Unlocking the Future of Work: SharePoint Framework and Viva Connections News at European Collaboration Summit 2025
Stage, Spotlight, SharePoint Framework
This week in Düsseldorf, the European Collaboration Summit 2025 delivered news that made every Microsoft 365 developer’s heart skip a beat. In a packed session with Vesa Juvonen (Principal Product Manager, Microsoft) and Paolo Pialorsi (Senior Developer Advocate, Microsoft) titled “Unlocking the Future of Work with AI and Microsoft 365,” we witnessed demonstrations that will fundamentally change how we think about custom solutions in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
And honestly? The numbers alone tell a story worth celebrating.
The Success Story That Keeps on Giving
Let’s talk numbers for a moment – because they’re mind-blowing. Tens of millions of monthly active users are now leveraging custom SharePoint Framework (SPFx) solutions. Daily active users? They’ve recently broken into the tens of millions as well.
This isn’t just growth – this is validation. Pure and simple. The investment in SPFx as an extensibility platform is paying dividends for organizations worldwide, and frankly, it’s about time everyone took notice.
Why SPFx Became the Golden Child (And Rightfully So)
The presentation reinforced what many of us have known for years – SPFx has become the go-to platform for enterprise application development in Microsoft 365. And why wouldn’t it be? Look at what you get:
- Automatic single sign-on integration (because who has time for authentication headaches?)
- Code hosted within your tenant (no external dependencies, no sleepless nights)
- No additional hosting costs required (your CFO will thank you)
- Industry-standard tooling support (React, Angular, TypeScript – all the good stuff)
- Cross-platform compatibility across SharePoint, Teams, Outlook, Viva, and now Copilot
It’s like they designed it specifically to make our lives easier. Which, let’s be honest, they probably did.
Game-Changing Announcements That Made Us Sit Up and Take Notice
1. Enhanced Card Designer: When Low-Code Meets High Impact
One of the most impressive demonstrations showcased the evolution of the Card Designer in Viva Connections. This isn’t just an incremental update – it’s a complete game-changer that enables makers (not just developers!) to create dynamic, data-driven experiences.
What caught our attention:
- Visual card design interface with real-time preview
- Direct integration with Microsoft Graph endpoints
- No coding required for basic dynamic content
- Same permissions model as SPFx for security consistency
The demo showcased the creation of a “My Upcoming Meetings” card that dynamically pulls calendar data, all through a visual interface that business users can easily master. Revolutionary? We think so.
2. Dashboard Web Parts Break Free
Here’s a significant architectural change rolling out in targeted release: Dashboard web parts are no longer restricted to home sites. Every SharePoint site can now host its own dashboard with custom cards and experiences.
This democratizes the dashboard experience, allowing organizations to create contextual, site-specific dashboards while maintaining the same rich card ecosystem developed for Viva Connections. It’s about time, really.
3. Flexible Layout Support: Welcome to the Post-Modern Era
The new flexible layout capabilities represent a major leap forward in design flexibility. Custom web parts now support:
- Dynamic resizing within flexible layouts
- Configurable default dimensions for optimal placement
- Overlapping elements for sophisticated design compositions
- Existing page integration without content recreation
The demonstration showed overlay effects and complex layouts that were previously impossible to achieve in modern SharePoint. The presenter playfully called it the “post-modern phase of SharePoint,” and honestly, we’re here for it.
4. End-User Personalization: Finally, Users Get What They Want
For the first time, Viva Connections is enabling end-user personalization of dashboards. Users can now:
- Hide irrelevant cards from their view
- Reorder cards based on personal preference
- Add their own Quick Links cards
- Customize their dashboard experience without admin intervention
This capability extends beyond first-party solutions to third-party cards, opening new possibilities for user-driven customization. It’s what users have been asking for, and Microsoft finally delivered.
5. Copilot Integration: The Future is Now
Perhaps the most forward-looking demonstration showed Viva Connection cards surfacing directly within SharePoint’s AI assistant. When users ask questions that relate to their configured dashboard cards, the AI can intelligently surface the relevant card interface rather than just providing text responses.
The best part? This integration works today for organizations with Copilot licenses and configured Viva Connection dashboards, with no additional development required.
Technical Roadmap: What’s Coming Next
SPFx Version 1.21.1 and Beyond
The latest recommended version (1.21.1, released May 4th) includes Node.js and TypeScript 5.3 support. Looking ahead to version 1.22 beta (expected within weeks):
- Moving away from Gulp to modern task runners (Heft or webpack)
- React 18 support to align with Microsoft 365’s internal standards
- Performance optimizations across the development experience
Future-Looking Developments
Several exciting capabilities are in various stages of development:
- Enhanced AI/Copilot integrations for SPFx solutions
- Extended cross-platform reach beyond current supported applications
- Advanced end-user empowerment features
- Improved developer experience tooling and workflows
Microsoft’s Researcher Frontier Agent delivers advanced AI-powered research capabilities that transform how organizations handle complex analysis tasks.
New Researcher Agent launched
Paolo Pialorsi demonstrated how Researcher enables you to tackle complex, multi-step research at work—delivering insights with greater quality and accuracy than previously possible. Introducing Researcher and Analyst in Microsoft 365 Copilot | Microsoft 365 Blog It can build a detailed go-to-market strategy based on the context of all your work data and broader competitive data from the web; identify whitespace opportunities for a new product based on emerging trends and internal data. Introducing Researcher and Analyst in Microsoft 365 Copilot | Microsoft 365 Blog
Core Capabilities
- Deep Integration: Securely accesses your Microsoft 365 data (emails, meetings, files, chats) plus web sources
- Third-party Connectors: Integrates data from external sources, such as Salesforce, ServiceNow, Confluence, and more Introducing Researcher and Analyst in Microsoft 365 Copilot | Microsoft 365 Blog
- Advanced Reasoning: Built on OpenAI’s deep research models for sophisticated analysis
Business Impact
Organizations using these “Frontier” agents see dramatic results – 71% of workers at these firms say their company is thriving, compared to just 37% globally. The 2025 Annual Work Trend Index: The Frontier Firm is born – The Official Microsoft Blog
Availability: Now rolling out to Microsoft 365 Copilot license holders through the Frontier program and new Agent Store.
What This Means for Your Organization (The Real Talk)
Investment Protection
The commitment to SPFx as a long-term platform is crystal clear. While other Microsoft 365 platforms are reducing investment to focus on AI agents, the SPFx team is doubling down on extensibility. They recognize that the partner ecosystem and custom solutions make SharePoint and Viva Connections more valuable.
Skills and Training Considerations
The evolution toward low-code/no-code solutions (Card Designer) alongside continued pro-code capabilities (SPFx) suggests organizations should invest in:
- Maker training for business users to leverage Card Designer
- Developer upskilling on modern frameworks and AI integration patterns
- Governance frameworks to manage the expanded customization capabilities
Architectural Planning
Organizations should consider:
- Dashboard strategy across multiple sites versus centralized approaches
- User empowerment policies for personalization features
- AI integration roadmaps to leverage Copilot capabilities as they mature
Getting Started: Your Action Plan
For organizations ready to explore these capabilities:
- Enable targeted release to access preview features
- Configure Viva Connections to establish the dashboard foundation
- Experiment with Card Designer for low-code dynamic content
- Plan SPFx migration to version 1.21.1 for latest capabilities
- Establish governance for the expanded customization options
The Bottom Line
The European Collaboration Summit 2025 session demonstrated that Microsoft’s commitment to extensibility in the modern workplace remains stronger than ever. The combination of enhanced low-code capabilities, expanded deployment options, user empowerment features, and AI integration creates a compelling platform for organizations building their digital workplace.
The future of work isn’t just about consuming Microsoft’s applications – it’s about extending, customizing, and personalizing them to meet unique organizational needs. With these announcements, that future is arriving faster than we ever imagined.
And honestly? We couldn’t be more excited about what’s coming next.
Want to stay updated on the latest SharePoint Framework developments? Keep an eye on our blog for more insights from the Microsoft 365 ecosystem and talk to us at HanseVision how we can support you on this journey. Find my calendar here.
