Office Delve is a combined employee profile page and content discovery tool.
The profile page provides contact information about each employee in the system, including their name, phone number, office location, email, manager, etc., which are usually populated by the Office 365 administrator. A rudimentary organization chart is also included.
However, the profile page also provides space for you to add more personal information about yourself, like your alma mater, skills, past projects, interests, and other personal details. Delve is useful for finding people based on their skills and experience across an enterprise without having to know those individuals prior to finding them.
The content discovery part of Delve displays files within Office 365 (usually from SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business) that are relevant to you. Files edited or opened by your colleagues and individuals you work with will be suggested as possibly relevant based on your connection to those people.
Delve cannot be shared with other users and each person's experience with Delve is unique, similar to your experience on Facebook and LinkedIn. You will only be shown content you already have access to. Delve does not provide additional access to content you shouldn't see.
Delve is one of those things that you're best off playing around with to truly understand it. It's a tool that some shrug off while others wonder how they lived without it. Regardless of your interest, you should always update your profile with relevant skills and experience so others can find you for assistance when the need arises.
Resources
- What is Office Delve? [Microsoft]
- Five Reasons to Love Office Delve [SharePoint Maven]
Similar applications
- Facebook and LinkedIn
Feedback
- Delve UserVoice [UserVoice]
- Delve on TechCommunity [Microsoft]
Author
- Matt Wade, Office Services MVP
