If you use both Facebook and Instagram, either personally or in the conduct of your business, then a recent Facebook announcement regarding interoperability will make you smile.

The company has been working for years toward the goal of greater interoperability among all of its core services and this is a huge step in that direction.

Best of all is the fact that there’s nothing special you have to do as a user of either of those services. If you’re logged onto Facebook or using the Messenger app, you now have the option of sending a message directly to an Instagram user without requiring them to download and install the Facebook messaging app. It will simply appear in their Instagram interface.

Naturally, the reverse holds true as well. Instagram users can communicate with Facebook users without requiring the Facebook user to download and install the Instagram app.

This is great news and extremely convenient, but there’s more going on here than simply enhancing each user’s experience.

In tandem with that, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, has been very open about his long term goals. More specifically, his goals to provide a more seamless communications experience that utilizes robust end to end encryption, making that communication safer and more secure. That’s good news whether you’re a casual user talking to family and friends, or an Enterprise user sharing sensitive or proprietary company information.

In any case, it’s great news indeed, and kudos to the folks at Facebook for making it a reality. Granted, the rollout has only just begun. At present, there’s only a limited amount of interoperability, which includes the ability to send and receive messages as described above. However, the company has been doggedly determined to reach this point, and they’re definitely not going to stop now. Give the new interoperability a try today, and stay on the lookout for more from the company in the weeks and months ahead.