Microsoft Teams vs Microsoft Viva

2023. Microsoft’s AI-powered Designer tool comes to Teams



Microsoft is introducing its AI-driven art creation tool, Designer, to the free version of Teams. Users of Microsoft Teams can now utilize Designer, an app similar to Canva, to generate various designs for presentations, posters, digital postcards, and other purposes. These designs can be shared on social media platforms and other channels. Designer can generate designs based on text prompts or uploaded images by leveraging DALL-E 2, OpenAI's text-to-image AI. The tool offers options for customization and personalization through drop-down menus and text boxes. Designer is accessible through the web, Microsoft's Edge browser via the sidebar, and now within the free version of Teams. The announcement of Designer was initially made in October, and new features such as caption generation and animated visuals were added in April. Microsoft has also promised additional advanced editing features in the future.


2023. Microsoft rebuilt Teams from the ground up, promises 2x faster performance



Microsoft Teams, which competes with Slack, has had a reputation for being slow and resource-intensive since its launch, which some attributed to Microsoft's rushed response to Slack's success. However, Microsoft has now launched a preview of a new version of Teams that it describes as a "reimagining of Teams from the ground up." The new application promises to offer twice the performance of the previous version while using only half the memory. This means that joining meetings should be twice as fast, and switching between chats and channels will be 1.7 times faster. The company has also redesigned the user experience of the platform.


2023. Microsoft ditches Yammer brand and goes all-in on Viva Engage



Microsoft has officially announced the discontinuation of Yammer, the enterprise social network that it acquired over a decade ago for $1.2 billion. Despite Microsoft's previous efforts to promote Yammer by integrating it into its core Office suite, the company has shifted its focus towards developing alternative communication tools like Microsoft Teams. In 2019, Microsoft integrated Yammer with Teams, and two years later, it introduced Viva—an "employee experience platform" designed to serve as a modern corporate intranet. Over the past months, Microsoft has been actively enhancing Viva, and in the previous year, it launched Viva Engage as an evolution of the Yammer Communities app.


2022. Microsoft Teams targets Facebook Groups with new Communities feature



Microsoft Teams has recently introduced an exciting feature called "Communities" for Android and iOS devices. This new feature enables users to create and organize groups within their community, such as sports clubs, event planning committees, parent-teacher associations, and more. With Communities in Microsoft Teams, users gain access to a range of collaborative tools and functionalities, including group calendars, event scheduling, document and photo sharing, video calls, and chat capabilities. Additionally, the feature offers a "new events experience" that allows users to add events to their community calendar, invite guests, track attendance, and engage in private conversations with attendees. Currently, Communities is available in the free version of Microsoft Teams and is initially accessible on mobile devices, with plans for desktop compatibility in the near future. This new addition aims to enhance community collaboration and streamline communication within Microsoft Teams' user-friendly interface.


2022. Meta partners with Microsoft to bring VR to Teams



Meta has recently announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft, aimed at incorporating Windows apps and integrating Microsoft Teams functionalities into Meta's metaverse hardware endeavors. This collaboration entails the integration of Microsoft Teams with Quest devices, enabling seamless communication and collaboration. Furthermore, Microsoft will provide a solution to stream Windows apps directly to Meta's headsets. The partnership also paves the way for the inclusion of custom 3D avatars in the metaverse experience. In terms of collaboration, Meta's VR space for teamwork, Horizon Workrooms, will be connected with Teams, allowing users to join Teams meetings directly from Workrooms. Additionally, Microsoft 365 will be accessible on Quest, enabling users to interact with content from productivity applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Notably, these are not full-fledged VR versions of the apps but rather Progressive Web Apps designed for the purpose.


2022. Microsoft wants to add Stories to corporate portals



Microsoft is venturing into the enterprise realm by introducing Stories, a forthcoming feature within its Viva "employee experience" platform, aimed at bringing the popular snackable content format to the corporate world. While the Stories format, known for its ability to captivate audiences, may seem contradictory to the productivity-focused mindset of corporate customers subscribing to Viva, Microsoft claims otherwise. The company argues that there is a genuine interest in ephemeral photo and video slideshows within the workplace. According to Microsoft, these Stories provide a "fun, familiar way" for employees to maintain connections with their colleagues.


2022. Microsoft is elevating Viva from pure employee portal to job support platform starting with sales



When Microsoft introduced Viva last year, it positioned the platform as an employee portal where individuals could access information such as parental leave policies and other internal communications related to company culture and policies. However, it appears that Microsoft has grander aspirations for Viva beyond being a typical employee intranet that provides essential employee information. Today, Microsoft announced the introduction of the first of potentially multiple job-specific features within Viva, beginning with sales. This tool is built on Office 365 and optimized for Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM. By associating a customer's name or contact, Viva Sales can automatically retrieve documents, spreadsheets, presentations, emails, and other relevant materials into the CRM tool. It allows sales professionals to utilize the tools they already utilize and cherish on a daily basis, including email systems like Outlook, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and Teams. Microsoft will offer Viva Sales at no cost to its Microsoft Dynamic 365 customers.


2021. Microsoft Teams gets 3D animated avatars



Microsoft has unveiled 3D avatars for Teams meetings, offering an alternative for those who prefer not to appear on camera. These animated and personalized avatars are part of the "Mesh for Teams" initiative, which combines Microsoft's Mesh platform for shared experiences in virtual reality, augmented reality, and other realms with Teams and its integrated productivity tools. This feature transforms traditional meetings into a unique experience. Users can access Mesh for Teams using various devices, ranging from smartphones to VR headsets or HoloLens. Microsoft also allows businesses to create their own spaces, or metaverses, within Teams, enabling individuals to virtually interact and collaborate.


2021. Microsoft updates Teams with new presentation features



The Microsoft Teams platform is introducing a new feature called PowerPoint Live, which enables presenters to deliver presentations while having access to their notes, slides, and meeting chats all in one comprehensive view. This feature enhances the presenter's experience by providing convenient access to essential resources during the presentation. Additionally, PowerPoint Live benefits attendees by allowing them to navigate through the presentation at their own pace or utilize screen readers to improve accessibility. This exciting feature is now accessible within Teams, offering users a more streamlined and interactive presentation experience.


2021. Microsoft launches employee experience platform Viva


Microsoft has introduced Viva, a new "employee experience platform" that reimagines the traditional intranet sites commonly provided by large companies to their employees. Viva encompasses essential features such as internal communication access, seamlessly integrated with SharePoint, Yammer, and other Microsoft tools. Moreover, Viva offers team analytics capabilities and integrates with LinkedIn Learning and other training content providers, including SAP SuccessFactors. Additionally, Microsoft has introduced Viva Topics, a feature designed for internal knowledge sharing within organizations. With Viva, Microsoft aims to enhance the overall employee experience by providing a comprehensive and integrated platform.