New SharePoint – Here's What the New Experience Entails

Viva Connections – Intranet in Teams, becomes SharePoint in Teams

Viva Connections previously served as a gateway to the organization’s intranet in Microsoft Teams. Microsoft is now renaming that experience SharePoint. SharePoint will take on an even clearer role as the central hub for the organization’s information, news, resources, and intranet—regardless of whether users access it via the web or Teams. This opens up new opportunities to create a more cohesive digital workplace.

For organizations that already use Viva Connections, this does not mean that content will disappear or that the intranet needs to be rebuilt. Existing home pages, content, and settings will remain, but they’ll be more clearly organized under SharePoint. So you won’t have to start from scratch. However, this change can be a good opportunity to review how your intranet actually works today. Is it easy for employees to find the right information? Is the navigation logical? Is the content up to date?

A new look and easier navigation

The first thing many people will notice is that SharePoint looks different. Microsoft is updating both the visual design and the navigation, with the goal of making it easier to find what you're looking for and placing more emphasis on the content.

The new experience is organized around three main sections: Explore, Publish, and Version. The features behind them aren't necessarily new; the difference is that they're now organized based on what you want to do—whether you want to find information, publish content, or create something new.

The intranet experience itself is also evolving. New web sections for Announcements and Resources make it easier to highlight important information and frequently used shortcuts, while News is presented in new ways.

Your existing pages and content are still there. It’s mainly the overall experience that’s changing.

A New Home Page in SharePoint

One of the most noticeable changes is the new "Discover" homepage.

Instead of the previous SharePoint home page, users get a more personalized entry point to content that is relevant to them specifically. This makes it easier to discover news, pages, files, and other resources from the organization.

The idea is simply to help you spend less time searching and find what you need more quickly in your everyday life.

Easier to publish content

"Publish" brings together the work of creating and publishing content in a clearer way.

Here, those who work with intranets and internal communications, for example, have a single place to manage pages, news, and campaigns. It also makes it easier to track how the content reaches and engages the organization.

For those responsible for an intranet, this means a more cohesive experience—from creating content to publishing and following up on it.

Build More Directly in SharePoint

The third section is Version (Build). This section brings together the options for creating new content in SharePoint. For example, you can create websites, lists, and document libraries, or start with ready-made templates.

The idea is to provide a clearer starting point when you want to create something new, rather than having features scattered across different locations. AI and agents also play a more prominent role here as Microsoft continues to build more AI features into SharePoint.

Get More Out of SharePoint

The new SharePoint makes it easier to find, publish, and create content. But how well it works in everyday use still depends on more than just the technology itself. A clear structure, relevant content, and navigation tailored to the business are just as important for ensuring that employees actually use the intranet.

Perhaps this is a good opportunity not only to discover what's new in SharePoint, but also to consider whether you're getting what you want out of the platform today.