News Analysis
Microsoft Delve is officially scheduled for retirement in December 2024, a decision that has drawn little protest from its user base. Unlike past discontinuations, Delve’s sunset is welcomed by at least some. Delve's lack of popularity likely stem from its design, its functionality and the security flaws that arose post-launch.
Microsoft started rolling out Delve in September 2014. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella discussed the product at length during the Convergence 2015 conference. Described as "an experience within Office 365 that surfaces relevant content and insights tailored to each person," Delve was powered by the Office Graph. It used machine learning to connect people, content and interactions across Office 365. However, as Delve is phased out, many digital workplace leads may be breathing a sigh of relief. Because from the looks of Microsoft blogs and tech community discussions, its clear that Delve’s challenges have outweighed its benefits for organizations and individual users alike.
Microsoft Delve's Games of Peek a Boo
One of the primary issues that plagued Microsoft Delve was its tendency to inadvertently expose sensitive information to unauthorized users. Reports indicate that Delve sometimes displayed document titles and thumbnails to users who didn't have file access, at times inadvertently revealing confidential details in documents shared with broad permissions, such as “Organization-wide Link” or “Anonymous.” Some organizations found that sensitive HR files became visible to all employees through Delve, despite restricted permissions. Even Microsoft's Tech Community outlined the problems in clear detail.
Issues With Former Employees’ Data
Data associated with former employees is another area where Delve caused headaches. The "also works with" section on people cards, for example, continues to display information about terminated employees for months, even years, after they have left the company. This persistent visibility can cause confusion and present compliance challenges for organizations.
Administrative Limitations
Another challenge has been the limited availability of administrative controls in Delve. Administrators found it difficult to manage what appears on the platform, as there is no way to clear or restrict signals and interactions from terminated employees in the Office Graph, the tool that powers Delve. Even turning off Delve does not fully remove all Graph-powered features, such as the "also works with" section in other Microsoft 365 tools.
Unpredictable Behavior of Content Display
Users have also experienced inconsistent behavior with Delve’s content displays. For example, documents have been reported to appear and disappear seemingly at random. Furthermore, Delve’s visibility settings sometimes do not align with actual SharePoint or OneDrive permissions, leading to unpredictable document availability.
Due to these concerns, numerous organizations chose to disable Delve altogether to mitigate risks of data leaks and security breaches. With Delve’s official retirement drawing close, Microsoft recommends that organizations transition to alternative tools within Microsoft 365.
Related Article: Microsoft Unbundles Teams From Microsoft 365 to Appease EU Antitrust Regulators
What Comes After Delve?
Digital presence expert Charlie Clark, founder of Liinks, views Delve’s retirement as part of a larger shift in Microsoft’s approach to unifying the user experience across its suite.
"Delve introduced some valuable features, but when you think about modern workflows, users don’t want to jump between tools for different functions," he explained. "They want collaboration, discovery, and communication integrated smoothly." By embedding Delve's AI-powered recommendations within Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint, Microsoft is enhancing the user experience while streamlining productivity.
Microsoft’s strategy aims to integrate Delve’s features within other platforms, like Microsoft Viva and Microsoft Search, said Eve Bai, leader of International Partnerships and Operations at StudyX.AI. By doing so, the company hopes to offer a unified experience, making separate applications like Delve unnecessary.
Related Article: The Workplace From Meta Clock Is Ticking. Factors to Consider Before Migration
Microsoft’s Delve Alternatives
Microsoft is positioning Profile Cards, Office.com, OneDrive and Org Explorer as core components to replace Delve in advance of its retirement. Profile Cards are set to become central to user information, showcasing essential details, including departments, organizational structure and colleague associations.
Meanwhile, Office.com and OneDrive will provide personalized content recommendations similar to Delve, enabling users to easily access and view work-related documents and folders. These recommendations will be based on the user’s activity across Microsoft 365, which provides a more integrated approach than Delve.
The Org Explorer feature, included within Microsoft Viva, will allow employees to view organizational charts and explore team structures. This tool supports better collaboration and interaction among team members by displaying hierarchical relationships within the organization.
Microsoft has also announced that comprehensive training materials and transition guides will be available to assist organizations and users in adapting to the new tools. In addition, users will receive reminders within the Delve app, informing them of its upcoming deactivation and encouraging a gradual migration.
Related Article: Microsoft Recall Woes Are Emblematic of Broader Generative AI Security Issues
What Knowledge Work Looks Like in a Post-Delve Future
All of this is happening of course in the midst of Microsoft's billion dollar investments into generative AI. Delve’s functionality will live on through Microsoft 365’s other AI-powered tools, with the upcoming integration of Microsoft 365 Copilot serving as an intelligent guide for users. Copilot is meant to offer task-specific recommendations, enhance content discovery and make collaboration more intuitive across applications.
The Microsoft Graph API, which Delve used, will continue to play a crucial role in personalizing user experiences across Microsoft 365 applications by identifying usage patterns and surfacing contextually relevant content. This API-driven approach means Microsoft’s suite is adaptive, offering recommendations that evolve based on user behaviors.
Looking ahead, Clark notes that a post-Delve world will prioritize “contextual intelligence,” with platforms like Teams and SharePoint evolving to deliver content at the moment users need it. “We’re moving toward a future where the system almost anticipates what you’re looking for based on the task at hand, rather than relying on you to actively search for it,” he said.
Microsoft’s strategic direction points toward increasingly intuitive, AI-enabled experiences where Microsoft 365 will serve user needs fluidly, based on real-time workflows and activities. Tools that anticipate users’ content needs will shape the future of work, by pushing content and context rather than waiting for workers to pull such content. The anticipated productivity boost could be substantial.
As Delve approaches retirement, organizations should use the broader Microsoft ecosystem to strengthen content discovery. Premier Staff CEO Daniel Meursing said the integration of tools like SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive can significantly boost collaboration beyond what standalone platforms provide.
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"This transition offers an excellent opportunity to optimize workflows,” says Meursing. “When supporting high-profile clients like Pinterest and major fashion brands, we’ve seen that integrated information management consistently outperforms isolated solutions.”