Microsoft has announced that it will retire the Yammer brand and rename its enterprise social network Viva Engage. The move is part of the company’s broader vision to create a unified employee experience platform that integrates communication, collaboration, learning and wellness.
Viva Engage, formerly known as Yammer, is a tool that enables employees to connect, share and discover information across the organization. It allows users to create communities, join conversations, ask questions, give feedback and recognize peers. Viva Engage also leverages artificial intelligence to display relevant content and people based on the user’s interests and preferences.
Microsoft says the rebranding reflects its commitment to empowering every employee to thrive in the hybrid work environment. Viva Engage will integrate with other Viva modules, such as Viva Connections, Viva Learning and Viva Insights, to provide a seamless, end-to-end experience for employees. Viva Engage will also be accessible from Microsoft Teams, Outlook and SharePoint, as well as from any device via a mobile app.
According to Microsoft, more than 200 million users rely on Viva Engage to stay connected and engaged at work. The company says Viva Engage can help organizations improve employee satisfaction, retention and productivity by fostering a culture of belonging, recognition and growth.
Microsoft plans to roll out the new Viva Engage branding and features in the coming months. Existing Yammer customers will automatically migrate to Viva Engage without any disruption or additional cost. Microsoft also assures that Viva Engage will continue to support third-party integrations and compliance standards.
The end of an era: Microsoft announces the withdrawal of Yammer
Yammer, the enterprise social network that Microsoft acquired for $1.2 billion in 2012, is finally shutting down. The company made the announcement in a blog post, saying Yammer will be replaced by Viva Engage, a new application that is part of Microsoft’s employee experience platform, Viva.
Yammer was founded in 2008 in San Francisco by David Sacks and other former PayPal executives. The startup launched at TechCrunch50, a popular event to showcase new technology products. Yammer raised more than $140 million from investors before Microsoft bought it four years later.
Yammer was supposed to be Microsoft’s answer to the growing popularity of social networking in the workplace. However, despite integrating Yammer into its Office suite, Microsoft struggled to make it a mainstream product. In the meantime, Microsoft developed other communication tools, such as Microsoft Teams, which also incorporated Yammer features.
In 2020, Microsoft introduced Viva, a platform that aimed to improve employee engagement, well-being, learning and knowledge. As part of Viva, Microsoft launched Viva Engage, which it described as an “evolution of the Yammer Communities app.”
According to Microsoft, Viva Engage will provide a better experience for employees to connect, communicate and collaborate across the organization. Viva Engage will also leverage artificial intelligence and analytics to provide insights and recommendations to managers and leaders. Microsoft said Viva Engage will be available in the first half of 2022 and Yammer users will be able to migrate their data and content to the new app. Yammer will officially retire at the end of 2022.
Microsoft thanked Yammer users for their support and feedback over the years and said it is committed to helping them make a smooth transition to Viva Engage. The company also said it is excited about the future of the employee experience and social networking at Microsoft.
