--- title: "What Is Microsoft Viva? A Business Guide | StartCloud" url: https://startcloud.au/resources/microsoft-viva-guide description: "Microsoft Viva explained: what it does, which modules your business actually needs, how it fits inside Microsoft 365, and whether it's worth the cost." lang: en --- A practical guide to Microsoft Viva, covering all six modules, licensing, and whether it's the right fit for your Perth business. Microsoft 365 resource guide # What is Microsoft Viva? A plain-English guide for Australian businesses Microsoft Viva is built into the Microsoft 365 you already pay for, but most businesses have never turned it on. Here's what it actually does, module by module, and whether your team will benefit from it. StartCloud April 2026 8 min read Overview ## The employee experience platform hiding in your Microsoft 365 Microsoft Viva is an **employee experience platform** built directly inside Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365. It's not a separate app you install or a standalone subscription you have to budget for. Most of it is already part of the Microsoft 365 licence your business is paying for right now. Think of Viva as a collection of six tools, each solving a specific workplace challenge: keeping people connected, building company culture, understanding team wellbeing, making learning accessible, aligning everyone to business goals, and getting important messages to actually reach people. Individually, each module is useful. Together, they create a digital workplace where your team is better informed, better connected, and less likely to burn out, without having to leave Teams. Already included in your licence Viva Connections, Viva Engage, and the personal version of Viva Insights are included at no extra cost in Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, and Business Premium. You're likely already paying for them. They just haven't been switched on. The six modules ## Six tools. One platform. All inside Teams. Microsoft Viva is made up of six distinct modules. Each one solves a different workplace problem, and they all live inside Microsoft Teams so your team doesn't need to switch between apps. Microsoft Viva Lives inside Microsoft Teams & Microsoft 365 Viva Connections Your company intranet, inside Teams Viva Engage The internal social network your team will actually use Viva Insights Data-driven wellbeing and productivity analytics Viva Learning Training your team will find, not lose Viva Goals Everyone aligned, from the exec team to the front desk Viva Amplify Internal campaigns that actually reach people Module deep dive ## What each module actually does Here's a breakdown of every Viva module: what it solves, what's included, and who it's best suited for. Viva Connections ### Your company intranet, inside Teams Viva Connections brings your company intranet directly into Microsoft Teams. Employees get a personalised dashboard with company news, HR updates, policies, and links to the tools they use most, all without leaving Teams. - Branded home base inside Microsoft Teams - Personalised news feed and announcements - Quick access to HR portals, IT helpdesks, and tools - Mobile-first, great for deskless or field workers - Connects SharePoint content to Teams Best for: Keeping dispersed or hybrid teams connected and informed Viva Engage ### The internal social network your team will actually use Viva Engage is Microsoft's enterprise social networking tool. Think LinkedIn, but private and just for your organisation. Teams share updates, celebrate wins, ask questions, and build community across departments. - Community groups based on interests, projects, or teams - Storyline: a personal feed for each employee - Leadership Corner: executive communications and town halls - Virtual events: town halls and Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions - Scales from 10 to 100,000+ employees Best for: Building culture and reducing organisational silos Viva Insights ### Data-driven wellbeing and productivity analytics Viva Insights analyses how your team works (meeting loads, focus time, after-hours activity, and collaboration patterns), then surfaces private, actionable suggestions to improve wellbeing and reduce burnout. - Personal insights: focus time, email habits, wellbeing check-ins - Manager insights: how your team is tracking, no individual data exposed - Leader insights: organisation-wide trends and culture metrics - AI-powered 'Briefing emails' to start the day with priorities - Privacy-first: individual data is never visible to managers Best for: Managers who want to protect team wellbeing before it becomes a problem Viva Learning ### Training your team will find, not lose Viva Learning brings training content directly into Microsoft Teams so employees can learn in the flow of work. It connects Microsoft Learn, LinkedIn Learning, and your own internal content into a single searchable hub. - Microsoft Learn and Microsoft 365 training library built in - LinkedIn Learning, Pluralsight, Cornerstone integrations - Upload your own internal training content - Managers can assign and track learning progress - Recommendations based on role and interests Best for: Businesses investing in upskilling without a dedicated LMS budget Viva Goals ### Everyone aligned, from the exec team to the front desk Viva Goals brings OKR-style goal management (Objectives and Key Results) into Microsoft Teams. It links individual work to team goals, and team goals to company strategy, so everyone can see how their work contributes to the bigger picture. - Set company, team, and individual OKRs in Teams - Real-time progress tracking with visual dashboards - Connects to Microsoft Planner, Azure DevOps, Jira, and more - Check-ins and status updates without leaving Teams - Keeps remote and hybrid teams aligned on priorities Best for: Growing businesses where strategy and day-to-day work feel disconnected Viva Amplify ### Internal campaigns that actually reach people Viva Amplify is Microsoft's internal communications campaign tool. It lets HR, marketing, or leadership teams publish a single message across email, Teams, and SharePoint simultaneously, then measure how far it actually reached. - Create and publish campaigns across email, Teams, and SharePoint - Editorial calendar for scheduling communications in advance - Reach and engagement analytics: see who read what - Writing suggestions and sentiment analysis powered by AI - Designed for HR, comms teams, and leadership announcements Best for: Businesses where important messages get lost in busy inboxes Is it right for you? ## Does your business actually need Microsoft Viva? Not every module is useful for every business. Here's how to think about it by team size and situation. ### 1–20 employees For small teams, the free modules are worth switching on, especially Viva Connections (your intranet in Teams) and Viva Engage (company-wide chat and announcements). They cost nothing extra and remove the need for separate tools. - Viva Connections: yes, free and useful - Viva Engage: yes, replaces scattered group chats - Viva Insights (personal): yes, helps individuals - Viva Learning: worth exploring - Viva Goals / Amplify: probably not yet ### 20–100 employees This is the sweet spot for Viva. You're large enough to have internal communication problems, team culture challenges, and training gaps, and Viva solves all three without adding more apps to your stack. - All free modules: absolutely - Viva Insights (manager): high ROI - Viva Learning: great for upskilling - Viva Goals: connects strategy to teams - Viva Amplify: HR and leadership comms ### 100+ employees At this scale, Viva becomes a core part of your digital workplace strategy. Wellbeing analytics, structured internal comms, and OKR alignment are no longer nice-to-haves. They directly impact retention and performance. - Full Viva Suite strongly recommended - Viva Insights (leader): essential for HR/exec - Viva Amplify: critical for consistent comms - Viva Goals: strategy alignment at scale - Consider a phased rollout module by module Our take If you have fewer than 10 people and everyone sits in the same office, Viva probably won't change your day-to-day. But if your team is hybrid, remote, spread across locations, or growing fast, Viva solves real problems that show up as meeting overload, missed announcements, unclear priorities, and quiet burnout. Licensing & cost ## What's free and what costs extra Three of the six Viva modules are included in standard Microsoft 365 plans at no extra cost. The remaining modules are available individually or as part of the Viva Suite bundle. | Module | Included in | Standalone cost | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Viva Connections | M365 Business Basic+ | Free | Included in most M365 plans | | Viva Engage | M365 Business Basic+ | Free | Included in most M365 plans | | Viva Insights (personal) | M365 Business Basic+ | Free | Personal insights included free | | Viva Insights (manager/leader) | Viva Suite | ~$12/user/mo | Requires premium licence | | Viva Learning | Viva Suite | ~$4/user/mo | Basic included; premium for LMS integrations | | Viva Goals | Viva Suite | ~$6/user/mo | Part of Viva Suite bundle | | Viva Amplify | Viva Suite | Included | Included with SharePoint Premium | Viva Connections Included in: M365 Business Basic+ Free Included in most M365 plans Viva Engage Included in: M365 Business Basic+ Free Included in most M365 plans Viva Insights (personal) Included in: M365 Business Basic+ Free Personal insights included free Viva Insights (manager/leader) Included in: Viva Suite ~$12/user/mo Requires premium licence Viva Learning Included in: Viva Suite ~$4/user/mo Basic included; premium for LMS integrations Viva Goals Included in: Viva Suite ~$6/user/mo Part of Viva Suite bundle Viva Amplify Included in: Viva Suite Included Included with SharePoint Premium Pricing shown in AUD estimates based on Microsoft's published USD pricing as of April 2026. Contact StartCloud for current Australian pricing and volume discounts. ## How StartCloud helps you get Viva working Microsoft Viva is powerful but it doesn't configure itself. Getting the right modules switched on, integrated with your SharePoint, and adopted by your team takes planning. As a Microsoft Solutions Partner based in Perth, we've helped businesses across Western Australia get the Microsoft 365 value they're already paying for. ### Microsoft 365 health check We audit your current Microsoft 365 environment and identify which Viva modules are available under your existing licence. No surprises. ### Quick wins first We start with the free modules (Connections, Engage, Insights) so your team sees value fast before committing to any additional spend. ### SharePoint integration Viva Connections needs SharePoint to work well. We build or tidy up your intranet so the experience your team sees is clean and useful. ### Privacy configuration Viva Insights handles sensitive wellbeing data. We configure privacy controls so individuals feel safe and managers get actionable insights, not surveillance. ### Change management & training New tools don't get adopted on their own. We run training sessions built around your team and create a rollout plan that brings your team along. ### Ongoing support As part of our Microsoft 365 managed service, we manage updates, monitor adoption, and evolve your Viva setup as your business grows. Talk to StartCloud about Microsoft Viva (https://startcloud.au/contact) Keep reading ## Related guide Microsoft 365 ### How Microsoft Viva Learning can run your AI upskilling program A practical look at one Viva module in action. How to use Viva Learning, already in your Microsoft 365 subscription, to build a structured AI upskilling program for your team without adding a single new tool. 7 min read https://startcloud.au/resources/microsoft-viva-learning-ai-upskilling Sources ## References 1. Microsoft Viva: Official Product Page https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-viva 2. Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Viva Overview https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/viva/microsoft-viva-overview 3. Microsoft Learn: Viva Connections Overview https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/viva/connections/viva-connections-overview 4. Microsoft Learn: Viva Engage Overview https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/viva/engage/overview 5. Microsoft Learn: Viva Insights Overview https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/viva/insights/introduction 6. Microsoft Learn: Viva Learning Overview https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/viva/learning/overview-viva-learning 7. Microsoft Learn: Viva Goals Overview https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/viva/goals/intro-to-ms-viva-goals 8. Microsoft Learn: Viva Amplify Overview https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/viva/amplify/overview-viva-amplify 9. What's New in Microsoft Viva, March 2026 https://teams.handsontek.net/2026/04/06/whats-new-microsoft-viva-march-2026/ 10. Microsoft Viva Suite Enterprise Guide 2026 by EPC Group https://www.epcgroup.net/blog/microsoft-viva-suite-enterprise-guide Document prepared April 2026 by StartCloud (Start Technologies Pty Ltd). Information is current as of the date of preparation and is subject to change as Microsoft continues to evolve the Viva platform. StartCloud assistant Online G'day! 👋 I'm the StartCloud assistant. 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