Process ImprovementStartups

Could Facebook Workplace be Right for Your Startup?

Workplace by Facebook

Facebook recently announced that they are rolling out a new platform for workplace collaboration called, unoriginally enough, Workplace by Facebook.

What’s Workplace by Facebook? 

Workplace is a collaboration space for teams and companies to collaborate internally. Providing rich functionality to facilitate collaboration and help foster corporate culture development with remote locations and virtual workers.

What are the Major functions of Workplace? 

  • Workplace offers voice and video calling
  • Video live-streaming
  • Workplace and work chat (iOS and Android)
  • Unlimited storage for files, videos and images
  • Communications between disparate companies
  • Integration to other important apps and software (in enterprise version)
  • Administrative controls for managing your community (enterprise version)
  • Monitoring tools for IT (enterprise version)
  •  APIs for custom integrations and bots (enterprise version)
  • Integrations with e-discovery and compliance providers (enterprise version)
  • Single sign-on (SSO), Active Directory support (enterprise version)
  • Integration with G Suite, Okta, Windows Azure AD and others (enterprise version)

How much does Workplace cost? 

For standard users, it’s free. For premium users who need enterprise functionality, it’s $3 per active user.

Is Workplace by Facebook Viable?

Yes, it was rolled out in beta to some very large enterprises like Cambell’s, Hootsuite, GoPro, Booking.com, Volkswagen and others. It appears that most of the bugs have been worked out and it’s ready for primetime.

Is it Right for Our Company?

Well, that’s hard to say. It’s free which is very attractive for cash strapped startups. The platform has some great functionality that can save startups and small business a lot of money. The free video and audio conferencing alone can be a real game changer.

Whether it’s right for you is largely a matter of interpretation and preference. In light of recently disclosure of Facebook data being shared, some companies may not feel comfortable sharing confidential, company information on Facebook’s network. Although, it should be noted that Workplace is GDPR Compliant as well as being ISO27001, SOC2, SOC3 and EU/US Privacy Shield compliant.

Where Do I Learn More and Sign-up

You can sign up and learn more here.