Plugging into the Grid
Help the largest companies in the world work with Slack’s new product, Enterprise Grid
Today we introduced Slack Enterprise Grid, a new product that brings the power and utility of Slack to larger and more complex companies. Grid comes with a host of new features, including two that are most significant for developers: workspaces and shared channels.
How these features work
Enterprise Grid adapts to the way large companies are organized. A company in Grid can spin up an unlimited number of “workspaces,” which can be structured around the unique setup of their business. For individual users, these workspaces offer the same familiar Slack experience that millions of people — and your Slack app — already know. For instance, at a big tech company, the engineering division would have one workspace, and the sales division would have another.
People can connect these workspaces together with shared channels. As a bridge between two or more workspaces, shared channels allow teams to collaborate cross-functionally, without exposing one another to sensitive information or extra noise.
Modifying existing applications for Grid
Since shared channels are a new feature, you may need to review any existing apps to ensure they’ll work properly within them. Learn how to best support shared channels with our Enterprise Grid documentation.
Customers can configure Grid any way they want, though we expect many apps in shared channels will serve a cross-functional productivity need. For instance, in the example above, a shared channel is the place where the engineering and sales divisions can share progress updates and interact with apps relevant to both their teams. Say the engineering team wants to know how much revenue the company is bringing in on a monthly basis: a reporting app can share the sales team’s monthly numbers into a shared channel to keep the engineers informed. You could also imagine an app that does the reverse, sharing development blockers and engineering progress to the sales team on a regular cadence.
Tools to help you get started
Building enterprise software comes with its own challenges and opportunities, and we know it’s no small feat. If you want to build a new app for Grid, you can use a suite of tools that are Grid-ready today. First, check out our developer kits for Node.js and Python, which both work with shared channels.
In addition to our own SDKs, we’ve also worked closely with Beep Boop, Botkit, and PullString to ensure they support Grid from Day 1. So if you’re just getting started, you can use these tools with confidence.
Enterprise Grid brings Slack to larger and more complex organizations, and we’re excited for you to join us. As always, you can get in touch on Twitter or email us at developers@slack.com.
New to the Slack platform? We’re so happy you’re here. To build your first app, here’s how you can get started.
