Facebook launches free version of Workplace, goes head-to-head with Slack in enterprise talk

Facebook launches free version of Workplace, goes head-to-head with Slack in enterprise talk

The social network giant just suggested a free edition of its messaging platform for businesses, called Workplace Standard. Here’s what the fresh platform can do and what kind of competition it faces.

By Hope Reese | April 6, 2017, 7:49 AM PST

On Wednesday, Facebook announced it would suggest Workplace—its Slack-like messaging platform for businesses—to the public, for free.

Workplace Premium, the collaborative online space, was very first launched in October 2016. The service costs $Three per person for the very first 1,000 users, $Two a person for the following 9,000, and $1 a person for any extra users. So far, it’s been used by companies like Starbucks, Viacom, Campbell’s, and thousands of other businesses, according to the social media platform.

The fresh suggesting, Workplace Standard, is an entirely free test version.

Albeit Workplace has a similar look to the consumer version of the social media platform, the platform is not tied to users’ individual Facebook accounts. Instead, it is meant for workplace collaboration, with a news feed, messaging, and live movie.

Workplace Premium—which is free to nonprofits and educational institutions—offers businesses the chance to delve into analytics, and provides administrative controls, which are not available on the free version. Also, the Premium version includes single sign-on (SSO), secure identity management, and enterprise support.

And who possesses the data differs whether you are using Standard or Premium. In the free version, users own all of the content collective through the platform, and have the chance to delete their accounts. However, users on the Premium edition do not have the same option—in that case, the company possesses and administers all data collective on the Workplace platform.

What’s Hot at TechRepublic

With dozens of other talk platforms for businesses, Facebook is injecting into a competitive space. Slack, which boasts five million daily active users, launched the Slack Enterprise Grid in January two thousand seventeen to suggest more plasticity and control for businesses using the platform. Microsoft introduced a version of its workplace collaboration software in November 2016, dubbed Microsoft Teams, which the company plans to integrate with LinkedIn. And Google launched Spaces, its own messaging product, in May 2016, albeit it announced it was shuttering the program in February 2017.

By suggesting a free version of Workplace, Facebook hopes to lure smaller businesses onto its platform, banking on the possibility that they’ll eventually sign up for its paid version. It is also suggesting the contraption in the hopes of capturing customers in emerging markets—India being its number one target.

The three big takeaways for TechRepublic readers

1. On Wednesday, Facebook announced that it would suggest a free version of Workplace, the Slack-like collaboration platform, called Workplace Standard.

Two. Unlike Workplace Premium, Facebook’s paid version, Workplace Standard won’t give users the same chance to corset administrative and analytical devices.

Trio. Facebook faces steep competition in the messaging platform space, with Slack, Microsoft, and even Google suggesting their own versions.

Facebook launches free version of Workplace, goes head-to-head with Slack in enterprise talk

Facebook launches free version of Workplace, goes head-to-head with Slack in enterprise talk

The social network giant just suggested a free edition of its messaging platform for businesses, called Workplace Standard. Here’s what the fresh platform can do and what kind of competition it faces.

By Hope Reese | April 6, 2017, 7:49 AM PST

On Wednesday, Facebook announced it would suggest Workplace—its Slack-like messaging platform for businesses—to the public, for free.

Workplace Premium, the collaborative online space, was very first launched in October 2016. The service costs $Trio per person for the very first 1,000 users, $Two a person for the following 9,000, and $1 a person for any extra users. So far, it’s been used by companies like Starbucks, Viacom, Campbell’s, and thousands of other businesses, according to the social media platform.

The fresh suggesting, Workplace Standard, is an entirely free test version.

Albeit Workplace has a similar look to the consumer version of the social media platform, the platform is not tied to users’ individual Facebook accounts. Instead, it is meant for workplace collaboration, with a news feed, messaging, and live movie.

Workplace Premium—which is free to nonprofits and educational institutions—offers businesses the chance to delve into analytics, and provides administrative controls, which are not available on the free version. Also, the Premium version includes single sign-on (SSO), secure identity management, and enterprise support.

And who wields the data differs whether you are using Standard or Premium. In the free version, users own all of the content collective through the platform, and have the chance to delete their accounts. However, users on the Premium edition do not have the same option—in that case, the company possesses and administers all data collective on the Workplace platform.

What’s Hot at TechRepublic

With dozens of other talk platforms for businesses, Facebook is injecting into a competitive space. Slack, which boasts five million daily active users, launched the Slack Enterprise Grid in January two thousand seventeen to suggest more plasticity and control for businesses using the platform. Microsoft introduced a version of its workplace collaboration software in November 2016, dubbed Microsoft Teams, which the company plans to integrate with LinkedIn. And Google launched Spaces, its own messaging product, in May 2016, albeit it announced it was shuttering the program in February 2017.

By suggesting a free version of Workplace, Facebook hopes to lure smaller businesses onto its platform, banking on the possibility that they’ll eventually sign up for its paid version. It is also suggesting the contraption in the hopes of capturing customers in emerging markets—India being its number one target.

The three big takeaways for TechRepublic readers

1. On Wednesday, Facebook announced that it would suggest a free version of Workplace, the Slack-like collaboration platform, called Workplace Standard.

Two. Unlike Workplace Premium, Facebook’s paid version, Workplace Standard won’t give users the same chance to corset administrative and analytical contraptions.

Trio. Facebook faces steep competition in the messaging platform space, with Slack, Microsoft, and even Google suggesting their own versions.

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