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 — retired February 22, 2025), Microsoft Viva Learning (skills development), Microsoft Viva Insights (productivity analytics), Microsoft Viva Goals (OKR management — retired December 31, 2025), 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	Retired February 22, 2025 — knowledge discovery now via Microsoft Search and Copilot over SharePoint content	No longer sold
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 — retired December 31, 2025	No longer sold
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
• OKR progress (third-party tool; Viva Goals was retired December 31, 2025)
• 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: Knowledge Discovery After Viva Topics

Viva Topics was retired on February 22, 2025. Published Topic Pages became standard SharePoint pages, the Topic Center became a standard SharePoint site, and AI-generated topics are gone. Microsoft's guidance is to publish and organize knowledge in SharePoint so Microsoft Search finds it and Microsoft 365 Copilot grounds on it.

What Replaces It

• SharePoint knowledge sites with curated pages per practice area, process, and product
• Term store taxonomy and content types for consistent tagging
• Microsoft Search verticals and bookmarks for the terms people actually type
• Microsoft 365 Copilot grounding on that SharePoint content

Curation

• Subject matter experts own the knowledge pages and review them on a schedule
• Retired or duplicate pages are consolidated rather than left to compete in search
• Page analytics show what is found and what is missed

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: OKR Management (Viva Goals retired December 31, 2025)

OKR Hierarchy

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

Microsoft Teams Integration

• Third-party OKR tool surfaced in Teams (Viva Goals was retired December 31, 2025)
• 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: SharePoint knowledge sites and Microsoft Search tuning (weeks 16-24; Viva Topics was retired on February 22, 2025)
• Phase 4: Microsoft Viva Learning (weeks 20-28)
• Phase 5: Microsoft Viva Insights for managers (weeks 24-32)
• Phase 6: OKR rollout on a third-party tool (weeks 28-40; Viva Goals was retired December 31, 2025)
• 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. Curated SharePoint knowledge content improves Microsoft Copilot grounding quality (Viva Topics, which once did this, was retired on February 22, 2025). A third-party OKR tool provides OKR context (Viva Goals was retired December 31, 2025).

What about replacing third-party platforms?

Microsoft Viva can replace: Workday Learning (Viva Learning), Glint (now Viva Glint), Workplace from Meta (Viva Engage), legacy intranets (Viva Connections + SharePoint). Viva Goals, the former Lattice / 15Five replacement, was retired December 31, 2025.

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 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.