Facebook recently took to the stage at its “F8 Developer’s Conference”, to reveal the latest updates that businesses could expect from Workplace. For those who don’t know, Workplace by Facebook is the business version of the already-popular social media website. The latest announcements were made regarding integrations for cloud, bots, and security, as well as the development of a new “Workplace Life” API which supports RTMP streaming.
Facebook further announced that Workplace is now running on every continent, including Antarctica, with connections to over 14,000 organisations. Those numbers might seem large, but when you compare them to Slack, they might be a little less impressive. Here, we’ll take a look at the latest updates to Facebook Workplace, and how they could make the service a real competitor in the collaboration market.
What is Facebook Adding to Workplace?
Workplace is simply a Facebook app that looks and feels much like the consumer version. As a collaboration tool, the service didn’t have much to offer besides a familiar interface, but all of that has changed with F8 2017, with new integrations to make the tool simpler, and more effective for enterprises.
The four new features announced at F8 were:
- The new Workplace Live API. Designed on the Facebook Live API, this service adds RTMP to Workplace. It’s ready to use with a range of video encoders, including Teradek, Elemental and Black Magic.
- Identity providers G Suite, Microsoft Azure, Okta and OneLogin have been introduced. Workplace will also be integrating with security and compliance providers Skyhigh, Netskope, Smarsh and CSDisco.
- Chatbots. They have become increasingly popular in the workplace for a range of reasons. Facebook has programmed a range of their own bots for Workplace, and is now adding support for Converse, Avaamo, Kore.ai, TheBotPlatform and Pullstring.
- Integrations. Taking place with some of the top collaboration tools, including OneDrive, Box, G Suite, Salesforce and Office 365, along with some new interfaces for checking files within Workplace.
How Does Workplace Growth Look?
For some, Workplace is still largely unheard of. That makes the growth numbers reported at F8, like 400,00 collaborative groups and 14,000 organisations become even more impressive. It’s clear to see that Facebook Workplace is evolving, and doing so at a reasonable pace. However, it hasn’t quite caught up to the leaders just yet.
Though Workplace doesn’t exactly match up with Slack, it’s worth noting that Slack growth is showing some signs of slowing, alongside the launch of Workplace. It’s also interesting to take a look at the growth numbers for Slack when the platform was initially launched in 2013. After a year in business, the platform could only report 60,000 active teams, compared to Workplace’s 400,000 groups within seven months.
Workplace’s growth, in context, has been pretty special, and it hasn’t hit much of a hurdle yet. Perhaps this is because the interface for Facebook Workplace is familiar, it’s user base is already established, and it’s got so many great integrations on the horizon. Other collaboration platforms should watch their back.
Closing Thoughts
The latest updates to Facebook Workplace will include support for cloud storage, security, chat programming and real-time video conferencing services. Add those developments with the significant growth figures reported at F8, and the naturally comfortable interface of Workplace, and you’ve got everything you need for a seriously competitive team application.
