Slack launched its next-generation platform with the aim of making the application a workflow automation and integration layer between multiple systems.
At Slack's Frontiers event, the Salesforce-owned company outlined how it revamped its platform to create an integration layer that will stitch together third party services and applications.
The rebuilt Slack platform also highlights how Salesforce is increasingly competing with ServiceNow for workflow automation mindshare and to become a platform that stitches together a sprawling set of enterprise applications.
In an asynchronous keynote, Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield said the new platform "is the culmination of what we wanted from the very early days. What we always wanted was to give the equivalent of blocks they can combine."
Work is going to be a lot more fluid where conversations will be the source of action, explained Butterfield. "We will have more conversational actions and systems of record. Slack will be the bridge between them," said Butterfield.
Slack said that its approach will enable everyday users to create apps and workflows without code. Slack also added developer tools that make it easier to integrate the system with other applications and workflows. Developers will get access to the new Slack platform this week in a closed beta program.
Tamar Yehoshua, Chief Product Officer at Slack, said the platform's new building blocks will make it easier to develop apps for both tech pros and non-technical business managers.
Workflow wars:
Slack also added features that will make it easier to use Slack Connect to work with more partners, vendors and third parties. Slack will increase the number of organizations that can be in a channel from 20 to 250. In 2022, Slack will enable companies to set up secure work environments within Slack.
The Slack Frontiers announcements highlight how the company, along with parent Salesforce, are trying to popularize the idea of a digital headquarters. This digital headquarters theme is designed to ride shotgun with hybrid work as well as digital-first strategies.
Meanwhile, Salesforce has pitched Slack as the user experience layer in its stack of clouds as well as Tableau. Yehoshua said the revamp of Slack's platform began before the Salesforce acquisition and that there will be integrations with its parent's clouds.
According to Slack, enterprise customers will be able to tailor Slack to multiple use cases and business needs. Customization additions include:
How apps share metadata behind the scenes within Slack's new platform.
SlackYehoshua said the flexibility of Slack's platform will be interesting to watch as customers remix building blocks and workflows. She added that Slack's 2,500 connected applications are likely to upgrade to the new platform.