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By Juan Carlos Perez

October 15, 2013 06:39 PM ET

IDG News Service - Microsoft has enhanced its Yammer enterprise social networking suite's mobile applications, email integration and document collaboration.

Microsoft detailed the improvements on Tuesday at an event it held in San Francisco for Yammer customers that kicks off its Working Social Tour, scheduled to land in up to 200 cities worldwide, including New York City, Amsterdam, Sao Paulo and Tokyo.

"It's part of our push to connect with Yammer customers," said Jared Spataro, general manager, Microsoft Office, in an interview. Attendees are expected to be both Yammer customers as well as those who are using Office 365, Microsoft's cloud email and collaboration suite, which includes online versions of Exchange, Lync, SharePoint and Office.

Microsoft bought Yammer in mid-2012 for $1.2 billion in order to extend the enterprise social networking (ESN) capabilities of its SharePoint collaboration server and of other products in the Office family and beyond. Microsoft is in the process of integrating Yammer's cloud suite with those products now.

The mobile improvements include a revamped iPad application and tweaks to the Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 applications. The overhaul of the iPad app is supposed to simplify the user experience, while the Windows apps got improvements to live tiles and a better inbox.

Microsoft also deepened the interoperability between Yammer and email systems, making it possible for people to participate in Yammer group discussions through email messaging and without necessarily having a Yammer account.

Establishing bridges between Yammer and email is important because many customers are still trying to figure out the best way to use the ESN suite with email, according to Spataro.

Link:
Microsoft revamps Yammer's mobile apps