Facebook is preparing to create a version of its messaging platform that doesn't have to be shut down when a boss is hovering nearby, according to reports.
Unlike Facebook's current Messenger, which has been accused of containing spyware and potential vulnerabilities, the new messaging platform would seek to gain the trust of enterprise organizations and rival the likes of Yammer and Lync, soon to be Skype for Business, providing employee communications beyond calls and emails.
News of Facebook's alleged aspirations was revealed by the Financial Times, which cited anonymous sources. The sources told FT that Facebook has already been using the messaging service internally, but now sees a market beyond its employee cubicles.
The new messaging service will get its own website, which is said to be called "Facebook for Work." FT's sources said the new site and messenger service will let work colleagues chat, link up with other professionals and share documents for collaboration.
The roll out of the messaging service is said to be imminent, with Facebook conducting a series of tests to ensure the platform is ready for deployment.
Moving into a sector already dominated by the likes of LinkedIn and Yammer, Facebook's strategy to deliver a platform that connects professionals through communications and shared documents appears to be a part of what Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently said was the company's goal of working aggressively to connect the world.
"We are going to continue preparing for the future by investing aggressively, connecting everyone, understanding the world, and building the next-generation in computing platforms," Zuckerberg stated.
It'll take a lot of trust on the part of the users -- in this case, enterprises -- to push widespread adoption of Facebook's new messaging platform.
Facebook has been on a campaign to improve the way the world sees it and has enhanced those efforts by proposing changes to its privacy policy, along with giving users more control of the ads they see on the social networking platform.
Last week Facebook took big steps to strip down its privacy policy, inviting user input and slicing approximately 6,000 words from the current privacy policy.
