Last year, Microsoft released a preview of Microsoft Stream, an enterprise video service that makes it easy for people inside any organization to upload, share, manage and view videos. Microsoft Stream is now generally available as a standalone service and is rolling out to Office 365 Enterprise customers.

Microsoft Stream features built-in intelligence, deep integration across Office 365 and the IT management and security capabilities. It gives individuals a destination to contribute, search and discover all their company videos. It is also now the cross-suite video service for Office 365 in the enterprise, making it easy for people to share videos inside Office 365 applications like SharePoint, Microsoft Teams and Yammer. Microsoft Stream is also integrated with Office 365 Groups, which means every group has a designated channel.

Microsoft Stream supports speech-to-text transcribed audio, meaning that transcribed audio becomes searchable text. Users can type in descriptive keywords to jump to any point in a video they are spoken.

With face detection, viewers can see where each person in the video is shown throughout the video. A clickable timeline indicates every place they appear.

In addiition, timecodes are displayed within the comments section and are linked to the text transcripts or table of contents, so users can jump to a specific point in the video.

Microsoft Stream utilizes built-in encryption and authenticated access for video. Security features that utilize existing organizational identity through Azure Active Directory and Office 365 Groups make security management simple. Additionally, administrators can add custom guidelines or require employees to optionally accept terms before they can begin to upload videos. Videos can be viewed across devices and screens at home or in the office.

Current Office 365 customers can find Microsoft Stream in the Office app launcher or visit the Microsoft Stream website to sign in. Those who don't have Office 365 can try a Microsoft Stream standalone plan or start their free trial.