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Facebook Makes Workplace App Available To All Companies
Facebook Workplace, the app that allows coworkers stay connected with each other, is now available to any company or organization that wants to use it. Facebook had an internal version of the app to help run their company for many years. The company started testing a version of Facebook for the workplace with a few other organizations over a year ago. Now, more than 1,000 organizations around the world use Workplace (formerly known as Facebook at Work).
The workplace is about more than just communicating between desks within the walls of an office. It offers features of Facebook -- whether it’s basic infrastructure such as News Feed, or the ability to create and share in Groups or via chat, or features such as Live, Reactions, Search and Trending posts. This means you can chat with a colleague across the world in real time, host a virtual brainstorm in a Group, or follow along with your CEO’s presentation on Facebook Live.
Workplace-only features include a dashboard with analytics and integrations with single sign-on, in addition to identity providers that allow companies to more easily integrate Workplace with their existing IT systems.
Today Facebook also announced Multi-Company Groups, shared spaces that allow employees from different organizations to work together, to extend collaboration beyond a company in a safe way. These will be rolling out in the coming weeks.
To help more companies get started with Workplace, Facebook announced the Workplace Partner Program, a group of technology and professional service organizations such as Deloitte who will work with Facebook to bring Workplace to even more businesses across the globe.
Workplace is not frre, but it "will be priced competitively," according to Facebook. Companies only pay for people who are actively using the product. Facebook is offering a 3-month trial period for free, and will charge $3 for to 1k monthly active users, $2 for 1,001 - 10k monthly active users and $1 for 10,001+ monthly active users.
Workplace by Facebook will directly competite with the fast-growing startup Slack. Slack's least expensive business plan charges about $7 per user.