Some start their workday in email. Some now in Microsoft Teams sifting chats. Either may define a person’s daily communication habits, but it’s the portal that is designed for everyone – the broadest, ongoing two-way dialog across your organization. It’s where people turn to find things like HR answers, IT help, or the latest company news. No matter, the company portal thrives and survives from the curated content top down and through dynamic creations from the bottom up and peer to peer. Let us explore this intranet communications end game and how it began.
In this episode, Chris and I talk with Sam Crewdson (senior program manager | Microsoft) about his role at Microsoft managing *Microsoft Web* (MSW) on SharePoint. MSW is Microsoft's internal company portal, built for 163,000 full-time employees. We dig into MSW over time - from on-premises to the cloud, from classic to modern, establishing it as a home site, and now its role within Microsoft Viva Connections inside of Microsoft Teams. Lots of learning and insight from over the years across UX, innovation and consistent listening to employee feedback.
By tuning in, the clarity of your intranet plans, by example, over time, come into 20/20 focus.
Note: Scroll below to see screenshots of what MSW looks like today in a Web browser and in Microsoft Teams leveraging the new Viva Connections technology.
Listen to this episode below:
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Intrazone guests and co-hosts – clockwise, starting on the left: Sam Crewdson (senior program manager | Microsoft) [guest], Chris McNulty (director | Microsoft) [co-host], and little Mark Kashman (senior product manager | Microsoft) [co-host].
A look at MSW now – both from a modern Web browser and in Teams via our internal use of Microsoft Viva Connections:
The Microsoft Web (MSW) portal when accessed through a modern browser.
The Microsoft Web (MSW) portal when accessed from within Microsoft Teams enabled by Microsoft Viva Connections. Note how the Microsoft 365 suite bar experience adapts.
Note: both above entry points to MSW also provide access to the SharePoint app bar with global navigation (not shown for company privacy). To access them, a Microsoft employee need only click one of the top left icons under the main Microsoft 365 app launcher (The 'Waffle') in the Web view, and the Microsoft logo from the Teams view.
Links to important on-demand recordings and articles mentioned in this episode:
- Hosts and guests
- Sam Crewdson | Twitter | LinkedIn [guest]
- Mark Kashman |@mkashman [co-host]
- Chris McNulty |@cmcnulty2000 [co-host]
- Articles and sites
- "Microsoft moves its main employee portal to latest version of SharePoint” [IT Showcase blog]
- "Redefining the intranet site experience with SharePoint in Office 365" [IT Showcase blog]
- Microsoft Viva Connections resource center
- Microsoft Docs - The home for Microsoft documentation for end users, developers, and IT professionals.
- Microsoft Tech Community Home
- Stay on top of Office 365 changes
- Listen to other Microsoft podcasts
- Events
- AvePoint's "Shift Happens" (April 20-22, 2021)
- Microsoft 365 Virtual Marathon 2021 (April 26-28, 2021)
- The AIIM Conference (Apr.27-29.2021)
- Teams Nation (May 12th, 2021)
- SharePoint Fest Virtual Workshops (ongoing)
- CollabDays events (ongoing)
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Left to right [The Intrazone co-hosts]: Chris McNulty, director (SharePoint Syntex, Viva Topics – Microsoft) and Mark Kashman, senior product manager (SharePoint, Lists – Microsoft).
The Intrazone, a show about the Microsoft 365 intelligent intranet (aka.ms/TheIntrazone)
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