This page will be about the IRC-like tool called SLACK, and how it is changing the way cloud technology-based companies are able to work and collaborate.
Slack
History of Slack
Slack did not begin as a normal start-up company.
Slack actually began in 2012 as an internal home-grown tool for a company called Tiny Speck, in relation to an online game that they were developing at the time called “Glitch.” Unfortunately, that game is no longer available. As Tiny Speck continued to work globally, it became increasingly necessary for the members of their team to be able to collaborate and communicate in real time, and share information. This necessitated a change, and so Stewart Butterfield, Eric Costello, Cal Henderson, and Serguei Mourachov designed Slack, which is actually an acronym which means, “Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge”. The tool proved to have far-reaching applications and uses, and as such, it was formally launched in 2013. It was quickly adopted by number of companies. Eventually, in January 2015, Slack went on to purchase Screenhero, which was integrated into the Slack software. This allowed Slack to incorporate video, screen sharing, and voice functionality. It did not take long for hackers to take advantage of one of Slack design vulnerabilities, which led to a compromise of some user data in February of 2015. Ultimately, that led them to incorporate two-factor authentication, which resulted in their user and customer base expanding even more rapidly. Although Slack had humble beginnings, it is now considered one of the top cloud-based team collaboration tools.
Team Collaboration in Real Time
While most IRC (Internet Relay Chat) systems and tools provided real-time communication, Slack took that a step further, and actually broke away from the standard IRC protocols. Slack functions by providing real-time team collaboration, using persistent channels that can be arranged by topic. These channels can be public (in the team’s domain setting), or private, as determined to be necessary. These channels are then searchable; the history can be included as each new team member is added (at the discrimination of the host or administrator). What is truly unique is that ALL content becomes searchable here, including files shared, content, people, and discussions. This content can then be “pinned” or “starred,” which simplifies the search functionality even more. In addition, Slack works with a vast number of third-party vendors for integrations, including the use of APIs, and even community-built integrations. So really, the possibilities are endless here. As an example, a company can use Slack for team collaboration integrated with their IT Service Managment (ITSM) tool, so that a “BOT” drops a real-time notification whenever a new support ticket is created or moved throughout the life cycle of that ticket. This real-time collaboration can drastically shorten the time needed to resolve issues, especially in a DevOps environment, where you are dealing with mission-critical incidents. Resolving issues faster means that you are contributing to an improved TCE (Total Customer Experience), which will lead and contribute to increased revenue and decreased costs. Is there a company out there that does not want that outcome? Not likely.
Functionality
The functionality of Slack is somewhat similar to other IRC tools from the past, only it offers more. At the core of Slack, you have one or multiple administrators, who can create a “Team”, which actually builds out in Slack quite effortlessly, as an extension to the domain. For example, YourCompanyName.slack.com. From there, users must be invited and granted use via two-factor authentication. These users can be created under a number of different profiles, including:
Single-Channel Guest
Multi-Channel Guest
Regular Member
Administrator
As an example, this means that an Administrator can invite a “Single-Channel Guest”, such as a customer, to a single channel for real-time collaboration about a production environment that is being supported. The customer is then able to communicate with whomever the Administrator deems required and is not exposed to other channels with sensitive information being shared internally which may not be intended for the Customer’s eyes.
Channels are then searchable and even created based on your user privileges. Channels can be created and owned internally as public or private and can include a few people or many. In addition to real-time collaborative chat functionality, Slack also works as a voice and screen-sharing service. This means that you can make calls using Slack, and conduct presentations if needed. Teams can utilize Slack through the web, a native desktop application, or through apps on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone.
Slack is accessible on any computer in a browser or application, and on your smart device using the Slack application.
Building a Remote First Workplace
Slack is helping to build and manage remote first workplaces all over the world. The idea of remote work is to be able to work from anywhere with a computer and an internet connection, enabling business to recruite employees from the world world into their companies. Slack is the tool that makes this possible through real time commuinication.
Development and APIs
In addition to the chat and communication functionalities that one would expect in a real-time collaboration tool, Slack also allows for internal development and application integration using a vast number of third-party applications. Slack has a unique ability to integrate with external applications. For example, Slack can integrate using APIs to ITSM tools such as ServiceNow and Salesforce, where a user or administrator can set up “bots” to commit notifications when an incident ticket is created or moved throughout the incident lifecycle. For example, let’s say that a new ticket is created and assigned to a particular queue within a company’s ServiceNow ITSM application, you can have Slack automatically drop a notification through an API integration to a specific channel in Slack that you have set up for your support team to monitor.
Integrations and Notifications
In a world where technology is quickly moving to the cloud, Slack allows for even faster resolution of an incident, and also allows a team to be truly mobile and work from anywhere, as long as they have access to the internet. Slack includes functionality for a web-based client, as well as an App which can be installed on your machine for direct desktop notifications, or accessed on your mobile devices such as a phone or a tablet. Notifications can be set to be triggered by keywords, by channel, or really whatever the user preferences are. Additionally, a user can “snooze” their notifications, so that they can get some sleep for a couple of hours, or even just while they are in a meeting.
Security
As mentioned above, Slack makes use of two-factor authentication as a security standard for its software applications. The “Team” is ultimately governed by one or more company Administrators who control access to all of its users. From there, users are granted functionality and capabilities to a single channel, multiple channels, or all channels, as deemed necessary. Users can then control access to specific channels that they create, as they are able to based on their individual permissions role, and can control and edit the information that is shared on that level. This governance allows for a standard “tree hierarchy” in relation to security, and is relatively simple to maintain and manage. This type of hierarchy allows specific people to see specific information. If someone does not need to be involved in a particular project, they will most likely have no access to that part of the messaging.
References: *Slack (software) Wikipedia | Wikipedia (n.d.). | Retrieved on October 30th, 2016. | Slack (software) Wikipedia page
*Slack Technologies Wikipedia | Wikipedia (n.d.). | Retrieved on October 30th, 2016. | Slack Technologies - Wikipedia page
*Slack official company website | Slack (n.d.). | Retrieved on October 30th, 2016. | Slack Official Company Website
*10 Breakthrough Technologies 2016 Slack | MIT Technology Review | Retrieved October 30th, 2016. | Slack MIT Technology Review
This page will be about the IRC-like tool called SLACK, and how it is changing the way cloud technology-based companies are able to work and collaborate.
Slack
History of Slack
Slack did not begin as a normal start-up company.
Slack actually began in 2012 as an internal home-grown tool for a company called Tiny Speck, in relation to an online game that they were developing at the time called “Glitch.” Unfortunately, that game is no longer available. As Tiny Speck continued to work globally, it became increasingly necessary for the members of their team to be able to collaborate and communicate in real time, and share information. This necessitated a change, and so Stewart Butterfield, Eric Costello, Cal Henderson, and Serguei Mourachov designed Slack, which is actually an acronym which means, “Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge”. The tool proved to have far-reaching applications and uses, and as such, it was formally launched in 2013. It was quickly adopted by number of companies. Eventually, in January 2015, Slack went on to purchase Screenhero, which was integrated into the Slack software. This allowed Slack to incorporate video, screen sharing, and voice functionality. It did not take long for hackers to take advantage of one of Slack design vulnerabilities, which led to a compromise of some user data in February of 2015. Ultimately, that led them to incorporate two-factor authentication, which resulted in their user and customer base expanding even more rapidly. Although Slack had humble beginnings, it is now considered one of the top cloud-based team collaboration tools.
Team Collaboration in Real Time
While most IRC (Internet Relay Chat) systems and tools provided real-time communication, Slack took that a step further, and actually broke away from the standard IRC protocols. Slack functions by providing real-time team collaboration, using persistent channels that can be arranged by topic. These channels can be public (in the team’s domain setting), or private, as determined to be necessary. These channels are then searchable; the history can be included as each new team member is added (at the discrimination of the host or administrator). What is truly unique is that ALL content becomes searchable here, including files shared, content, people, and discussions. This content can then be “pinned” or “starred,” which simplifies the search functionality even more. In addition, Slack works with a vast number of third-party vendors for integrations, including the use of APIs, and even community-built integrations. So really, the possibilities are endless here. As an example, a company can use Slack for team collaboration integrated with their IT Service Managment (ITSM) tool, so that a “BOT” drops a real-time notification whenever a new support ticket is created or moved throughout the life cycle of that ticket. This real-time collaboration can drastically shorten the time needed to resolve issues, especially in a DevOps environment, where you are dealing with mission-critical incidents. Resolving issues faster means that you are contributing to an improved TCE (Total Customer Experience), which will lead and contribute to increased revenue and decreased costs. Is there a company out there that does not want that outcome? Not likely.
Functionality
The functionality of Slack is somewhat similar to other IRC tools from the past, only it offers more. At the core of Slack, you have one or multiple administrators, who can create a “Team”, which actually builds out in Slack quite effortlessly, as an extension to the domain. For example, YourCompanyName.slack.com. From there, users must be invited and granted use via two-factor authentication. These users can be created under a number of different profiles, including:
As an example, this means that an Administrator can invite a “Single-Channel Guest”, such as a customer, to a single channel for real-time collaboration about a production environment that is being supported. The customer is then able to communicate with whomever the Administrator deems required and is not exposed to other channels with sensitive information being shared internally which may not be intended for the Customer’s eyes.
Channels are then searchable and even created based on your user privileges. Channels can be created and owned internally as public or private and can include a few people or many. In addition to real-time collaborative chat functionality, Slack also works as a voice and screen-sharing service. This means that you can make calls using Slack, and conduct presentations if needed. Teams can utilize Slack through the web, a native desktop application, or through apps on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone.
Building a Remote First Workplace
Slack is helping to build and manage remote first workplaces all over the world. The idea of remote work is to be able to work from anywhere with a computer and an internet connection, enabling business to recruite employees from the world world into their companies. Slack is the tool that makes this possible through real time commuinication.
Development and APIs
In addition to the chat and communication functionalities that one would expect in a real-time collaboration tool, Slack also allows for internal development and application integration using a vast number of third-party applications. Slack has a unique ability to integrate with external applications. For example, Slack can integrate using APIs to ITSM tools such as ServiceNow and Salesforce, where a user or administrator can set up “bots” to commit notifications when an incident ticket is created or moved throughout the incident lifecycle. For example, let’s say that a new ticket is created and assigned to a particular queue within a company’s ServiceNow ITSM application, you can have Slack automatically drop a notification through an API integration to a specific channel in Slack that you have set up for your support team to monitor.
Integrations and Notifications
In a world where technology is quickly moving to the cloud, Slack allows for even faster resolution of an incident, and also allows a team to be truly mobile and work from anywhere, as long as they have access to the internet. Slack includes functionality for a web-based client, as well as an App which can be installed on your machine for direct desktop notifications, or accessed on your mobile devices such as a phone or a tablet. Notifications can be set to be triggered by keywords, by channel, or really whatever the user preferences are. Additionally, a user can “snooze” their notifications, so that they can get some sleep for a couple of hours, or even just while they are in a meeting.
Security
As mentioned above, Slack makes use of two-factor authentication as a security standard for its software applications. The “Team” is ultimately governed by one or more company Administrators who control access to all of its users. From there, users are granted functionality and capabilities to a single channel, multiple channels, or all channels, as deemed necessary. Users can then control access to specific channels that they create, as they are able to based on their individual permissions role, and can control and edit the information that is shared on that level. This governance allows for a standard “tree hierarchy” in relation to security, and is relatively simple to maintain and manage. This type of hierarchy allows specific people to see specific information. If someone does not need to be involved in a particular project, they will most likely have no access to that part of the messaging.
References:
*Slack (software) Wikipedia | Wikipedia (n.d.). | Retrieved on October 30th, 2016. | Slack (software) Wikipedia page
*Slack Technologies Wikipedia | Wikipedia (n.d.). | Retrieved on October 30th, 2016. | Slack Technologies - Wikipedia page
*Slack official company website | Slack (n.d.). | Retrieved on October 30th, 2016. | Slack Official Company Website
*10 Breakthrough Technologies 2016 Slack | MIT Technology Review | Retrieved October 30th, 2016. | Slack MIT Technology Review