within the network.

Lync received Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) certification, which allows the software to be connected to the Defense Information Switched Network.

Microsoft said Lync can enable “rich communication with DoD scenarios such as partner nations, joint exercise support or general cross organization communication.”

Lync is widely used in the private sector. Sprint, LA Fitness and Swisscom each connect tens of thousands of employees with the Microsoft software.

“Leading companies worldwide are choosing Lync—more than 90% of the Fortune Global 100 companies are Lync customers,” Microsoft said in a statement. “Over five million enterprise users are relying on our platform for telephony.”

Lync can be run with in-house servers or it can be hosted through the cloud. The company said it can customize Lync depending on the needs of an individual organization.

The most recent certification bolsters a three-year agreement that Microsoft signed with DoD this year to provide its products to U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). Lync’s certification is also the first of its kind under a new category for multifunctional programs, Microsoft said.