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Facebook At Work app goes live

Smartphone app Facebook At Work has officially hit iOS and Android app stores. With the software still in the early stages of development, a select number of test companies are currently eligible to download the app. Significantly, while the app appears and works similarly to the public Facebook network, there will be no advertisements and no tracking or holding of user data. A key feature of the Facebook At Work app is ‘Groups’, which aims to replace the ever-growing and never-ending email lists amongst employees.

With the launch of this app, Facebook will be competing with several companies seeking the top spot for social networking in the workplace. Other such companies include IBM, who has already developed a workplace social-networking service called Connections; Microsoft, which acquired social-enterprise company Yammer in 2012 and Slack – an enterprise-collaboration tool that was most recently valued at approximately $1 billion.

The date for Facebook At Work being launched to a wider availability has yet to be confirmed.

New Facebook platform to rival LinkedIn

Facebook is rumoured to be working on the development of a new product called Facebook at Work, which will allow users to keep their personal and work profiles separate. While the layout is expected to be very similar to the traditional Facebook interface – including a newsfeed and groups – Facebook at Work will be entirely separate from personal accounts, with no information from a user’s social profile appearing on an individual’s professional page and vice versa.

Facebook’s new platform will include collaborative tools for work, allowing users to chat with colleagues, connect with professional contacts and collaborate over documents. With this in mind, the new enterprise-focused product is set to compete directly with professional social networks LinkedIn and Google Drive.

In order for the venture to be successful, Facebook will need to win the trust of corporate IT chiefs, guaranteeing that professional information will not fall into the hands of rival businesses. It is understood that some development of Facebook at Work is taking place in London.