In 2014, we wrote that you’d be hearing lots about Facebook for Work in 2015. At that time, we said it sounded like a great platform with a terrible name. Why? “The brand Facebook is perceived by many as a distraction from work, not a tool for work,” we wrote. As described at the time, the Slack-like, Yammer-like product sounded like Facebook with new metaphors that suggest workflow instead of avoiding workflow.

We were wrong about one thing: We’ve heard nothing about Facebook for Work for nearly two years. Until today, that is. It launched today.

We were right about another: Their research must have uncovered what we warned. For whatever reason, they’ve changed the name to Workplace by Facebook and launched it today.

Workplace now works

Workplace is now available to any company or organization that wants to use it. There is a signup page that indicates a “sales team” will work with a company or organization “to understand your needs and help launch Workplace across your organization.”

workplace-by-facebook
Facebook, Plus New Features

Workplace retains Facebook’s basic structure. You’ll  recognize the News Feed and the ability to create and share in Groups or via chat. Other recognizable Facebook features include Live, Reactions, Search and Trending posts.

The new product also includes some new features such as a dashboard with analytics and integrations with single sign-on, in addition to identity providers that allow companies to more easily integrate Workplace with a company’s existing IT setup.

Collaborate with Clients and Other Companies

Workplace also has a new feature not found in Facebook called Multi-Company Groups. These are shared spaces that allow employees from different organizations to work together–
“to extend collaboration beyond one company in a safe and secure way,” says Facebook. (Note: Rolling out later.)

The Workplace Partner Program

For Workplace, Facebook has developed a network of IT consultants called the Workplace Partner Program. This is a network of independent technology and professional service organizations that Facebook has created over the past year.

For more information | Workplace.fb.com or Facebook.com/workplace

02-chat-live

Pricing

Free 3-month trial period

$3 per month per user | Up to 1k monthly active users
$2 per month per user | 1,001 – 10k monthly active users
$1 per month per user | 10,001+ monthly active users

  • Free for Non-Profits and
  • Educational Institutions

Specifications

  • Unlimited file, photo, and video storage
  • Unlimited team and project groups
  • Live video streaming
  • Monitoring tools for IT teams
  • 1:1 support for administrators
  • Secure collaboration between companies
  • Single-sign on (SSO) support
  • Integration with
    • G Suite (formerly Google Docs for Work)
    • Okta
    • OneLogin
    • Ping
    • Windows Azure AD

Photos: @Workplace

Related Articles