Microsoft Viva Connections is Now Generally Available

March 21, 2021

Did you hear that Microsoft Viva Connections is now generally available?

Viva Connections for desktop is starting rollout to all customers as part of their existing Microsoft 365 and SharePoint license. Any employees in the organization who are licensed for SharePoint will be able to use Viva Connections at no additional costs. New customers can learn more about Microsoft 365 and SharePoint licensing options on the Microsoft 365 Enterprise licensing page.

What is Microsoft Viva?

Microsoft announced its new Employee Experience Platform (EXP), Microsoft Viva, in February. Since then, they have been busy rolling out its modules and new features for their spring 2021 release dates.

Microsoft Viva harnesses the powerful Microsoft 365 tools you already use to create an integrated and curated experience for your employees in Microsoft Teams. The platform comprises of four modules: Connections, Topics, Insights, and Learning.

(Learn more about Why Microsoft Viva Matters and How You Can Take Advantage Now.)

What is Viva Connections?

Connection is a company-branded app in Teams for desktop and mobile. Employees can access personalized news, communications, tasks, people, and resources all curated to their specific role. Leaders can communicate and engage their employees, and employees can get easy access to everything they need from one place. Connections also builds on other tools, like SharePoint and Yammer, and pulls your communications together into a pre-configured app which also acts as a launching pad to the other Viva modules.

To learn more about the other modules, click here.

Upcoming dates

Connections for desktop is rolling out now to all customers as part of their existing Microsoft 365 license. Further updates, including the availability of Connections for mobile, will release this summer.

Updates are coming to Topics later this year that will add new capabilities to surface topic answers inside Microsoft Search via Microsoft Bing.

Learning will enter public preview in April 2021. Microsoft showcased a set of new features at Ignite 2021, including how to use the Teams Admin Center to manage Learning across an organization.

Also this April, the virtual commute experience will begin rolling out as part of the Insights app to help you mindfully wrap up your workdays.

Are You Ready for Viva Connections?

To ensure your organization can fully take advantage of this new integrated employee experience platform, we recommend:

Upgrading to SharePoint Online to store and manage the content, applications, and resources that facilitate teamwork. Help employees find information quickly and collaborate seamlessly across the organization.
Deploying a SharePoint home site and establish a landing place for your organization on the intelligent intranet.
Launching Yammer communities in Microsoft Teams to connect people across the organization.

With Topics and Connections generally available now, businesses can explore the Microsoft Viva platform in their environment today with the help of Imaginet’s Microsoft 365 experts.

Thank you for reading this post! If you enjoyed it, I encourage you to check out some of our other content on this blog. We have a range of articles on various topics that I think you’ll find interesting. Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated with all of the latest information on Imaginet’s recent successful projects

Mercy-Anne Magundayao

Mercy-Anne Magundayao is the Marketing Manager at Imaginet. She has over 10 years experience in graphic design, B2B digital marketing, event management, and non-profit administration. When she’s not immersing herself in the latest Microsoft technologies, she’s enjoying Winnipeg’s food scene and spending time with her pup, Bentley.

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