Microsoft Starts Rolling Out New Home Experience for Viva Connections

Microsoft has released a new home experience that should make it easier for desktop users to get started with Viva Connections. The latest Viva Connections update has started rolling out to targeted release customers, which surfaces important tasks and personalized content as well as provides easier access to other Viva apps.

“On desktop, Connections introduces a rich, new experience that aligns with what is currently available on mobile by prominently surfacing dashboard, feed, and resource components. This new experience will be the default layout for the Connections experience on desktop,” Microsoft explained.

Microsoft explained that the Viva Connections dashboard provides cards that allow employees to quickly access important information and tools. For instance, users can use these cards to submit a support ticket or approve an expense report.

Additionally, Microsoft says that employees can view a personalized feed with relevant information from across their organization. The feed has tight integrations with SharePoint news, Yammer, and Stream, and gradually adapts to users’ specific preferences.

Microsoft Viva Connections Resources are navigational links that let users quickly access the latest news, frequently visited sites, and followed sites. It’s possible to set up and customize various navigational elements such as background image, dashboard content, app icon, label, and resources.

New Viva Connections Home experience to hit GA in late March

Microsoft has also dropped the previously mandatory requirement of a SharePoint home site to deploy Viva Connections. “Customers with home sites already can rest assured that they will automatically be incorporated into the new home experience. Home sites will be displayed as an icon and a link in the top-right corner of the desktop app,” Microsoft added.

Microsoft says that the new home experience in Viva Connections is expected to hit general availability worldwide in late March. Meanwhile, the company is working on a new feature that will enable IT admins to create multiple Viva Connections experiences and relevant home sites within their organization. This capability should be available for customers in the coming months.