Meta to Shut Down Workplace: Why You Should Migrate to Viva Engage Now

Viva Engage, an employee engagement platform and part of Microsoft Viva, allows you to create, manage, and measure the impact of your internal communications, such as newsletters, announcements, polls, and surveys.

Meta recently announced that Workplace will be completely shut down on June 1, 2026 just four months away. If you haven't begun migration planning, immediate action is required. As of September 1, 2025, Workplace has been read-only, and data downloads are essential before the final shutdown.

If your organization still uses Meta Workplace, migration to a modern platform is no longer optional it's urgent.

Viva Engage, an employee engagement platform and part of Microsoft Viva, allows you to create, manage, and measure the impact of your internal communications, such as newsletters, announcements, polls, and surveys with full integration into Microsoft 365.

What is Viva Engage and Why Should You Migrate to It?

Viva Engage is a modern employee engagement platform that is part of Microsoft Viva, a suite of applications that enhance the employee experience in Microsoft 365. Unlike Workplace's constrained environment, Viva Engage provides comprehensive features for internal communications aligned with your Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

Key Benefits of Viva Engage:

• Leverage Existing Investment: Use your current Microsoft 365 infrastructure without additional subscription costs, reducing overall technology spend

• Streamline Workflows: Consolidate communication tools and platforms, eliminating tool sprawl and reducing complexity across your organization

• Boost Employee Engagement: Deliver timely, targeted content that aligns with organizational goals and employee values, improving productivity and morale

• Measure Impact: Track communication effectiveness, analyze employee sentiment, and gather feedback to optimize engagement strategies continuously

• Ensure Security & Compliance: Rest assured your data follows Microsoft 365 security standards and compliance policies, maintaining organizational security posture
  

The Migration Urgency: Why You Need to Act Now

With only 4 months until Workplace is completely inaccessible, organizations still using the platform face critical risks:

Immediate Risks:

• Loss of communication continuity if migration isn't completed by June 1, 2026

• Potential data loss if archival isn't completed before shutdown

• Disruption to employee communication channels and internal communications infrastructure

• Loss of institutional knowledge stored in Workplace content and discussions

Strategic Opportunity:

• This forced migration is an opportunity to modernize your employee engagement platform

• Viva Engage offers enhanced capabilities beyond what Workplace provides

• Integration with Microsoft 365 unlocks new collaboration possibilities

• Organizations acting now gain a competitive advantage in employee communication and engagement

How Can Valorem Reply Help You Migrate to Viva Engage?

As a Microsoft Modern Work Solutions Partner and a leader in Viva adoption and migration, Valorem Reply has been using our migration tool to move organizations to Viva Engage for the last 5 years. We recognize that setting a client’s Viva Engage estate in order is only half the battle. We want Viva Engage to thrive. That’s why adoption and change management is at the heart of our process. Our migration process consists of five phases:

1. Planning: We work with you to understand your current environment, your goals and requirements for Viva Engage, and your timeline and budget. We help you define the scope and criteria for the migration, such as which groups, posts, comments, and attachments to migrate, and which ones to archive or delete.
2. Tool Deployment: We deploy our migration tool to your Azure environment, which ensures that your data never leaves your own tenant and complies with the security and privacy standards of Microsoft 365.
3. Communications: We design and implement a communication strategy to inform and engage your employees about the migration and the benefits of Viva Engage. We create and deliver messages, announcements, FAQs, and guides to prepare your users for the change and address any questions or concerns they may have.
4. Migration: We execute the migration process using our tool, which transfers your content to Viva Engage while preserving the ownership, metadata, and structure of your data.
5. Change and Training: We provide ongoing support and training to help your users adopt and embrace Viva Engage as their new communication and collaboration platform.

If you are interested in learning more about how Valorem Reply can help you migrate to Viva Engage, ask about our Viva Engage Migration Accelerator. We would love to hear from you and help you achieve your communication goals.

FAQs

Q: Can we migrate data after the June 1, 2026, deadline?

No. After June 1, 2026, Workplace will be completely inaccessible. Any data not downloaded and migrated before this date will be lost permanently. The deadline is absolute and non-negotiable.

Q: How long does migration actually take?

With proper planning and resources, migration typically takes 8-12 weeks from start to completion. Organizations starting now can comfortably complete migration before June 1, 2026. Delays significantly increase risk.

Q: Will we lose any data during migration?

No. Our proven migration tool preserves all data, ownership, metadata, and structure. We validate data integrity post-migration to ensure completeness. Your data transfer is secure and compliant.

Q: How much does Viva Engage migration cost?

Cost depends on your Workplace content volume, complexity, and organizational size. Contact us for a detailed assessment and pricing. Most organizations find cost offsets through tool consolidation and the elimination of Workplace subscription.

Q: Can we keep Workplace running during migration?

Yes. Workplace remains read-only starting September 1, 2025. We migrate during this period while maintaining read access, allowing users to reference old content during transition.

Q: Do we need training for Viva Engage?

Yes. Viva Engage differs from Workplace in features and workflows. We provide comprehensive training and ongoing support, ensuring successful adoption and user proficiency quickly.