Facebook is planning to launch “Facebook at Work”, a collaborative suite of enterprise communication tools to keep the entire workplace connected. According to reports, the platform has been in beta since January and the company plans to launch it in the next few weeks. Facebook claims that over 450 companies are using beta testers of Facebook at Work and it will be charging a monthly fee per user.
With an aim to expand its reach globally, the California-based company is planning to make the workplace digital with this new software. Indian Express reported that Facebook at Work has been catching the interest of CIOs globally. Earlier, Facebook said there are over 60,000 organizations waiting to test company’s enterprise service.
A Connected Workplace
The user will be creating a new ‘Facebook at Work’ account to connect with coworkers. The account will be separate from the personal Facebook account, but it will function in a similar manner. The user can make use of news feed to stay updated, join groups to collaborate, send messages and get notifications about important things.
Groups: Facebook at Work allows users to create different groups as it will help the teams in faster decision making and keep every member updated.
News Feeds: It shows what is happening around the office and engages employees in all activates by keeping them updated regarding relevant whereabouts.
Work Chat: This is an application that claims to enable users to connect to the right people at the right time. Be it one person or a group, this application gets the user connected to its coworkers instantly. One can also send files and videos to the coworkers to keep the workflow running smoothly.
Events: If there is any meeting or a social event, it can be arranged quickly by setting up reminders, so that every team member gets notified about it.
Search: This feature allows the user to find the answers, past group posts or the files that are needed to carry on the work.
Security assurance
Taking security into consideration, Facebook claims that Facebook at Work is a completely separate, safe and secure way for companies to collaborate. Only coworkers within the company can see the information employees post on Facebook at Work. Since enterprises have specific requirements for tools in the workplace, enterprise features such as single sign-on (SSO), secure identity management, enterprise support and analytics have been included in Facebook at Work. The company shall retain ownership of the data when the information is inside Facebook at Work and only employees of the company can see information posted in Facebook at Work.
With this Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Facebook at Work claims to be betting against enterprise communication platforms such as Slack, Yammer and Skype for Business. According to reports, the product has been in the making since 2014 and the first tests were officially unveiled in 2015.