Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Yammer-to-Office Integration Plans Revealed

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) bought the social platform Yammer for more than $1 billion nearly a year ago. But what to do, what to do? It had been expected that Redmond would perhaps use it as an enterprise collaboration tool within Office. At the Microsoft Convergence Conference this week, Microsoft revealed a three-stage process of integrating Yammer into Office 365 to create a fully collaborative experience in the enterprise.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) senior director of the Office division, Jared Spataro , posted in a blog post this staged plan to integrate Yammer into Office 365. He wrote about this process coming in three stages – basic integration, deeper connections and a fully connected experience. This entire process, Spataro wrote, would be completed by early 2014.

The first step is called basic integration, which will launch this summer.  At this stage, enterprises will have the option to replace their SharePoint newsfeed in Microsoft Office with a Yammer newsfeed, and the Yammer group app will be made available in the SharePoint store, which would allow a Yammer group feed to be embedded in a SharePoint site.

The second stage of integration will launch with a Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Office 365 update in the fall, which will allow Yammer to be accessed directly from the Office navigation bar. Spataro wrote that at this stage, Yammer and Office 365 “begin to converge,” developing a social structure to encourage collaboration and sharing of business documents.

In the final stage of integration, expected to begin in 2014, will be rolled out over several updates throughout the year. Initially, Yammer and Office 365 will develop deeper connections and eventually Yammer wil be integrated in various other Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) services that will “combine social, collaboration, email, instant messaging, voice, video and line of business applications in innovative new ways,” Spataro wrote.

What are your thoughts about Yammer being integrated into Office 365 for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)? Can this help the enterprise? Does your workplace prioritize collaboration and sharing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

DISCLOSURE: I own no positions in any stock mentioned.

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