In recent years, digital and web-based work with various applications has become increasingly complex. It allows an almost unlimited variety of tools to simplify everyday work, which is a huge progress that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. The importance of linking different applications can be showcased through the example of integrating Microsoft 365 in your social intranet.
When web applications lead to the digital workplace
The digital workplace is becoming more of a reality. The structure of various applications helps with the realization of ideas within the company, to work more cooperatively, and thus, to increase the efficiency and productivity – in the ideal case. So, if you use the various (web) applications for all kinds of purposes, you face the next problem: keeping a good overview. It often occurs that the applications are viewed individually and not in a larger context. So, if you want to profit sustainably from digitalization and a digital workplace, it is necessary to look at the connections between these applications and link them. As is well known, the genius overlooks chaos, and this also applies to the digital workplace. Actual increased productivity and efficiency can only develop if employees have a good overview of the tools available to them, know where to find the relevant information, and thus, have a good overview.
Microsoft 365 and social intranets
The integration of web applications in the social intranet becomes an increasingly established solution. The social intranet is the perfect starting point for web applications that employees use every day. This is where they call up important company news, share documents, and exchange information. Additionally, the employees’ workflow can be enhanced, if users are provided with extended options such as direct access to Word or Excel.
Microsoft 365 on Viadesk Social Intranet
In Viadesk Social Intranet, essentially any system can be integrated via the API. Thus, users can use the platform as a dashboard, where the relevant applications of their company are accessible and visible at a glance. As employees will not have to search for (relevant) information through different applications, this will save them time. Everything will be conveniently gathered in one place. The Viadesk Social Intranet is an excellent tool for sustainable knowledge management. In addition to an overview of all their applications, users can also access instructions and important company information through wikis on their platform. A popular integration with Viadesk Social Intranet is the Microsoft 365 tool, which provides its users with the possibility to work easily on documents, make appointments, and communicate. By connecting it to the Viadesk Social Intranet, a central digital workplace is created from which the apps and systems can be accessed and viewed. This gives employees the opportunity to store information and share knowledge in a secure environment. Here, personal data is secured but can still be easily found.
Microsoft 365 and Viadesk: a practical example
The link between Microsoft 365 and Viadesk Social Intranet is visible on the home page. Through widgets that can be individually adapted and moved on the personal start page, the user has quick access to various Office functions such as SharePoint, the Outlook calendar or the mail system. Once the user has logged into Microsoft 365 through Viadesk Social Intranet, the widgets update themselves by clicking again when the social intranet is opened. If the user now clicks on an incoming e-mail that is displayed in the widget, they are forwarded directly to their Outlook inbox.
SharePoint can also be integrated into groups. If the user clicks on the SharePoint link in the group menu, only those folders and documents to which they have access are displayed. This means that if a SharePoint link is set up in a group, the various group members will be shown the individually shared documents in the corresponding folder.
If you open different files, it is possible to edit them directly in Viadesk. Next to the respective Excel, Word, or PowerPoint document, there is a corresponding button, such as “Edit in PowerPoint”, which allows you to make changes directly within the intranet.
Thus, Viadesk serves as an interface between two applications: the social intranet itself, where employees meet, cooperate and work together, and Microsoft 365, the established system used to communicate, exchange, and edit various documents. The advantage here is that the applications can be linked through centralization and no longer exist as independent units.
Download the Microsoft 365 Whitepaper
Learn what the link between the popular Microsoft 365 system and Viadesk Social Intranet looks like.
