How internal comms teams can elevate their SharePoint intranet with Microsoft Viva

Written by Fresh Intranet
Posted on 20th Jul 2024

Microsoft Viva is transforming how internal communications teams connect with employees. Built into Microsoft Teams and integrated with SharePoint, Viva brings together tools for communication, learning, wellbeing and engagement—all in one place.

If you’re managing a SharePoint intranet, Viva offers new ways to deliver personalised content, streamline messaging and build a stronger sense of community across your organisation.

Viva Connections: your intranet, reimagined

Viva Connections is the module most relevant to internal comms teams. It acts as a personalised landing page within Teams, giving employees quick access to company news, tools and resources tailored to their role.

Connections is made up of three key areas:

  • Dashboard – a digital toolkit with interactive cards for tasks like booking leave, accessing payslips or launching apps
  • News – a personalised feed of SharePoint news, boosted updates and content from frequently visited sites
  • Resources – curated links to important destinations like HR policies, benefits or department pages

You can target content to specific audiences, ensuring the right messages reach the right people. Connections is accessible via Teams on desktop or mobile, through your SharePoint home site, or from the Viva Suite home website.

Viva Engage: building community and connection

Viva Engage is the new name for Yammer, now fully integrated into Teams. It’s designed to foster conversation, connection and knowledge sharing across your organisation.

Whether you’re running leadership Q&As, celebrating success stories or encouraging peer-to-peer recognition, Viva Engage helps create a sense of belonging and community.

Viva Amplify: campaign management made easy

Viva Amplify is a newer addition to the Viva suite, designed to help internal communicators plan, publish and measure campaigns across multiple channels. It centralises messaging, provides guidance on tone and timing, and helps ensure your communications land with impact.

Amplify integrates with SharePoint, Outlook and Teams, making it easier to manage campaigns and track performance.

Viva Insights: supporting wellbeing and productivity

Viva Insights gives individuals and managers personalised recommendations to improve work habits. From protecting focus time to improving meeting culture, Insights uses data to help people work smarter and feel better.

It’s embedded in Teams and offers nudges, reports and wellbeing check-ins—all designed to support a healthier, more productive workplace.

Viva Learning: learning in the flow of work

Viva Learning brings learning content into Teams, making it easy for employees to discover, share and complete training. It’s ideal for snackable learning—short, focused sessions that fit into the working day.

While it doesn’t replace a full learning management system, it complements existing platforms by surfacing relevant content from providers like LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Learn and your own internal resources.

Viva and SharePoint: better together

Viva Connections is built on SharePoint and Teams, making it a natural extension of your SharePoint intranet. It enhances the intranet experience by:

  • Delivering personalised content and tools directly in Teams
  • Supporting mobile access with a consistent, compact experience
  • Enabling audience targeting for news, dashboard cards and resources
  • Integrating with SharePoint home sites for a cohesive experience

You can choose whether Connections or your SharePoint home site is the default landing experience in Teams. Either way, users can easily navigate between the two.

Getting started with Viva Connections

There are several ways to get up and running:

  • Use the https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/viva/connections/set-up-admin-center for a high-level overview
  • Follow the https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/viva/connections/viva-connections-setup-overview for more detailed steps
  • Explore the https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/paths/viva-connections-get-started/ for in-depth training and examples

Ready to bring your intranet to life?

Fresh is built for organisations that want to get the most out of a modern SharePoint intranet. We help internal comms teams create engaging, personalised experiences that connect your people with the tools and information they need—wherever they are.

If you’d like to know more, have any questions or want a commitment-free demo, we’d love to help. Get in touch and let’s explore what’s possible.

We help internal comms teams create engaging, personalised experiences that connect your people.

Let’s chat