Last month, Microsoft announced Viva, its new Employee Experience Platform (EXP). In fact, the Redmond firm created the category just for the product, saying that you"ll be hearing more about these EXPs moving forward.
The firm showed off four modules: Viva Connections, Viva Insights, Viva Learning, and Viva Topics, although the only one made generally available at the time was Viva Topics. That lets you basically access information from inside of your company.
Now, at the spring 2021 Ignite event, Microsoft is detailing availability for the other pieces of Viva. Viva Connections is going to be generally available this month, and this was referred to as "a gateway to your digital workplace". It can show a curated list of company-branded news, conversations, and more, and it will deliver personalized information to apps that you frequently use, like Teams. The mobile experience is coming this summer.
Next up is Viva Learning, which is going to get a public preview in April. This is a one-stop shop for learning within your organization. Microsoft actually said that 94% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning, and that"s where this comes in. It includes content from LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Learn, and your organization"s own content.
Finally, the last piece of the puzzle is Viva Insights, which is a personal wellbeing feature that has Headspace integrated. It"s meant to help you make sure that you don"t get burned out. It"s available in the Teams app store now in public preview, and it will roll out in April.
Viva Connections is included in Office 365 and Microsoft 365 plans, as is part of Viva Insights, although there"s an add-on for Viva Insights through Workplace Analytics. Microsoft will share pricing for Viva Learning when it"s available.