Microsoft Bolsters Ties Between Yammer, Office 365

8 Key Changes In Microsoft SharePoint 2013

Almost a year ago, Microsoft announced that it was acquiring Yammer for $1.2 billion and that the social networking platform would be integrated into the Microsoft Office division. Details on what that would look like --and what it would mean for SharePoint -- have been slow in coming, but Microsoft has now provided details on how Yammer will fit into the bigger Office picture.

This integration is something Yammer's CTO, Adam Pisoni, addressed in an interview with InformationWeek's The BrainYard in November. Although Yammer initially functioned as a separate "destination" for social interaction, he said, its future will revolve around integration with other applications people use to do their work: "The reality is people spend most of their time in Office."

At Microsoft's Convergence 2013 conference this week, company officials laid out plans for how Yammer will work with Office 365, Microsoft's on-demand productivity platform. According to a blog post by Jared Spataro, senior director, Microsoft Office division, this integration will happen in three stages: basic integration, deeper connections and connected experience.