Microsoft Viva — Employee Experience Platform for Enterprise

Microsoft Viva Employee Experience Enterprise Guide (2026)

Microsoft Viva is the integrated employee experience platform spanning Microsoft Viva Connections (intranet), Microsoft Viva Engage (community), Microsoft Viva Topics (AI knowledge graph), Microsoft Viva Learning (skills development), Microsoft Viva Insights (productivity analytics), Microsoft Viva Goals (OKR management), Microsoft Viva Pulse (employee feedback), and Microsoft Viva Glint (engagement surveys).

This is the working enterprise Microsoft Viva deployment guide EPC Group uses for Fortune 500 organizations. EPC Group has delivered Microsoft Viva engagements since the platform GA wave (2021).

TL;DR — Microsoft Viva Module Map

Module	Purpose	License
Viva Connections	Intranet hub in Microsoft Teams	Included Microsoft 365 E3/E5
Viva Engage	Community and conversation (Yammer successor)	Included Microsoft 365 E3/E5
Viva Topics	AI knowledge graph from SharePoint	Microsoft Viva Suite ($12/user/mo)
Viva Learning	Corporate learning hub	Microsoft Viva Suite
Viva Insights (basic)	Personal productivity	Included Microsoft 365 E3/E5
Viva Insights (advanced)	Manager + leader analytics	Microsoft Viva Suite
Viva Goals	OKR management	Microsoft Viva Suite
Viva Pulse	Lightweight feedback	Microsoft Viva Suite
Viva Glint	Engagement surveys	Microsoft Viva Suite

Microsoft Viva Suite: $12/user/month (adds Topics, Learning, Goals, Pulse, advanced Insights). Most Fortune 500 enterprises license Viva Suite for breadth.

Phase 1: Microsoft Viva Connections (Intranet)

Microsoft Teams-Native Intranet

• Custom-branded Microsoft Teams app
• Personalized dashboard with adaptive cards
• Resources tab (intranet feed)
• Feed tab (corporate news, Microsoft Viva Engage conversations)
• Mobile-first design

Standard Dashboard Cards

• CEO / leadership message
• Approvals (Microsoft Power Apps integration)
• Pay statements (HRIS integration)
• IT support tickets (ServiceNow integration)
• Microsoft Viva Learning recommendations
• Microsoft Viva Goals progress
• Microsoft Viva Insights wellbeing

Phase 2: Microsoft Viva Engage (Yammer Successor)

Community Strategy

• Companywide community (everyone)
• Department communities
• Affinity / employee resource group communities
• Event communities
• Communities of practice (technical specialties)

Storyline + Stories

• Microsoft Viva Engage Storyline = personal feed for work-related updates
• Stories = ephemeral updates (similar to Instagram Stories)
• Leadership Corner = executive Q&A engagement

Phase 3: Microsoft Viva Topics (AI Knowledge Graph)

How It Works

• AI scans SharePoint content
• Identifies common topics and entities
• Generates topic pages with summaries
• Surfaces topic mentions inline
• Connects topics to people, files, conversations

Curation

• Subject matter experts confirm or correct topic associations
• Topics can be merged, split, or hidden
• Topic stewardship roles
• Microsoft Copilot integration for topic-grounded answers

Phase 4: Microsoft Viva Learning

Content Aggregation

• LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Learn, Coursera, Pluralsight, Udemy
• Internal SharePoint content
• Custom corporate content

Mandatory Training

• HR-aligned compliance training
• Annual re-certification
• Regulatory training (HIPAA, FINRA, etc.)
• Manager attestation reports

Phase 5: Microsoft Viva Insights

Three Tiers

Personal Microsoft Viva Insights (free with Microsoft 365 E3/E5):

• Focus time recommendations
• Meeting habit analysis
• After-hours collaboration patterns
• Wellbeing nudges

Microsoft Viva Insights for Managers (Microsoft Viva Suite):

• Team collaboration patterns
• 1:1 meeting cadence
• Team focus time
• Cross-team collaboration

Microsoft Viva Insights for Leaders + Microsoft Workplace Analytics (Microsoft Viva Suite):

• Organizational network analysis
• Employee experience metrics
• Manager effectiveness scoring
• Change management measurement
• ROI for Microsoft 365 investments

Phase 6: Microsoft Viva Goals (OKR Management)

OKR Hierarchy

• Company OKRs
• Department OKRs
• Team OKRs
• Individual OKRs
• Cross-organizational alignment

Microsoft Teams Integration

• Microsoft Viva Goals in Teams
• Check-in tab in meetings
• Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat for OKR-grounded answers
• Microsoft Planner task linkage
• Microsoft Power BI integration

Phase 7: Microsoft Viva Pulse (Lightweight Feedback)

• Manager-led pulse surveys
• Templated questions
• Quick action insights
• Microsoft Teams native

Phase 8: Microsoft Viva Glint (Engagement Surveys)

• Annual engagement surveys
• Lifecycle surveys (onboarding, exit)
• Always-on listening
• HR analytics integration

Microsoft 365 Copilot Integration

Microsoft 365 Copilot in Microsoft Viva

• Microsoft Copilot Chat anchored to Microsoft Viva Connections content
• Microsoft Copilot in Microsoft Teams meetings
• Microsoft Copilot in SharePoint (intranet pages)
• Microsoft Copilot in Microsoft Viva Engage (conversation summarization)

Microsoft Copilot Studio Custom Agents

• HR policy lookup agent (grounded on intranet HR hub)
• IT support agent (grounded on knowledge base)
• Compliance agent (grounded on regulatory content)
• Onboarding agent for new hires

Adoption Sequencing

EPC Group standard rollout:

• Phase 1: Microsoft Viva Connections in Teams (weeks 8-16)
• Phase 2: Microsoft Viva Engage migration from Yammer (weeks 12-20)
• Phase 3: Microsoft Viva Topics rollout (weeks 16-24)
• Phase 4: Microsoft Viva Learning (weeks 20-28)
• Phase 5: Microsoft Viva Insights for managers (weeks 24-32)
• Phase 6: Microsoft Viva Goals OKR rollout (weeks 28-40)
• Phase 7: Microsoft 365 Copilot enablement (weeks 32+)

Total: 8-12 months for enterprise-wide rollout.

Pricing

Component	Cost
Microsoft Viva Connections + Engage + basic Insights	Included Microsoft 365 E3/E5
Microsoft Viva Suite	$12/user/month
Standalone modules	$4/user/month each
Microsoft Viva Glint	Custom enterprise contract

For 5,000 users on Viva Suite: $720K/year. For 25,000 users: $3.6M/year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do we need Microsoft Viva or just SharePoint?

For Microsoft 365-anchored enterprises, Microsoft Viva extends SharePoint into Microsoft Teams (Connections), adds AI knowledge graph (Topics), and provides OKR + learning + insights. Most Fortune 500 deployments use Microsoft Viva Suite for the full experience.

How does Microsoft Viva relate to Microsoft 365 Copilot?

Microsoft Viva Connections is the Microsoft Teams surface for Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. Microsoft Viva Topics improves Microsoft Copilot grounding quality. Microsoft Viva Goals provides OKR context for Copilot answers.

What about replacing third-party platforms?

Microsoft Viva can replace: Workday Learning (Viva Learning), Lattice / 15Five (Viva Goals), Glint (now Viva Glint), Workplace from Meta (Viva Engage), legacy intranets (Viva Connections + SharePoint).

How long does deployment take?

Mid-market: 6-9 months. Enterprise: 9-12 months. Fortune 500: 12-18 months.

Does Microsoft Viva work for regulated industries?

Yes. Healthcare (HIPAA), financial services (FINRA), and government (FedRAMP) deploy Microsoft Viva successfully. Sensitivity-label coverage, Microsoft Purview compliance plane, and audit log retention are required.

Who delivers Microsoft Viva engagements?

EPC Group senior architects with combined Microsoft Viva, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft 365 experience. Errin O'Connor is a 4-time Microsoft Press & Sams author. Senior architects bring MS-301, MS-700, and Microsoft Information Protection Specialist credentials.

Next Steps

Schedule a 30-minute Microsoft Viva discovery call at /schedule or call (888) 381-9725. Senior architects (not sales) take discovery calls.

Related reading: Viva-Powered Intranet on SharePoint, SharePoint Intranet Examples & Enterprise Designs, Microsoft Teams Governance Modern Work Playbook, Copilot for Microsoft 365 Complete Deployment Guide, and Microsoft Purview Data Governance Enterprise Guide.