Company News Archives - BindTuning Academy

2019 to 2020: BindTuning Moments in Review

Posted on January 20, 2020February 20, 2020 by Lily Griffin

We are a few weeks into 2020 and reflecting on 2019 – what a year it had been! Thank you to those who have kindly supported us during this past year!

Welcome to the new year, a new decade.

This is a monumental milestone and we at BindTuning feel the shift from what was, to what will be. We experienced rapid changes in 2019 and we see more of the same for this coming year. We are grateful to those of you who have kindly supported us during this journey. Let me touch upon a few highlights from the past year and then give you a preview of what we see on the horizon.

2019

The year started off as usual, but the shift was already starting. Microsoft Teams adoption was about to explode, but let’s not jump ahead just yet…

We launched a revamp of our Provisioning Engine and several new and updated products, including Video Web Part, Social Feeds, Accordion Web Part, Stocks Web Part plus a brand new Modern UX that includes dark mode and advanced coding in-panel.

While we were busy coding, we made time for our community too. Our CEO, Beatriz Oliveira joined Ana Casaca, Jose de Mello, Ana Sanches in a lively discussion about the opportunities and role of women in technology at Building the Future, Lisbon hosted by Microsoft Portugal.

Beatriz also talked about Design, Branding and Customization of the modern workplace with Microsoft MVP Michael Greth as part of the European SharePoint Conference podcast series.

In February, we became a GOLD certified partner for Cloud Productivity and we announced it on our new Instagram Account! If you haven’t already, please follow us!

In early May, we took a breather to celebrate our 14-year anniversary. The team gathered at a beach-side resort in beautiful northern Portugal to celebrate, reflect on the past and plan for the future. Taking advantage of the team’s fondness for water sports, we literally took a plunge with a team-building activity aboard not one but two giant paddleboards!

And then it was right back to work with three big events in May – SharePoint Saturday London, Collaboration Summit in Wiesbaden, Germany and the SharePoint Conference in Las Vegas where we announced the launch of our new Microsoft Teams apps and starter kits! Our #bettertogether campaign aligned perfectly with all the buzz about MS Teams and we gotta tell you, people loved our new socks.

A Busy Summer

By July, BindTuning, along with approximately 13 million other daily users around the world, was making the jump to Microsoft Teams and it changed the way we do business, both internally and externally with our partners and customers.

At Microsoft Inspire, we launched our deployment-as-a-service product – Automate365. Our partnership with third-party solution provider Storyals, opened the door for a new way for SI’s and ISV’s to automate deployments at scale and reduce the costs of delivering customized solutions to clients around the world.

Speaking of clients around the world, we grew our partner program in 2019 with 21 new partners, worldwide! And we were proud to have our products available on the Microsoft Appsource catalog, too.

The Record magazine’s summer issue featured our customer, Portugal brewing giant Super Bock, in a roundtable discussion about how they created a “future-proof” SharePoint implementation with our team from BindTuning, our partner DevScope and Microsoft Portugal.

The Record Magazine

Also in July, Beatriz Oliveira was again recognized as MVP for Office Development and also newly named the Microsoft Regional Director for Portugal. A big step for diversity and inclusion of women in tech!

New Beginnings in the Fall

Fall was spent providing much needed guidance on the role of Microsoft Teams and how to best configure the application for optimal usage in organizations. We kicked off a webinar series focused exclusively on Teams, helping our customers navigate the use of Teams and as part of that initiative, we joined Microsoft Teams Principal Technical Specialist at Microsoft, Michael Gannotti, to talk about Easy Creation of Rich Microsoft Teams Templates for his Webcast series.

We travelled to Microsoft Ignite, where we attended a great session by Major Hospital and our partner Dell EMC Services on the amazing digital transformation they went through, which includes a new BindTuning-based intranet.

Also in November, we were excited to see Sogrape win Best Intranet at the European Excellence Awards 2019. We were very pleased to work again in partnerhsip with DevScope during this project.

Coinciding with our attendance at SPS Lisbon and the European SharePoint Conference, we launched a new beginning for our customers with a brand new BindTuning app that is propelling our customers into the new decade. A newly launched website, updated BindTuning app and subscription program all ensure our customers #dontgetboxedin.

Looking ahead to 2020

One of the last events in 2019, set us on our path for 2020. A meaningful conversation about inclusion in tech with Beatriz Oliveira, our CEO and Dux Raymond revealed a commitment from BindTuning to turn words into action.

We have kicked off this new year, this new decade with an exciting commitment to make diversity & inclusion a reality in IT. This commitment is a top priority for BindTuning in 2020. As CEO and founder, Beatriz has personally committed to building tools to help people with disabilities perform at their best in their jobs, and not be limited by non-inclusive software. The workplace can’t be a place just for some. We have the responsibility to prepare it so everyone can play a productive part in the workforce.

BindTuning creates a Future-Proof Intranet for Super Bock Group | The Record Magazine

Posted on July 4, 2019October 21, 2019 by Vanessa Rodrigues

The Summer 2019 issue of The Record is officially out! We are very excited to be featured along with industry’s leaders on Microsoft technology. The site covers industry trends, product launches, customer wins and event news.

Read full article here.

Read how, Super Bock Group’s solution to create a central hub of their communications strategy for their SharePoint On-Premises is Better together with BindTuning.

We will be attending Microsoft Inspire 2019, in Las Vegas. Stop by, meet our team and get to know more about Automate365, the latest BindTuning solution.

Schedule a meeting now

Storyals content on Microsoft 365 learning pathways automatically provisioned to customers around the world

Posted on May 29, 2019 by Lily Griffin

We are excited to announce a new partnership with Storyals that opens the door for refreshing Microsoft 365 learning pathways educational content and for a refreshing new way that content is automatically delivered to users.

Better Together with Storyals

Storyals Lite provides organizations with a new, modern way of educating employees on how to work smarter using Office 365. Their story-based training modules enable tech-savvy end users to quickly learn, adapt and optimize their experiences with Office 365 using rich, YouTube-like stories, not lengthy tutorials. Behind the scenes, Automate365 from BindTuning acts as the underlying provisioning engine, automating the delivery of this content to Microsoft 365 learning pathway, released yesterday in Beta Preview at the North American SharePoint Conference in Las Vegas. The resulting Storyals Lite offers exciting educational content for Office365 that is effortlessly delivered and refreshed, creating an optimal environment for user adoption.

The Full Story

Building upon content in Microsoft 365 learning pathways, Storyals Lite is a story-based tutorial solution that provides structured, experienced-based training content that is automatically installed and maintained fresh with new content. Utilizing a pre-populated SharePoint communication site, users have immediate access to all the Storyals Office 365 content with Storyals Lite. They can watch videos on demand, take quizzes, even attain certification in the product.

The delivery and maintenance of this content couldn’t be easier. Each Storyals Lite subscription is quickly deployed to Office 365 using Automate365. Not only is the solution effortlessly deployed across any number of site collections, but the administration of new content is automatic, with fresh content delivered in minutes. More than just the initial deployment, Automate365 guarantees that all future updates to Storyals are easily re-deployed across all their customers effortlessly, for an evergreen solution. To learn more about Storyals Lite, visit www.storyals.com. Read the full press release.

Automate365

Automate365 is available now. Any third-party ISV solutions or custom scenarios such as Storyals Lite, can be provisioned to SharePoint, Microsoft Teams or Office 365 using Automate365 by BindTuning. Automate 365 is a Deployment-as-a-Service (DaaS) where our expertise in understanding your problem areas, business workflows create a working solution. That solution is packaged, deployed and fully tested prior to going live as a finished template you can deploy over and over again. Third-party solution providers such as Storyals are excited to integrate this technology to automate deployments at scale and reduce the costs of delivering their solutions to clients around the world. End users such as Nokia, have been using the same provisioning technology to deploy hundreds of project portals during client on-boarding, in minutes. Each client portal adheres to their governance standards, meets their internal communication needs, but is customizable for each team, project. To learn more about Automate365, visit Automate365.io.

Join Us

Storyals and BindTuning will be hosting a live webinar to discuss the ways Storyals, utilizing Automate365, is able to support the deployment of their learning solution to Office 365 customers around the world. The webinar will take place on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. Registration is free, sign up here.

Hello from Microsoft Ignite 2018!

Posted on September 24, 2018 by Beatriz Oliveira

We are here in Orlando, at Microsoft Ignite and are looking forward to sharing our latest evolution in UX solutions, helping you take a giant leap forward in intranet readiness and automation.

Nothing boosts employee engagement and productivity quite like an intranet that’s ready when your business needs it. That’s why we’ve launched ready-to-use and industry-specific Site Templates. Pre-configured yet customizable, our templates give you a running start towards a custom intranet you can roll out in minutes, with the branding and functionality your business requires. Installed in minutes and the first step in site automation.

Get “Intranet READY” with BindTuning.

It’s not too late to schedule a demo or simply stop by our booth #2131 at Microsoft Ignite. If you aren’t at the show, you can still sign up for a demo, and we’ll do it online.

See for yourself how easy it is to create a modern workplace in minutes. And of course, pick up our crazy-good swag!

Hope to see you there!

Schedule a demo with us

Learn how @Nokia is using our site templates to transform and automate projects for hundreds of clients.

Read the Nokia Case Study

Getting Ready for Microsoft Ignite 2018

Posted on September 21, 2018October 21, 2019 by João Ferreira

Advice for First Time Attendees. We are only 3 days away from the biggest Microsoft event dedicated to the Tech Community and if you are attending – this article is for you.

With so many things going on, it can be overwhelming especially for first time attendees. This will be my 4th Ignite and based on my experience from previous years, I’ll share with you a few tips and tricks to make it a smooth ride.

Continue reading “Getting Ready for Microsoft Ignite 2018”

BindTuning wins IntraNET.Reloaded Award

Posted on April 25, 2018October 21, 2019 by Lily Griffin

We are thrilled to announce that we have won the 2018 Intra.NET Awards Best Intranet Solution for User Experience, Design & Content Management.

Presented by we.CONECT, the prestigious Intra.NET Award exclusively recognizes, celebrates and honors exceptional intranet projects.

BindTuning, along with our partner Dell/EMC, was recognized for our work helping to transform the Tyson Foods Corporation company-wide intranet. The aggressive timeframe and sheer scope of the transformation secured the award for the Tyson Foods project.

With over 120,000 employees in more than 400 facilities worldwide, rapid growth had left Tyson Foods with a mixed bag of intranet environments that were impossible to navigate and use. Relying on guidance from the Microsoft Technology Center in Dallas, Tyson was able to pare down the list of possible solutions to BindTuning cloud-based, pre-built Office 365 themes and web parts that quickly became known as the “secret sauce” of the project.

In less than 8 weeks from initial planning meetings to deployment, the new Tyson Foods intranet aggregates various Microsoft technologies into one cohesive, user-friendly intranet that communicates the unified vision for the company and keeps employees actively engaged across all departments. Tysons Foods, has topped the list of Fortune Magazine World’s Most Admired Company for Food Production for the last two years and it is easy to see why!

The 2018 Intra.Net Awards ceremony was held at the Intra.NET Reloaded conference in Boston on April 23, 2018. Beatriz Oliveira, CEO & Founder of BindTuning, along with Chris Eaves, Associate Director of Communications for Tyson Foods were on hand to not only receive the award but to present the Tyson Foods solution at the conference.

As the winner of the award, BindTuning received a donation of € 1,000 from we.CONECT that was donated to DKMS.org, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the fight against blood cancer and blood disorders by: creating awareness; recruiting bone marrow donors to provide a second chance at life; raising funds to match donor registration costs; supporting the improvement of therapies through research; and supporting patients from day one of their diagnoses.

4 things you can do to empower women in technology

Posted on March 8, 2018June 6, 2018 by Beatriz Oliveira

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I can’t help but reflect on how many women across so many generations before me had to be brave, speak up, and stand up for their right to be treated as equal. Today we are celebrating women, many of them unknown, who fought for what too many of us take for granted.

Almost two decades into the 21st century, gender equality is still for many, a distant dream. While in developed countries we are far removed from atrocities like child marriage, female genital mutilation or sexual violence during war, we are still far behind on this path towards equality.

Women are still largely underpaid when compared to men in the same position. Many suffer silently from sexual harassment and violence in their workplaces or, worse, in their homes. States and governments need to step up and regulate and establish female quotas in politics and promote and regulate workplace gender equality. For as long as we need to regulate equality, the fact remains that the fight for equality is far from over.

As the mother to two teenage girls and the CEO of an IT company, I am especially concerned about the foundation we are building for the generations to come and am committed to empowering these girls to believe in themselves and continue the fight for their place in society.

So, what can we do?

Break the myth that some jobs are meant for men
There are still several misconceptions when it comes to how parents and educators perceive and talk about what engineering is and what engineers actually do. Still today, engineering is typically stereotyped for white males highly prepared in math and science. But there has never been greater opportunity for girls in engineering than as there are today! It’s our responsibility to change the dialog – talk about our jobs to young generations, at home, in their schools, to their friends, ensuring everyone will follow their calling regardless of social status, gender or race.

Be involved and involve other women
Coming together, talking about our experiences, sharing our female success stories and how we overcome hurdles along the way – we can help women feel less alone in the field, and encourage them to invest in building a career in technology. Join a female-focused interest group in your area or, if you can’t find one, be the force to start a new one! In Portugal, I am personally part of IAMCP WIT, and frequently support the Geek Girls Portugal community. Worldwide you can find several other movements like Girls in Tech, Chick Tech, Girls Who Code, and many more. Be involved.

When you get, give. When you learn, teach.

Maya Angelou

Encourage all children in your community from an early age
Parents and educators play an influential role in building a child’s vision of their future self – both boys and girls. Let’s not build walls for girls but make sure we are ready to encourage all children to pursue a future in technology if they so desire. Creating local tech workshops for children is a great way to show them that technology can be fun! I lead a monthly tech group called CoderDojo Vila do Conde, for children from 7 to 17, and I am happy to say we have had sessions with more girls than boys attending.:)

Help promote workplace equality
Finally, if you are a decision-maker, make sure to hire people for their skills and accomplishments, not their gender. Teams, projects and ultimately companies have a lot to gain by promoting equality and building diverse workplaces. Benefits like increased productivity, leading innovation, flaw reduction, stronger employee commitment, increased company reputation, have proven to occur in diverse companies. We need both men and women insights and creativity to face the challenges of the future.

Be the change you want to see in the World.

Quick links Web Part for SPFx is here!

Posted on February 21, 2018June 7, 2018 by Cláudia Pereira

Today, we’re announcing the release of the SPFx-ready version of the Quick Links web part. That means you can now easily display custom links in both classic and modern sites.

You can pretty much add any custom link to the page, with an endless list of icons and an option to add custom images. You can even choose what links you want to show to a specific user or group, thanks to its advanced targeting options!

I already added my custom links to SharePoint Modern Experience with the new SPFx-ready version and it’s looking amazing. I can now have all my links in a single place, right where I need them. :)

Watch the demo video for more details on this new release.

Get it today

If you have an active subscription – even a trial one – the new version is available right now in your account in the “My Downloads” area. As a subscriber, you get access to all the web parts we release, right in your account for immediate use.

Simply log into your account and navigate to the “My Downloads” page.

Read full instructions here

I’m not a subscriber, how can I get the new SPFx-ready version of Quick Links?
You can request a free trial subscription at bindtuning.com/webparts and get access to the complete library of 12 web parts, including Quick Links and the new SPFx-ready version. Contact us today, to get started using Quick Links for SPFx.

Weather Web Part – weather forecast, right where you need it

Posted on February 7, 2018October 21, 2019 by Cláudia Pereira

The new Weather Web Part is about to give your SharePoint intranet a serious upgrade!

Launching today, the new Weather Web Part for SharePoint and Office 365 gives your users the convenience of their local weather forecast, right where they need it. With complete and customizable weather information for each user regardless of their location.

Watch the live demo and find out more about the new Weather Web Part.

And that’s not all!

Available for the SharePoint Modern Experience
Weather Web Part is also available for the Microsoft SharePoint Framework (SPFx) experience. That means you can easily display weather information on both classic and modern sites.

Complete daily weather information
With a world clock, Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature readings, weather averages/extremes, plus a 6-day forecast, Weather is a powerful web part for SharePoint.

Shows weather info based on your location
With Weather, you can type in a city or ask it to detect your location. With a single click, Weather can track your exact location and display the weather information accordingly. That’s some serious upgrade!

Advanced weather integrations
Weather’s advanced integrations with Yahoo! Weather (Free) and Weather Underground allows you to display vital weather information with incredible accuracy.

A layout for every season
You get to choose from a variety of layouts, from simple to bold, tiny to wide and have the right modern weather layout for your modern SharePoint intranet while providing your users a truly modern experience.

How can I get the new Weather Web Part?

Glad you asked. To get your hands on the new Weather web part you need to:

Have an active subscription? If you have an active subscription – even a trial one – the new web part is available right now in your account in the “My Downloads” area. As a subscriber, you get access to all of the web parts we release, right in your account for immediate use.

Don’t have a subscription? Request a free trial subscription at bindtuning.com/webparts and get access to the complete library of 12 web parts, including the new Weather Web Part. You can also request a free demo with one of our SharePoint experts.

SharePoint Saturday Helsinki – Trip Report

Posted on January 30, 2018June 7, 2018 by Beatriz Oliveira

Seeing no sunlight for 3 days has never been more enjoyable. I know that sounds strange but let me explain…

My colleague João Ferreira and I flew out to SharePoint Saturday Helsinki from our hometown of Porto, Portugal at 5am (it was dark) and by the time we landed it was after 7pm (it was dark). Then we got an early start (it was dark) and by the time we finished the conference it was – you guessed it – dark. We left bright and early the next morning (yes, it was dark).

So, you see we really didn’t get to SEE much of Helsinki, but, what an amazing experience. Held at Microsoft FLUX, a community space, it is an idea incubator. The entire facility is set up for networking, innovation and testing new ideas. In this setting, roughly 150 people gathered this past Saturday to innovate about SharePoint. As a Gold Sponsor of this event, we were pleased to participate with two speaking sessions.

My session focused on the work we’re doing for the Nokia Project Management Excellence Center. Part of the Nokia Networks division in Finland, this center needed a unified communications channel to service hundreds of clients around the world. With our partner DevScope, we have fully automated the creation of each Office 365 client portal. In 5 minutes, our provisioning engine sets up a consistent and uniformly structured portal site for each of Nokia’s clients with asset collections and permission levels set, allowing management to easily roll up performance indicators for all of their clients.

João led the discussion on the basis of the PnP provisioning engine, a project that is supported by the community in GitHub. He demonstrated the differences (and limitations) of using the PnP Provisioning Engine  instead of the default “Save Site as Template”. Aligned nicely with my session, Joao concluded his presentation by giving a demo of the BindTuning Provisioning Engine and how it can be used by any end user to quickly set up a site based on a template, without writing a single line of code.

So, you see our quick trip to Helsinki was productive in spite of the cover of darkness. The Nokia project will be the subject of a more detailed use case on our blog soon. As for the Provisioning Engine we built? It will be available on our website next month! Be sure to sign up for our email notifications to stay up to date on everything BindTuning!

Thank you to the organizers of SharePoint Saturday Helsinki event and thanks to all the superb speakers and attendees we had the pleasure to meet in person. Kiitos!