Exploring the possibilities with Microsoft Viva technology platform

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It was in February 2021 Microsoft Viva was announced. Since it is a new platform and there are so many questions around this technology. I thought this will be an opportunity to let my customers and network know what this really is and go through the key components.

Microsoft positions Viva as an Employee Experience Platform. This workplace analytics (Viva) is described as bringing together tools for employee communications, wellbeing, learning and knowledge discovery into one solution.

Microsoft Viva is comprises of four modules:

  • Viva Connections – a combination of company-branded SharePoint portal (aka intranet) in a Teams app with Yammer Communities and stream video integration.
  • Viva Insights – Personal and Organisational productivity reporting, building on Workplace Analytics and MyAnalytics but also pulling insights from third-party platforms like HR applications, Network access, and SAP.
  • Viva Topics – Using AI (formally known as Project Cortex) to mine data stored in SharePoint and create “Topic Pages” about the topic and pointing to experts on that topic. Pages can be further curated by experts.
  • Viva Learning – an enterprise learning platform that surfaces first and third-party training content to employees in Teams. This is not your typical LMS.

Viva Connections

Viva Connections centres around an improved, now brandable, SharePoint Home app within Teams. It will surface Yammer communities interaction and leverage Stream for video.

Viva Connections delivers a unified, personalised feed in which employees can explore news and contribute to the conversation. Viva Connections is available now to all customers as part of their existing Microsoft 365 license.

Key features:

  • Extend your SharePoint intranet content, including your home site, into Microsoft Teams.
  • Aggregate news and conversations from SharePoint and Yammer.
  • Target your content based on your existing Azure Active Directory groups.
  • Customize your dashboards with Power Apps, SPFx, and the third-party solutions you have already deployed throughout your organization.
  • Drive engagement in employee communities in Yammer to support employee resource groups, knowledge sharing, and leadership initiatives.
  • Pin files and videos from Microsoft OneDrive and Microsoft Stream

Viva Insights

Microsoft Viva Insights gives individuals, managers, and leaders personalised and actionable insights. Viva Insights brings Microsoft Workplace Analytics and Microsoft MyAnalytics together under the Microsoft Viva brand.

Viva Insights includes:

  • Personal insights
    • Recommendations to “stay connected” with colleagues
    • Recommendations to protect time for focus work and training
  • Manager and leader insights
  • Loading of data (organisational data) from LOB applications for advanced reporting

Personal insights is part of your Office 365 license. However, the manager and leader insights/integration of LOB Data needs Microsoft Workplace Analytics license.

Viva Insights uses data from:

  • Office 365 usage data (Teams, email, calendar, OneDrive, SharePoint and so on)
  • Data from LOB application

Viva Topics

While working in Microsoft 365 apps, you’ll see topics highlighted when they appear in pages, messages, and content.

These highlights reveal topic cards. Topic cards provide knowledge in context without searching or changing apps. Cards summarize the topic with alternate names, definitions, experts, and recommended resources.

Microsoft Viva Topics uses artificial intelligence (AI) to collect information around specific topics and generate pages about them.

Topic pages provide a comprehensive view of related information, including:

  • Alternate names.
  • Definitions.
  • Recommended and suggested people.
  • Recommended and suggested content.
  • Related sites and teams.
  • Map of related topics.

When Microsoft Viva discovers topics, they appear as suggestions in the topic center. In the future, the topic center can be accessed from Microsoft Teams or SharePoint.

You’ll be able to add the topics web part to any pages in SharePoint or Microsoft Teams, so you can build knowledge into your existing employee experiences, such as intranet sites.

Suggested content and topics are governed by privacy controls, security and the Microsoft Graph. Users can only see the content where they already have access.

Microsoft has suggested a roadmap where Viva Topics will integrate information from outside the Microsoft 365 cloud using their Microsoft Graph-based content connectors—available from both Microsoft and their partners—which will integrate knowledge from more than 130 data sources, including Salesforce, ServiceNow, MediaWiki, file shares, and Microsoft Azure services.

Connectors also will include a robust set of APIs to facilitate the development of your own connectors.

Viva Topics will also offer Viva learning suggestions within the topic center, along with other knowledge resources.

 

Viva Learning

Viva Learning app for Microsoft Teams. Discover, share, assign, and learn from content libraries across the organisation—including LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Learn, third-party content providers, and an organization’s own custom content.

Viva Learning will index all the contents which includes videos, Microsoft Word documents, PDF and Microsoft PowerPoint decks.

Viva Learning has integrated with content providers such as Skillsoft, Coursera, Pluralsight, and edX.

Based on the news released by Microsoft learning management system providers Cornerstone OnDemand, Saba, and SAP SuccessFactors have announced their intention to integrate with Viva Learning.

Viva Learning also shows all the learning assignments a manager has made, when they are due, and individuals’ reported completion status.

Prometix as a Microsoft Gold certified partner and certified O365 consultants (Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne & Perth), we have extensive experience in delivering Microsoft 365 based solutions. If you need more information or a demo on Microsoft Viva platform then please contact us from enquiries@prometix.com.au.

 

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