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One way that LinkedIn users keep tabs on industry trends, their competition and their colleagues is to literally keep open a browser tab that points to LinkedIn.com during their web-browsing sessions. Now, Microsoft is offering an alternative for Windows 10 users seeking a more seamless experience between the popular social network and the desktop operating system.
In April, LinkedIn revealed that it had crossed the 500-million-member milestone, meaning that many of those activities are occurring on web browsers and the service’s mobile apps. Now, Windows 10 PC users can get in on the act.
With today’s release of the LinkedIn app for Windows 10, users can get updates delivered directly to the Action Center, the operating system’s built-in notifications hub. “With Windows 10 Action Center, LinkedIn for Windows 10 delivers real-time professional updates, including new messages, insights on who’s viewed your profile, trending news in your industry and other timely highlights on your professional network,” said LinkedIn product manager Hermes Alvarez in a July 17 announcement.
“The LinkedIn app for Windows 10 also gives you full control over the types of updates that you’d like to hear about. The Windows 10 Action Center will serve as your hub for LinkedIn updates about you, your content, and your connections,” continued Hermes.
Microsoft has begun distributing the LinkedIn app in phases via the Windows Store. Once installed, it can be launched from the Start Menu or pinned as Live Tile that displays a preview of LinkedIn highlights.
If the new app doesn’t immediately show up as available to download for users, they won’t have long to wait. By the end of July, the app will be available to all users in the markets served by LinkedIn, Hermes added.
Microsoft has been busy integrating LinkedIn into its software ecosystem since acquiring the massive professional network last year for $26 billion.
Last week during its Microsoft Inspire conference in Washington D.C., the company announced the general availability of Microsoft Relationship Sales, a standalone package that includes LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales. The solution uses data gleaned from LinkedIn, along with customer relationship management (CRM) systems, Office 365 and other social networks, to deliver personalized insights that can help salespeople engage with customers and prospects in a more targeted manner.
More data integrations are on the way. Last year after announcing his company had closed on the LinkedIn deal, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella teased a business-friendlier take on LinkedIn Lookup, an app that helps co-workers find and contact one another, using Office 365 and Active Directory.