Create and manage an external network in Viva Engage

If you have permission, you can create an external Viva Engage network to collaborate with people outside your company, such as customers, suppliers, and partners. People with external email addresses must be invited into or request access to an external network. When they join the external network, they can only see content posted specifically to that external network. That means they won't have access to your home network.

External networks are essentially their own networks: each has its own admin center and has its own admins.

Note

This feature is not available for Viva Engage Enterprise networks in the EU Geo. This feature is not available in Trial versions.

Create an external network

1. Select the Viva Engage settings icon , and then go to Networks > Create a New Network.

   

   Note

   You must be a verified Admin to create an external network and your home network must have already existed for at least 30 days. If Create a New Network is not visible, it means you're not a verified Viva Engage admin, or you have not met the minimum age for your home network.

   To find a home network admin for help setting up an external network, in your browser go to **https://engage.cloud.microsoft/***your_network***/admin** to find the list of Viva Engage admins.

2. Fill in the required settings:

   • Network Image: Select Choose File to select an image to use in the header for your new external network.

   • Network Name: Provide a name for your new external network, which is given its own email address and URL. This name must be unique - no other company can use the same name. The URL is formatted as follows:

     https://www.yammer.com/external_network_name

     with any spaces removed from the network name. You may want to include your company name, such as Contoso Customer Feedback. In this example, the URL would be

     https://www.yammer.com/contosocustomerfeedback

   • Network Description: A clear and succinct description ensures users understand the basic purpose of this network.

   • Add a Network Image: Upload a thumbnail image or logo that represents the new network.

   • Permissions: Select whether membership is Open (where all members can invite new members) or Closed (where only admins can invite new members). You can also select whether or not members of your company's home network can join without an invitation.

   • Allow members to join without an invite: This option allows users to join without an invite. When you clear this checkbox, users in your home network must request approval before joining this external network.

   • Best Practice: Setting Permissions to Closed and Invite Required recommended for most secure use.

3. Select Create Network.

   The top bar of your network shows that you're now in the external network. The settings icon for the external network has a blue circle in it.

   

   The All Network group is automatically created. This group can't be deleted. Users can create more groups.

4. To start inviting people to join your external network, select the external network settings icon , and then select Invite.

   Note

   You can invite EU users to participate in external networks hosted in the US. If an EU-based organization previously used a network in the US geo, it's possible that a subset of users were active members in external networks before their network moved to the EU geo. If a previously active user profile already exists, it's marked as "deleted" without deleting the content in those external networks. The user is reinvited to access external networks using a new profile. For more information, see Cross-geo external collaboration support on Yammer External Networks for the EU.

Go to and from an external network

To get to an external network from your home network, select the Viva Engage settings icon , and then near the bottom of the settings list, select the external network, or select Browse External Networks.

For example, selecting Contoso Customer Feedback in the first screenshot takes you to a new Viva Engage site for the Contoso Customer Feedback external network. The settings icon has a blue dot to indicate you're in an external network. The URL changes to show the external network name. For example, for the Contoso Customer Feedback external group, the URL is https://yammer.com/ContosoCustomerFeedback.

To get back to your home network, select the home network name at the end of the settings list.

Tip

Email notification settings that each user set for the home network don't apply to the new external network. Users must set email notifications for each external network. For more information, see Viva Engage email and push notifications.

Manage settings for an external network that you're an admin for

1. To go to your external network, select the Viva Engage settings icon , and then select an external network, or select Browse External Networks.

   

2. In your external network, select the external network settings icon .

   Select Network Admin to configure and design your external network. For information on these settings, see Configure your Viva Engage tenant.

   

   Note

   Not all settings are available for external networks: you can't create another external network from an existing external network, invite guests, or monitor a person's account activity. End users who create an external network have fewer configuration options. End users can modify the Configuration, Design, and Usage Policy settings, as well as create additional admins and manage users. They can't bulk update users or change anything in the Content and Security section.

   Note

   Networks Admins note that the "Require admin approval for members to join other companies' external groups or external networks" setting is OFF by default. Turn this setting ON to review and select whether or not members of your home network can participate in external networks hosted by other organizations. You can review pending requests under Pending Requests options under Edit settings in your home network.

   

Delete an external network

Caution

Deleting an external network deletes all content in the external network and removes all members from the network. Once a network is deleted, it can't be reactivated.

1. To go to an external network, select the Viva Engage settings icon , and then select an external network, or select Browse External Networks.

   

2. In the external network, select the external network settings icon .

3. Go to Network Admin > Configuration.

4. At the bottom of the page, select Delete External Network, and then on the confirmation page, select Delete.

When the Microsoft 365 tenant is deleted, all disabled external networks and content are deleted. For more information,see What happens to my data and access when my Microsoft 365 for business subscription ends?.

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