Microsoft is putting the sexy into unsexy software

I haven’t used SharePoint for nearly a decade, and I never thought I’d want to voluntarily use it again. That changed this week after Microsoft revealed its latest sizzle video. The software giant usually reserves these for new Surface hardware or flashy Windows and Office features, but this latest one (see above) is all about SharePoint “innovations.”

It’s colorful, pretty, and makes SharePoint seem sexy instead of the boring corporate intranet website that most people associate it with. Microsoft’s video also contains the bubbles that form part of the new SharePoint logo — part of a broader revamp of the company’s Office icons that are rolling out right now. It also includes a bunch of Microsoft’s Fluent Design elements that form part of the company’s big push towards open design internally.

So why did Microsoft make such a flashy video for SharePoint? The company held a SharePoint conference earlier this week and launched a new SharePoint home sites feature. It’s a new landing site for a business’ intranet that combines news, events, content, video, and even conversations. SharePoint is used by businesses to encourage collaboration, and these new home sites look like a far more modern way to achieve that.

This isn’t the first time Microsoft has used sleek videos to promote software that’s not exactly trendy, though. Microsoft unveiled its new Windows Terminal at Build earlier this month, complete with a sizzle video. It’s set to a tune full of bongos and claps by Hey Buko, a relatively unknown pop duo. A terminal and SharePoint aren’t exactly next-generation Surface products, but Microsoft is using all the tools at its disposal to make them look sexy.

[“source=theverge”]