Questions about Yammer and Office 365 Groups integration

[Edward Lee]

We are planning to start using Groups for a variety of teams/projects. We'd really like to use Yammer for the discussion platform for some of these groups. It's not clear to me if we can though.
 
Currently, we have two Yammer networks setup. One is an internal network. We actually are NOT using it, so it could be easily be deleted. The second is an external network, which we are using for a project that involves numerous external partners.
 
(1) If I delete the internal network, leaving just the one external network, will the Yammer integration with Office 365 Groups be available?
 
(2) With the limitation of only Yammer network, does this mean externals users of the external Yammer Network will now be able to see all groups?
 
Thanks in advance for any help in clarifying this.

[#2]

Hi Edward. You'll have to leave the internal network in place. It provides the account for your internal users to use your external networks.
Your internal network is your home network. As you have found, you don't have to use it to be able to run external networks. But it does have to be enabled.

[#3]

So, having internal home network + one external network precludes us from having Office 365 Groups integation? The only option to get Office Groups integration is to delete the external yammer network which we use heavily?

[#4]

Sorry, I didn't explain about the Office 365 Groups integration. You don't have to do anything to get the Office 365 Groups Yammer integration.  

Office 365 Groups will initially be integrated with newly created Yammer groups on the internal network. They are not related to the external Yammer network. 

There will also be a way to create a new Office 365 Group and associate it with an existing internal Yammer group. 

[#5]

I tried creating a new group on my internal Yammer network, but I did not get the Office Groups integration. I assume this was because of the following which is stated here:

• "The Yammer's integration with Office 365 Groups will be initially available only for 1:1 network configurations. This means you have one Yammer network that is associated with one Office 365 tenant."

Am I misunderstanding? Is there anything I can do to get this to work? I don't care about it for existing groups. But I would definitely like it for new groups that I create.

[#6 · Accepted solution]

Yammer and Office 365 Integration is coming soon. It hasn't been released yet and once it is, it will roll out over a period of time. 

Answering your concerns about multiple Yammer networks, I recommend reading "About Yammer networks and Office 365 tenants" and the section "How Yammer networks can be associated with Office 365 tenants."

When you read this, Yammer network refers to the home network that is associated with your domain name(s), not the external networks you create that are hosted by your home network. 

There are 3 scenarios, 

1 O365 tenant:1 Yammer network

"In this scenario, your Office 365 tenant is associated with a single Yammer network. For example:

• Verified domains on the Office 365 tenant:    contoso.onmicrosoft.com, contoso.com, fabrikam.com

• Domains on Yammer network:    contoso.onmicrosoft.com, contoso.com, fabrikam.com"

1 O365 tenant:many Yammer networks

This is usually when a customer has created Yammer networks separately from Office 365, as they may have been a customer of Yammer before they were a customer of Office 365. The customer has the option to join their multiple Yammer tenants(networks) to an Office 365 tenant. 

"In this scenario, your Office 365 tenant associated with two or more Yammer networks. For example:

• Verified domains on the Office 365 tenant:    contoso.onmicrosoft.com, contoso.com, fabrikam.com

• Domains on Yammer network1:    contoso.onmicrosoft.com, contoso.com

• Domains on Yammer network2:    fabrikam.com"

Many O365 tenants:1 Yammer network

This is an unsupported scenario, but can occur when an organization creates a Yammer network separately from Office 365 and added multipe domains to the Yammer network. Then they create a separate O365 tenant for each domain, associating it with the single Yammer network. 

"You may have two or more Office 365 tenants that are associated with a single Yammer network. For example:

• Verified domains on the Office 365 tenant1:     contoso.onmicrosoft.com, contoso.com

• Verified domains on the Office 365 tenant2:      fabrikam.onmicrosoft.com, fabrikam.com

• Domains on Yammer network:     contoso.com, fabrikam.com"

[#7]

---

@Darrell Webster wrote:

When you read this, Yammer network refers to the home network that is associated with your domain name(s), not the external networks you create that are hosted by your home network. 

---

Thank you Darrell. This was all very helpful information!

[#8]

Can you explain this a little more: There will also be a way to create a new Office 365 Group and associate it with an existing internal Yammer group. 

Will this feature be rolled out inititally if I am in a 1:1 network or is this a feature that will be rolled out sometime next year? 

I would assume that the conversation pieces will be turned off for outlook and turned on for yammer?

[#9]

Within our Test Tennant I can see we have an option to use Office 365 groups with yammer. Within our main NWL tennant this option is not available. 

Any ideas why this is the case? 

Who can we ask about this? 

This is what we see on our Test Tennant. There is no such option on our Production Tennant

Office 365 Connected Yammer Groups

Once your organization has committed to enforcing Office 365 identity and has one Office 365 tenant associated with a single Yammer network, connected groups will be enabled for this network. Learn More

Status: EnabledConnected Groups are turned on for this network.

Save

[#10]

@Darrell Webster, sorry to revive this old thread, but I'm hoping you might have some insight on why I'm still not seeing Office 365 Groups integration. Network admin settings shows:

"Status: Disabled. Connected Groups aren't turned on for this network yet"

Office 365 identiy enforcement is enabled. The only reason I could think why this isn't working for me is that I have an External Network setup. What am I missing?

[#11]

Solved my problem!! It seems there was a second Yammer network in my tenant: ulgm.onmicrosoft.com. I did not create this. Don’t know how it got there – I think it is maybe something created by default?? Anyway, I just used the Network Migration option, merged this into ulgm.org, and 60 seconds later Office 365 Groups integration was working! 

BTW, gotta say I contacted Office 365 Tech support on this, and it was worst support I've ever received from them. Felt like the person nothing about Yammer. First answer was "it takes 24 hous after you create a new Yammer group for the Office 365 Groups integration to appear." Waited, and the next day was told to just be patient because the rollout of Office 365 Groups Integration wouldn't be completed until May. This was despite me explaining that I had First Release on for my tenant, and new of some colleagues who did NOT have First Release enabled, but already the O365 Groups Integration.

p.s. Not sure that I care for the new support ticket system, either.

[#12]

You'll find that first level support aren't very strong with Yammer administration issues. It is tough to maintain patience when it feels like you've explained everything. 

I'm glad you found your answer. One of the requirements for Yammer and Office 365 Groups integration (connection) is that you have a 1-to-1 Yammer network. See "Configuration Requirements to enable Yammer integration with Office 365 Groups in your tenant > 1. "

By merging your additional network, you made this TRUE. 

[#13]

According to the roadmap, the Yammer Integration with Office 365 Groups has completed rollout. 

I believe this refers to turning the service on by enforcing Office 365 identity. That feature should be visibile in the Yammer Admin settings > Security Settings, as you see in your test tenant. 

I published a short video yesterday showing how to enforce Office 365 identity. But I think you have covered these steps successfully in your test tenant. 

The first phase is where creating net new Yammer groups will create a connected Office 365 Group (SharePoint site, doc library, notebook, Planner.)

However, earlier in this thread today, you see a post where Office 365 Support are advising it is still rolling out through till May. 

I see where Support are confused now. In my Message Center, I see a message  advising that Phase 2 will begin in May. This is when existing Yammer groups will have an Office 365 Group provisioned and connected. 

[#14]

I have always found even the first level of support to be very knowledgable - well, much more so than me anyway :-). More importantly, I have always found them to be DETERMINED to find a resolution. Not the case this time.

Anyway, was aware of the 1:1 network requirement. In fact, I even asked the tech if this could somehow be related to the fact that I had created a Yammer "External Network" for project we have with some community partners. I just had no idea that this ulgm.onmicrosoft.com network existed, I never saw any signs of it, and I had no recollection of ever creating it. Had I not ramdomly gone through that Network Migration wizard in Yammer Network Admin, who knows how long I'd be sitting around waiting for O365 Groups Integration to be enabled. :)

[#15]

Hi!

Following up on this informative thread -- Is there any word on when the Yammer and O365 groups integration will happen for those O365 tenants who do not have 1:1 networks?

Thank you! Janine