Slack Technologies declared Dec. 7 that it is partnering with Google Cloud in order to provide a wider range of services. The budding partnership will particularly benefit its collaboration solution for individuals and organizations alike.
It will also leverage the respective parties' positions against rival solutions offered by Microsoft Teams and Facebook's Workplace.
What Is Slack?
If you are wondering what Slack Technologies exactly is, it is a startup that has developed a popular collaboration tool with the same name. The app claims that it is not a mere chat app but a destination for a team's entire communication.
"A new way to get more done, spend less time in meetings, and reduce email," Slack's description read at the App Store.
To gain more insights, one can simply turn to Slack's main features. For example, it is — first and foremost — a messaging app. Users can send messages and files, features that one will be able to find in other platforms such as WhatsApp and Viber.
What sets Slack apart is the capability to integrate third-party apps and solutions such as Dropbox, Asana and Google Drive. Now, this is where Google Cloud comes in.
According to Slack Technologies, customers like using Slack and Google together, especially with the way millions of Google Drive files gets shared in Slack on a monthly basis.
The company touts that its partnership with Google will mean more powerful tools for its users.
Slack And Drive Bot
It appears that in the partnership, Google's part includes the development of a dedicated bot. It will push notifications, which contain comments and requests for access, inside the Slack app itself. Up to this point, these notifications are merely forwarded to emails where they tend to languish unnoticed.
"The bot will use message buttons to enable you to approve, reject and settle comments from Slack, or you can open up Google Docs to resolve them there," Slack Technologies said in a press statement.
Other Features
Slack Technologies and Google are also working to provide other features that address security and interoperability. For example, Slack is automating permission-checking for files being shared. Senders will get notified to update sharing settings if the file is not going to be accessible to the members of a channel it is being forwarded to.
In terms of interoperability, the partnership will now permit the syncing of contents and conversations at Slack and Google Drive. Once a file is shared in Slack, it will automatically get a Google Drive backup.
Other notable features include Google Doc previews and the ability to provision Slack for an organization from the G Suite panel.
Observers believe that the partnership is beneficial for both parties. On one hand, Slack becomes even more indispensable for users that are also dependent on G Suite. It also allows the app to address Microsoft Teams' advantage of being tied to Microsoft's suite of services.
On the other hand, Google can expand its G Suite user base through companies that currently prefer Slack.
