Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner. (Microsoft Photo)

More than a year after Microsoft announced its plans to purchase LinkedIn for $26.2 billion, the technology giant is rolling out some of the first integrations with the business social network.

At its Ignite conference in Orlando this morning, Microsoft plans to announce that Office 365 will include a new “profile card” that can display LinkedIn information. For example, interviewers using Outlook would be able to easily access LinkedIn profiles of job seekers. This integration, the first between Office 365 and LinkedIn since the acquisition, is designed to make it easier for people to search for others inside their organizations.

Here’s how it works, according to the company: “Users who have access to this feature can access LinkedIn profile information by hovering over a person’s name and navigating to the ‘LinkedIn’ tab on the new profile card. Microsoft service administrators continue to have control over organizational privacy and connected features in their tenant. We respect end-user privacy and will honor your LinkedIn privacy and profile visibility settings.”

Microsoft is also connecting LinkedIn with its Dynamics sales and recruiting technology. LinkedIn InMails and messages will soon be able to be sent directly from Dynamics 365 for Sales, for example, and customers will be able to quickly integrate LinkedIn profile photos and other content to enrich lead data.

Microsoft completed its high-profile purchase of LinkedIn last year. At that time, Microsoft detailed a few of the integrations it was pursuing at the time, providing a roadmap for the work between Microsoft and LinkedIn.

  • LinkedIn identity and network in Microsoft Outlook and the Office suite
  • LinkedIn notifications within the Windows action center
  • Enabling members drafting résumés in Word to update their profiles, and discover and apply to jobs on LinkedIn
  • Extending the reach of Sponsored Content across Microsoft properties
  • Enterprise LinkedIn Lookup powered by Active Directory and Office 365
  • LinkedIn Learning available across the Office 365 and Windows ecosystem
  • Developing a business news desk across our content ecosystem and MSN.com
  • Redefining social selling through the combination of Sales Navigator and Dynamics 365

One other integration was introduced in July, a new LinkedIn app for Windows 10. Through the Windows Action Center, the app provides notifications about professional updates, including new messages, profile views and trending news.

Microsoft is making several other announcements this morning at Ignite:

  • In July, the company introduced Microsoft 365, a combination of Windows 10, Office 365 and its Enterprise Mobility + Security products. Microsoft previously released versions focused on enterprises and small and medium-sized businesses. At Ignite, Microsoft is announcing new versions of the program for education customers, as well as first-line personnel, such as factory workers, sales associates and customer service employees. Part of that is a series of new devices, starting at $275, from HP, Lenovo and Fujitsu running Microsoft’s Windows 10 S operating system.
  • Microsoft has further infused artificial intelligence, an area of major emphasis for the company, into Dynamics 365. New features include a virtual agent for customer care, an intelligent assistant for customer service staff and conversation management tools. Microsoft is also building a series of “modular apps” with Dynamics 365, focused on specific tasks. The first two applications — Attract and Onboard — focus on recruiting top talent and getting them up to speed.
  • Another AI-backed technology, Bing for Business, debuts in private preview starting today. The service leverages machine learning and AI, as well as information about users’ organizations to deliver search results that are more relevant to them.

More from Microsoft Ignite

Microsoft links its new Cosmos DB database to serverless technology for Azure developers
Microsoft Teams to replace Skype for Business as main meeting tool for Office 365 customers

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