Remote working looks set to be a more permanent situation that many businesses expected, and Microsoft has now launched a new platform to help businesses manage this.
Microsoft Viva will integrate with Teams and operate as a kind of intranet that brings together knowledge, learning, and communication tools.
“Today we’re introducing Microsoft Viva, the first [Employee Experience Platform] built for the digital era,” explained Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365. “Microsoft Viva brings together communications, knowledge, learning, resources, and insights into an integrated experience that empowers people and teams to be their best, from anywhere. Powered by the full breadth and depth of Microsoft 365, it is experienced through Microsoft Teams and other Microsoft 365 apps that people use every day.”
- Here's our list of the best video conferencing services around
- We've also built a list of the best business webcams
- And we've ranked the best headsets for conference calls
The new normal
Microsoft is clearly betting big that flexible work policies will remain in place even once the pandemic is over. The company has worked to add new features to its Teams platform throughout the COVID-19 crisis and has seen user figures rise continuously as a result.
Viva will be split into four sections: Connections, Insights, Topics, and Learning. Viva Connections aims to provide a gateway into the employee experience, serving as a branded news portal and a home for company resources. Insights, meanwhile, helps companies to better manage employee wellbeing by supplying data and insights for individuals, managers, and leaders regarding work patterns and trends.
Viva Learning, unsurprisingly, is geared towards employee development and allows members of staff to share, assign, and learn from an organization’s training material. It should also help speed up the onboarding process. Finally, Topics uses artificial intelligence to help employees find existing information, organizing content across systems and teams more efficiently.
Viva is launching today, with Topics available immediately and previews launching for the other sections. If Microsoft is right, and remote working does persist beyond the pandemic, you might be hearing a lot more about Viva in the future.
- Also, check out our rundown of the best collaboration tools available
