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No similar venom would ever be tolerated for other identifiable groups, writes Rosie DiManno, but law enforcement has been slack in protecting the safety and security of Jewish students amid

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Slack

slack

How to Send Detailed Slack Notifications From GitHub Actions

How to Send Detailed Slack Notifications from GitHub Actions?

Implementing Slack Notifications in Your Next Application

142 Stories To Learn About Slack Blogging

In the era of rapid cloud technology advancement, where Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) are integral to numerous projects, the demand for seamless integration of diverse cloud services is undeniable. Microsoft, a major player in this landscape, invested considerable time in crafting the user-friendly Microsoft Entra ID service. However, despite meticulously laid-out instructions from vendors, specialists often encounter issues when configuring integrations with platforms such as Slack, Salesforce, or Datadog. Documentation falls short in providing answers to specific questions. The Social Discovery Group team faced these challenges as well, and in this article, we will offer insights on how to navigate and resolve them. In its portfolio of 50+ dating platforms, the Social Discovery Group utilizes various technologies and cloud services to guarantee their security and reliability. We have extensive experience in integrating and configuring different systems, including peer-to-peer connections between various clouds. Microsoft Entra ID is a cloud solution for identity and access management, serving as a directory and authentication service operating in the cloud. Microsoft Entra ID offers authentication and authorization services for various Microsoft and non-Microsoft services. Within this article, we will explore the integration of the following cloud systems: Slack, MongoAtlas, ElasticCloud, Salesforce, and Datadog. Slack Due to the absence of a precise guide, we decided to create our own, detailing all the headaches that arose along the way. So, let's navigate to the "Enterprise Application" section in Azure. It's necessary to create a new corporate application (this can be done in a few clicks). Next, access the application we've just created and configure Single Sign-On – SAML. Make changes from top to bottom: Identifier: https://slack.com Reply URL: https://<DOMAIN NAME>.slack.com/sso/saml (in case you have ent Grid – https://<DOMAIN NAME>.enterprise.slack.com/sso/saml ) Sign-on URL: https://<DOMAIN NAME>.slack.com/sso/saml/start Logout URL: https:// <DOMAIN NAME>.slack.com/sso/saml/logout Create a "Member" role (or choose another name). Next, create a test user in Microsoft Entra ID and add them to our application. Then, go to the Admin Center in Slack. Follow the steps: Slack Admin - Authentication - SAML configuration - Configure The next step is to configure SAML. We recommend paying attention to the "Display Name" setting. Further, in the settings, uncheck "Update Profile on login," disallow changing the email address and Display Name. There is also an option to customize the text on the login button and prohibit users from logging in using any other method except SSO. After this, you should be able to sign in to Slack using your Microsoft account. If any additional fields or settings are needed, this can be done through Azure AD Provision. To add a new attribute, go to User Attributes and select Add New Mapping. Choose the desired source attribute that you want to be displayed in Slack and associate it with the corresponding Slack attribute. After adding the necessary attributes and saving the settings, proceed to Provision on Demand to test the functionality. Upon a positive outcome, you will receive the following: Next, you need to go to Slack and specify which attributes to display in the complete user profile and where to retrieve them. Go to Profiles and choose the information to be displayed and where it will be pulled from. In this case, SCIM corresponds to Azure AD. Next, we recommend adding the necessary users from Active Directory to Slack to experience the seamless integration. We also want to bring attention to an issue encountered when removing users: if a user is manually deleted from Slack (via the Slack admin center), an error will persist, indicating that the user cannot be transferred to Slack due to insufficient permissions. This occurs because Entra ID retains information about users within the scope and assigns them a unique ID. Deleting and re-adding a user in Slack is perceived as a new user by Entra ID, leading to permission issues during updates. Check the documentation . here MongoAtlas For MongoAtlas, the process follows a similar path. You'll also need to create a new corporate application; for ease, enter "MongoDB Atlas — SSO" in the search field. More detailed instructions can be found here. Next, proceed to the Single Sign-On settings, where you'll need to input the following: In the "Identifier" text field, enter the URL using the following template: https://www.okta.com/saml2/service-provider/<Customer_Unique> In the "Response URL" text field, enter the URL using the template: https://auth.mongodb.com/sso/saml2/<Customer_Unique> In the "Login URL" text field, enter the URL using the template: https://cloud.mongodb.com/sso/<Customer_Unique> We recommend paying attention to the Attributes section and configuring it as shown in the screenshot below (it was essential to add "memberOf"). Next, on the "Setting up Single Sign-On with SAML" page, go to the "SAML Signing Certificate" section and find the XML metadata for federation. Select "Download" to download the certificate and save it locally (Federation Metadata XML). We will need it later in MongoDB Atlas. In the "Setting up MongoDB Atlas — SSO" section, copy the respective URLs. Next, navigate to . MongoDB Atlas -> Organization -> Settings -> Federated Authentication Settings Begin by adding the Microsoft Entra ID credential provider in Atlas. Input the respective URLs mentioned in the previous step from the Microsoft portal , upload . (Issuer URI, Login URL, Single Sign-On URL) the Identity Provider Signature Certificate, and configure the remaining settings as shown in the screenshot below Click "Next" and save the metadata file locally, as you will need to upload it later in Azure on the Single Sign-On configuration page. Next, add, map, and validate the domain, for example, using the corresponding TXT records generated in MongoDB Atlas. After that, link your domain with the credential provider and move on to the most interesting part: role configuration. We've created the following roles as an example, each with specific permissions granted to projects. Then, you need to map these roles to Azure roles. Go to "App roles" for your application, create, and add roles with values exactly matching the names you just assigned to these roles in MongoAtlas. Afterward, add users to the application in the Microsoft Entra ID Enterprise Application and assign them the appropriate roles. Activate "Sign in with Azure SSO" in the Federation Management section in MongoDB Atlas and verify the correct functioning of the configured settings. Refer to the documentation for more detailed instructions. here Elastic Cloud Let's move on to the integration with Elastic Cloud. The fundamental steps for creating an application in the Enterprise Application Entra ID are similar to the previous ones. There, you can find information on where to obtain the Identifier or Logout URL. However, we encountered an issue with attributes, so we'll provide a screenshot of our working configuration. We created two roles - a reader and a superuser. Here, you can create as many roles as you need. Role settings in Elasticsearch are configured in Role Mappings and look as follows: Now comes the interesting part. Two things need to be done: add Azure SSO configuration for Kibana and Elasticsearch. To achieve this, follow these steps: Navigate to the editing section of your Elasticsearch Cloud deployment to update the elasticsearch.yml configuration. Add the following lines: “ xpack: security: authc: realms: saml: saml-azure-ad: order: 2 attributes.principal: "http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2005/05/identity/claims/name" attributes.groups: "http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2005/05/identity/claims/role" attributes.name: "http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2005/05/identity/claims/givenname" attributes.mail: "http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2005/05/identity/claims/emailaddress" idp.metadata.path: "APP Federation metadata URL" idp.entity_id: "Azure Entra ID Identifier" sp.entity_id: "Kibana endpoint" sp.acs: "Kibana endpoint/api/security/v1/saml" sp.logout: "Kibana endpoint/logout" “ After adding and modifying the values highlighted in red to match your configuration, click "Save." Elastic Cloud will validate all changes and initiate the cluster update. This process may take a few minutes. Following the successful completion of the previous step, you need to edit the kibana.yml configuration to allow logins from Microsoft Entra ID in addition to the default login. To do this, add the following lines to the settings: “ xpack.security.authc.providers: saml.saml1: order: 0 realm: saml-azure-ad description: "Log in with Azure Entra ID" basic.basic1: order: 1 ” After completing the previous two steps, another login option should be available on your Kibana login page. Next, proceed with adding users to the application in the Microsoft Entra ID Enterprise Application and assigning them the necessary roles. Refer to the documentation here for more information. Salesforce Integration with Salesforce was a bit more complex than the previous ones. The initial steps are similar, but attention should be given to the Provisioning section. There are nuances regarding specifying admin credentials under which account synchronization will occur, and enabling Attribute Mapping is necessary. Here is an example of our configuration settings in the screenshot. We didn't encounter any significant issues with attributes, but we'll also provide a screenshot of the ones we used. In Salesforce itself, there weren't any particular nuances, and we proceeded with the following steps as outlined in this . guide Datadog During the integration with Datadog, we also encountered some issues. The primary documentation that guided us can be found . For troubleshooting nuances, we referred to guide. here this Everything started smoothly, and initially, it seemed like there wouldn't be any issues. As usual, we created a new Enterprise Application in Microsoft Entra ID. In the "Set up Single Sign-On with SAML" section, pay attention to the location you selected for your Datadog account. In our case, it was the Europe region. As mentioned earlier, for MongoAtlasDB, we add the additional attribute "memberOf" for role mapping. Save all the settings and download the Federation Metadata XML. Upload this file into the SAML settings in Datadog. Here is a convenient for reference. Datadog SAML Settings (replace "EU" with the appropriate domain zone if your location differs). It should look like the screenshot below. link In the organization's Login Methods settings, keep only what is necessary (in my case, I disabled password login and Google Authenticate). Add roles in Azure in the application registration for Microsoft Entra ID. Here comes the most interesting part. Navigate to SAML Group Mappings -> Role Mappings in Datadog and add the key, value, and role. It seems straightforward. See the screenshot below. But it doesn’t work, and it keeps giving the error "There are no AuthNMappings for this user". For quite a while, we tried to understand what we were doing wrong, reviewing all the documentation, logs, and troubleshooting pages. Unfortunately, there was no mention of this anywhere. In the end, the solution is simple: follow the configuration shown in the screenshot below. In the KEY field, enter the string: http://schemas.microsoft.com/ws/2008/06/identity/claims/role After doing this, everything started working successfully. "This is just a small part of the systems that we integrated with Microsoft Entra ID. We hope that the insights shared here will serve as a helpful resource, streamlining your integration processes and saving valuable time. In conclusion, the following advantages of using Microsoft Entra ID can be highlighted: Single Sign-On, which doesn’t require entering the password multiple times; no additional components required; ease of configuration and administration; group policies and groups; device registration; and high-level security.

Navigating Microsoft Entra ID Integrations for Slack, MongoAtlas, Salesforce, and More

স্ল্যাক, মঙ্গোআটলাস, সেলসফোর্স এবং আরও অনেক কিছুর জন্য মাইক্রোসফ্ট এন্ট্রা আইডি ইন্টিগ্রেশন নেভিগেট করা

Navigieren durch Microsoft Entra ID-Integrationen für Slack, MongoAtlas, Salesforce und mehr

Navegando por las integraciones de Microsoft Entra ID para Slack, MongoAtlas, Salesforce y más

Navigation dans les intégrations Microsoft Entra ID pour Slack, MongoAtlas, Salesforce et plus encore

स्लैक, मोंगोएटलस, सेल्सफोर्स और अन्य के लिए माइक्रोसॉफ्ट एंट्रा आईडी एकीकरण को नेविगेट करना

Slack、MongoAtlas、Salesforce などの Microsoft Entra ID 統合のナビゲート

Slack, MongoAtlas, Salesforce 등을 위한 Microsoft Entra ID 통합 탐색

Navegando nas integrações do Microsoft Entra ID para Slack, MongoAtlas, Salesforce e muito mais

Навигация по интеграции Microsoft Entra ID для Slack, MongoAtlas, Salesforce и других

Slack, MongoAtlas, Salesforce ve Daha Fazlası için Microsoft Entra ID Entegrasyonlarında Gezinme

Điều hướng Tích hợp Microsoft Entra ID cho Slack, MongoAtlas, Salesforce, v.v.

导航 Slack、MongoAtlas、Salesforce 等的 Microsoft Entra ID 集成

104 Stories To Learn About Slack

It all started when I lost access to a slack network I was on. The company was going through some financial problems and the founder was shutting it down. It wasn't personal but all of a sudden I was removed from the slack network and I missed it. I missed the channel where I would post a nice little update of everything I did and get rockets, confetti, 100% or fire emoji responses + some actual english "wow!" or "that's great!" replies. So I asked Chat-GPT for a good name for this project and together we created . I had modest dreams. I dreamed I could use slack's api to post as two fake users I created: Fred Clark and Jenny Wey: synapse-system Fake names, fake AI generated photos, very sorry if one of these people looks exactly like you or has your name it was not on purpose. I was able to post as them with the endpoint pretty easily after some understanding of the scope's I needed and . But something about Fred and Jenny not being "online" really bugged me. I wanted their green dots. https://slack.com/api/chat.postMessage user_tokens vs bot_tokens But no problem I thought. There is available and it even returns me a 200 OK when I call it with the user's token. I wrote into slack customer service and got: "It sounds like you may be trying to force the force the presence for a user to be active. However, in the Usage info section of the users.setPresence API doc, it states to Consult the presence documentation which is linked to the following User presence and status page: There's no way to force a user status to active." https://api.slack.com/methods/users.setPresence https://api.slack.com/docs/presence-and-status So, what they are saying is this setPresence method, you can use it to turn the green dot off, but not on. The only option other than off is "auto" which means automatically turn it on when the user comes online via a slack client. Ah ha! Websockets, no problem I can do this. They have and even a reference joke article. I was able to make my app level token and get back an wss://myunique.slack.com/ws url and connecting to it was fine. I got back message. But all I have is an app level token. There is no way to use socket mode with a user token and come "online." Socket Mode laugh-in socket-to-me the hello They used to have but this is gone now and replace with socket mode where you can't send real time messages. Shrug. But whatever. This couldn't stop me. My green dots needed to come alive. I was left with just one option: cookie auth and run the same javascript the web client is running. Real Time Messaging I learned a lot about cookies! And how chrome uses sqlite to store them but encrypts them. Neither chrome or firefox has an easy way to export ALL the cookies for a domain. You can delete en masse, but you can't export en masse. But in safari you can! My first attempt was using . I took my exported safari cookie file and parsed it into the format chromedp wanted but it never compiled. Sigh. I was told I needed to look at the real deals: or . I'm not the biggest nodejs fan. When I see npm install I usually look for something else first. Sorry js fans! So Selenium it was. chromedp's cookie example Puppeteer Selenium What is going on here? They have every language BUT go? I did find but it only runs on linux. I breifly went to because I had just read about it on hackernews! But this wasn't what I wanted. I wanted the green dots on but no containers running. I went with python. github.com/tebeka/selenium Lima options = Options()
options.profile = '/path/to/profile/jenny'
options.add_argument('-headless')
browser = webdriver.Firefox(options=options)
browser.get('https://app.slack.com/client')
time.sleep(26)
browser.quit() So you can run: /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox --profilemanager And setup profiles for jenny and fred! Log in as them once. And now with a small headless firefox process running, finally, green dots: I do have an for how to fix a deprecation warning I get, but hey it works. I'm using it. Where does go from here? I'm not sure. I think I'll pause here for a bit and think it over. Do I really want fred and jenny to make openai requests and start acting like real co-workers? Maybe? For now I just love seeing them online. Watch the green dots on . Or below. open bounty synapse-system youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVfgoK7hTS4&embedable=true Also published . here

How to Force Slack to Make Your User Appear Online

Content Overview Transforming Failure into Opportunity Pioneering Innovation for Product Success Funding the Dream Disrupting the Enterprise Market The Billion-Dollar Milestone Lessons you can take from Slack Transforming Failure into Opportunity Think about the times you've experienced failure. It's not easy, right? Maybe a pitch fell flat, a co-founder let you down, or you had to shut down an entire business. Failure can be brutal. But here's the thing: there's always a silver lining. And that's exactly what this story is about. It's about resilience, seizing opportunities, and pushing forward no matter what. Enter — the cloud-based team collaboration tool that has become a game-changer for businesses worldwide. As an industry giant, unicorn, and now international empire, Slack is undoubtedly a monumental success. However, Slack’s roots come from when its founders experienced a transformative failure. Slack Over the last month, I’ve begun to use Slack for the first time, and I’ve spent a good few hours exhausting the site’s features. As I begin to form my new networking group, I can’t help but realize this is a highly polished and perfected product - the clear result of constant iterations, tweaks, and improvements which have taken Slack to the top of its industry over the last decade. But no tech product ever starts out this sleek, which takes us back to 2009. Stewart Butterfield, Eric Costello, Cal Henderson, and Serguei Mourachov had formed a company called Tiny Speck, intending to create a massively multiplayer online game named Glitch. As the development of the game progressed, the team built an internal communication tool to streamline their collaborative efforts. But as fate would have it, the game failed to capture the market's interest, and they had to shut it down in 2012. Yet, within this seeming failure came their silver lining — the communication tool they had developed. The team realized they had inadvertently created a product with potential beyond its initial gaming context. This tool, which they had named 'linefeed’, laid the groundwork for what would become Slack. So, you might be experiencing failure at this very moment, or you might be one of the fortunate few who can hardly remember its bitter taste. Regardless, we can all take heart from . This article will explore what made Slack such a booming success, and dive deeper into the lessons entrepreneurs can take from their hurdles. As for the failure of Glitch, we discover perhaps the most crucial lesson of all; that failure is not an end but rather an opportunity in disguise. The key lies in identifying and seizing the potential that might be hidden within the ashes of disappointment. Slack's story Pioneering Innovation for Product Success Since its launch in 2013, Slack has experienced tremendous growth whilst transforming the concept of workplace communication. But just how did they do it? How did the communication system of a failed video game become this giant running at the heart of many Fortune 500 companies? Launching a product in a saturated market is hard enough. Without a reason why you stand out, your product will be dead in the water. So how do you overcome the seemingly colossal barrier to entry in every tech industry? Every competitor you face may seem more experienced, raise more funding, or have more staff, but to use a quintessentially-British phrase, the cream always rises to the top. If your product can offer unique value, the market will take notice. The key is to find that unique value. Slack faced a similar situation in 2013. They realized that their key to standing out was delivering a user experience that cut through the clutter. The de-facto mission statement was to be effortless, yet brilliant. Simple, but innovative. It was a stroke of genius. Despite being rough around the edges, Slack’s launch 10 years ago made it was going to be ‘the cream’. The platform provided a centralized hub for team communication, combining real-time messaging, file sharing, and easy integration with third-party applications. One of the standout features of Slack is its user-friendly interface, which prioritizes simplicity and ease of use, which I can attest to as a beginner with the software. With its clean design and intuitive navigation, Slack eliminated the clutter and confusion commonly associated with traditional communication tools. Now, teams could effortlessly create channels for different projects or departments, allowing for focused discussions and enhanced organization. Thus, Slack was a winner. This unique approach to workplace collaboration quickly caught the attention of businesses worldwide. As Slack gained traction, its user base grew exponentially. In just the first eight months after launch, it attracted over 500,000 users. By the end of its first year, that number skyrocketed to 1.7 million, an impressive achievement for any product, let alone one only 12 months old. These figures demonstrated the platform's rapid adoption and spoke to the genuine need it fulfilled in the market. When any tech business booms, it’s always good to consider why. The best entrepreneurs study and learn from the success and failures of others. So what were the key factors in this flying start? First and foremost was its commitment to innovation. The team behind Slack recognized that the workplace communication landscape was ripe for disruption, and they continuously introduced new features and enhancements to stay ahead of the curve and shake off established competition. They actively sought feedback from users, incorporating valuable insights to drive product improvements. As entrepreneurs, it’s all too easy to get attached to our products. We need to remember that the consumers will have the final say on our success, and the best way to get them on side is to take their feedback and run with it. One key innovation that set Slack apart was its emphasis on integrations. The platform efficiently integrated with a wide range of popular tools, allowing teams to access and share information from different applications within Slack itself. Whether it was project management software, customer relationship management systems, or cloud storage platforms, Slack served as a unified hub, streamlining workflows and enhancing productivity. Another notable aspect of Slack's success was its robust developer ecosystem. The company recognized the value of third-party developers in expanding the platform's capabilities. Slack created an open API and launched the Slack App Directory, allowing developers to build integrations and extensions that further enhanced the user experience. This approach attracted a vibrant community of developers, resulting in a rich ecosystem of apps that extended Slack's functionality beyond its core features. Furthermore, it cannot be understated the role of Slack's commitment to maintaining a high level of product quality and reliability — it's irrelevant how innovative a product is if crashes are commonplace. It (rightly) prided itself on minimal downtime, ensuring that teams could rely on the platform for uninterrupted communication. By delivering a stable and dependable product, Slack gained the trust of its users, including some of the largest companies in the world, and cemented its position as a go-to solution for workplace collaboration. In just 18 months after its launch, Slack had firmly established itself as a game-changer in the industry. With over 2.3 million daily active users, the platform transformed the way teams communicated and collaborated. Its innovative approach to workplace communication, seamless integrations, and commitment to user feedback propelled Slack to unparalleled success. Entrepreneurs, remember to keep your ear to the ground for user feedback — their insights are invaluable for continuous innovation. Slack's journey from its launch to becoming a force in the workplace collaboration space showcases the power of innovation and user-centric design. By addressing the shortcomings of traditional communication tools and introducing game-changing features, Slack was able to capture the market's attention and rapidly expand its user base. Through continuous improvement and an unwavering focus on providing value to its users, Slack demonstrated that cutting through the clutter requires constant innovation and a commitment to excellence. Funding the Dream Despite this seemingly roaring success, securing the initial funds to propel Slack forward proved to be an enormous and impossible task. Venture capitalists, hesitant to invest in an unproven concept, turned their backs on Slack. Doors slammed shut, leaving the founders with a daunting mountain to climb. But they were not deterred. They knew that their journey, despite being steep, was just beginning and that the right financial backing could be the key to unlocking their potential. And then, a breakthrough—a chink in the armor of adversity. In 2014, Slack closed its Series A funding round, led by the eminent venture capital firms Accel and Andreessen Horowitz. The once flickering flame of hope burst into a roaring fire as $12 million coursed through Slack's metaphorical veins. It was a turning point, a validation of vision, and a testament to good-ol’-fashioned resilience. It is always good to have an entrepreneur with all the technical skills in the world at his fingertips, however, an entrepreneur with that unrelenting refusal to give in can be unstoppable. Buoyed by the success of its Series A round, Slack's growth trajectory continued its upward ascent. In 2015, the company followed up its smash hit, this time smacking it out of the park; they closed a massive Series B funding round, securing an additional $160 million in investment. The round was led by Institutional Venture Partners (IVP), with participation from other prominent investors such as Horizons Ventures and Google Ventures. Armed with this newfound capital, Slack charted another course for expansion and innovation. New features emerged integrations deepened, and the platform evolved into a dynamic ecosystem. Its user base grew exponentially, transforming Slack into a cornerstone of modern workplace collaboration. Imagine how the founders of a botched communication system felt when they won over their first big-name clients - NASA, Samsung, and The New York Times. This success wasn't just a win; it validated Slack's unique offering, sparking interest from other industry giants. By the end of 2015, they had over 2 million daily active users and 570,000 paid seats. And the thing is, it would’ve been so easy for them to give up. Startups fail when they either lose hope or run out of money, and it’s a miracle that Slack succumbed to neither. One can only imagine how the founders must’ve felt facing rejection time and time again. Venture Capitalists, in their baby blue button-downs, shaking their heads and saying ‘This isn’t what we’re looking for’ time and time again. That fight back against constant dejection is an enormous reason that Slack even exists today. I am sure the journey from underdog to unstoppable wasn't without its moments of doubt and uncertainty, but Slack's unwavering spirit and innovative product ultimately won the day. Its funding journey showcases the power of perseverance, resilience, and the ability to secure the financial backing necessary for transformative growth. Setbacks are merely stepping stones on the path to success. Embrace the challenges, learn from the rejections, and remain steadfast in your pursuit of turning a grand vision into reality. Let us recap. With a new and exciting product, which has just been granted a huge valuation, for many, it would be time to sell up, relax, pump the brakes, and receive a few well-deserved pats on the back. However, far from cooling off, Slack was about to embark on its biggest challenge yet… Disrupting the Enterprise Market It’s a story as old as the Bible. David vs Goliath. Rocky vs Drago. It’s said that everyone loves an underdog, but that doesn’t get you far in the current, cut-throat business climate. Slack was about to enter the arena with a real software giant that had been around since Stewart Butterfield was just a toddler. The company had set its sights on an even grander stage—the enterprise market. This strategic shift had the potential to transform the entire trajectory of the business, either to the stratosphere or to bankruptcy. No pressure. Slack's initial success was fueled by its ability to transform how teams communicated and collaborated. As we covered earlier, Its user-friendly interface, robust integrations, and focus on enhancing productivity struck a chord with startups and small businesses. As Slack expanded its reach, it became clear that the enterprise market held immense potential. Stepping into the enterprise arena was no small feat. Established players dominated the landscape, with entrenched systems and massive user bases. The other side had all the latest tech, the staff and the deterrents. There were a million incentives not to. But they did. Slack had to prove its worth, not just as a nimble and innovative upstart, but as a platform capable of meeting the unique needs and demands of large-scale organizations. However, Slack would’ve been naive to think they would be the only business trying to capture this market. Coincidentally, they had just made a competitor out of the business which once nearly acquired them; Microsoft. In early 2016, Microsoft had considered bidding $8 billion for Slack, and would likely have been successful, if not for the personal intervention of tech-magnate Bill Gates. The founder was against the purchase, believing that the firm should instead focus on improving Skype for Business. Microsoft would go on to announce ‘Teams’ to the public as a direct competitor to Slack in late 2016 and launched their latest product worldwide on March 14th, 2017. However, Slack approached its new competition with unwavering confidence, believing in the unique value it brought to the table. They weren’t backing out of the ring, instead, they were ready to go toe-to-toe with one of the largest companies ever. To maintain its competitive edge, Slack continued to innovate and evolve its platform. It introduced features tailored to the enterprise market, such as enterprise key management and advanced analytics. These additions aimed to address the specific needs of large organizations, further solidifying Slack's position as a go-to solution in the enterprise landscape. To solidify its mark in the enterprise space, Slack embarked on a series of strategic moves. One pivotal step was the introduction of Slack Enterprise Grid in 2017. This enterprise-grade version of Slack offered enhanced security, compliance features, and centralized administration, addressing the concerns of IT departments and decision-makers in larger organizations. With Enterprise Grid, Slack demonstrated its commitment to providing a secure and scalable solution that could meet the stringent requirements of enterprise customers. It was a bold move that signaled Slack's readiness to take on the challenges of the corporate world. However, penetrating the enterprise market required more than just technological advancements. Slack recognized the importance of building strategic partnerships and alliances. In 2018, the company announced a groundbreaking partnership with Salesforce, one of the world's leading customer relationship management (CRM) platforms. This partnership brought together two tech giants, offering customers seamless integration between Salesforce and Slack. It empowered sales and support teams to collaborate more effectively, bridging the gap between communication and customer relationship management; the partnership not only expanded Slack's reach but also solidified its position as a vital tool within the enterprise ecosystem. As we look to the future, Slack's journey into the enterprise market serves as a reminder of the power of perseverance, innovation, and strategic partnerships. It showcases the immense potential for disruption and growth in even the most established industries. Slack's transformation from a beloved tool for small teams to a powerhouse in the enterprise market demonstrates the company's unwavering commitment to meeting the evolving needs of businesses. By stepping up and seizing the opportunity, Slack has redefined what it means to collaborate in the modern workplace and provided a lesson to never back down. Even if the odds are stacked against your dream. Even if the other side is seemingly unconquerable.  Believe in your product and fight for it, always. The Billion-Dollar Milestone Checking back in on funding, Slack raised a staggering $200 million in its Series C round, led by the astute minds at Thrive Capital. Slack's valuation soared to $3.8 billion, an astronomical figure that spoke volumes about the confidence investors had in the company. A year later, Slack closed another funding round, raising $250 million in a Series D round led by SoftBank's Vision Fund. This significant investment further fueled Slack's ambitions and propelled its valuation to a staggering $5.1 billion. The funding round not only solidified Slack's position as a unicorn but also the world took notice. The underdog had become a titan, a beacon of inspiration for all those who dared to dream. Fast-forward to 2021, and the underdog had risen to astronomical heights. Salesforce acquired Slack for a whopping $27.7 billion, a milestone that marked its extraordinary and tumultuous journey. Lessons you can take from Slack The resilience in the face of failure, the courage to innovate, the persistence to secure funding, the dedication to user satisfaction, and the boldness to disrupt markets - are the hallmarks of Slack's success. Throughout this article, we’ve gone through the key stages of Slack’s success, and what any entrepreneur can learn from these experiences. But, if you combine all the lessons that Slack has taught you, there may just be a winning formula for the next tech unicorn. I’m not saying it will happen. I’m saying it . could Your startup could be the next game-changer. The next chapter on entrepreneurial success is waiting to be written. And you’re the one holding the pen.

How Slack Turned Failure Into Fortune

An average Slack user gets bombarded with dozens - sometimes hundreds - of messages daily. And let's face it, not all of them carry the same weight. That's where the brilliance of a well-chosen Slack summary tool comes into play. And trust me when I say, investing time in finding that 'Goldilocks' Slack summary tool - the one that fits just right - can be a game-changer for your team's collaboration and productivity. Let's get started. Discover Slack Apps in the . Slack App Directory What problem are you solving on your team? Is your crew a compact startup team of ten or a sprawling corporate network in the hundreds? Do you work with a specialist software team, a sales team, or do you have a variety of roles under one roof? Who is it who needs the tool? Lastly – what problem are you trying to solve? Do you have a simple use case, where you just want to summarise simple Slack threads, or are you looking for a fully-fledged collaboration tool that allows your team to surface insights and decisions from various tools that they would otherwise not have had access to, and solve communication issues inherent in the human condition? These answers dictate the kind of tool you need. What features do you need? Summaries at the channel/thread level or team/project level? The term 'summary' tool would be a misnomer if it doesn't provide you with summaries of some kind – but what exactly do you want to summarise? If communication and collaboration are a pain point, or you want cross-functional collaboration or a tool that keeps people on the same page. Summarise at the team/project level: : If there is no need or appetite for a tool that keeps people on the same page, or has a very simple use-case, such as someone who wants to save a bit of time. Summarise at the channel/thread level Integrations with other tools? Depending on your team's function and tools, your tool should summarise more than Slack. Tool overload is a real issue in the digital workspace, though, so it might be important not to add another standalone tool to your stack. Slack is your only collaboration tool, and it would be overkill to integrate with others. You just want Slack: Perhaps you want threads from multiple tools all in one place, or want actionable insights or suggestions from across your tools. You want cross-platform context: Memory? There is a big difference between different classes of Slack summary apps. Many are thin layers between your Slack data and an LLM, like ChatGPT. And for some use cases, that can be enough. Not every team is looking for a complete collaboration tool. Good for saving time in simple use cases. Simply summarises the content of recent Slack messages, either in Slack channels or Slack threads. Short-term context: Can form a long-term memory of the context and activity of what happens. Highly beneficial for teams with high-volume updates or complex cross-functional activities. Perfect for the “information overload” use case. Memory capability: Data privacy? This will be non-negotiable for many larger teams or companies in regulated spaces. Ensure the companies behind tools have watertight privacy and security practices. While the right tool can optimise your team's efficiency, it shouldn't come at the cost of compromising sensitive information. Three Slack summary extensions for different use cases Here are three of the best-in-class tools depending on your needs and use case. However, there are more tools. Here’s a guide to the 6 best Slack apps and integrations for software teams. TLDR TLDR is the simplest summary tool. It uses generative AI through large language models (LLMs) to summarise long Slack messages and threads into brief, comprehensible summaries via a straightforward slash command. While it lacks long-term memory, deep context or tool integration, TLDR can present the crux of long conversations efficiently. It isn’t specifically built with privacy in mind, though. TLDR fits the bill for businesses and teams across various sectors that predominantly rely on Slack for their internal communication and simply want to save some time reading. As its capabilities are strictly limited to Slack, teams operating with a broader array of communication tools might find its utility somewhat restricted. Good for: Add TLDR to Slack CollabGPT is at the other end of the spectrum. I’m building it with my team at Stepsize. It is a powerful, secure collaboration tool that not only offers summaries aided by long-term memory and can suggest actionable next steps and answer pressing questions. It integrates with tools like Slack, Jira, GitHub and more. CollabGPT Where CollabGPT gains an edge over other summarisation tools is its sophisticated AI architecture. It can get a deep understanding of your project context and goals. Teams who want to collaborate better – especially software and product teams. It keeps track of everything happening around you so you can make better decisions. Its prowess lies in its deep "memory" and seamless integration with popular platforms used by software and product teams like Jira, Slack, GitHub and more. Good for: Try CollabGPT theGist theGist is a Slack app designed to summarise both Slack and Gmail conveniently in one place. theGist uses AI to cluster and summarise emails, facilitating swift inbox management straight from Slack. Teams looking for a convenient way to handle Gmail as well as Slack. While theGist may not offer in-depth context and memory, it could prove convenient for teams whose communication heavily hinges on email. Good for: Learn about theGist Try before you buy Most summary tools offer a free trial or a freemium version. It's a golden opportunity to assess the tool in the wild. Here's how you make the most of a trial period: - Test integrations. See how well the tool integrates with Slack and other frequently used productivity tools. Watch out for any hitches that could disrupt your team's workflow. - Evaluate features. Scrutinise the features you've identified as essential. Does the tool deliver on its promise? For example, is it improving visibility or saving time? - Team feedback: Include your team in the trial period. They're the ones who will be using the tool day in and day out. Their feedback can give you insights no product review can. Rounding up Choosing the right Slack summary tool will make a big difference to your team’s productivity. Some tools are simple and will save a little time. Some will help overcome the complexity of working in large, cross-functional or distributed teams. We’re building CollabGPT to help software and product teams keep track of what’s happening around them so they can make better decisions. We’d love for you to try it out and see what it can do for your team. Give CollabGPT a whirl and let me know what you think. Also published . here

Picking the Best Slack Summary Tools (And 3 Top Picks)

We want productive, collaborative, happy people on our software teams. is pretty ubiquitous in software. There are a tonne of Slack apps and integrations. Not all of them are good. Rather than put together a long list of tools you’ll mostly never use, I’ve picked out 6 of the very best Slack apps for software developers, product teams, project managers and anyone who designs, builds or maintains software. Slack I’m going to cover one best-in-class tool for some of the best use-cases for Slack add-ons. You can always explore more Slack integrations in their . Slack App Directory 1. GeekBot – Automating Team Updates & Standups : Streamlining remote team communication Use this for GeekBot is a Slack app for remote and hybrid teams. It automates things like your standup meetings, sprint retrospectives, surveys and more. Instead of spending half an hour in a daily standup every day, just answer three questions asked by GeekBot in a Slack message. It’ll aggregate it into a concise, customisable report and share it with everyone who needs to see it. GeekBot reduces the hassle associated with different time zones and allows software teams to crack on with the work that matters. It ensures a consistent flow of information. It means more time for your core tasks, and greater overall productivity. My team use this every day to save a whole bunch of time. Try GeekBot for Slack 2. CollabGPT – AI Companion for Software Projects Keeping track of what’s happening on your projects Use this for: is an AI-powered project companion specifically designed for software teams. It integrates smoothly with , delivering rich summaries of team activities and proposing actionable next steps. CollabGPT Slack, Jira, and GitHub CollabGPT’s complex architecture of AI agents develops a long-term “memory” of your projects, and therefore, a deep understanding of the context of your projects. Software teams will find CollabGPT invaluable. Its ability to “remember” allows it to provide deeply contextual summaries, actionable suggestions, and precise answers to critical questions. I’m biased, because I’m part of the team building CollabGPT – but I can put my hand on my heart and say I believe it’s a game-changer. Try CollabGPT 3. Peoplebox: Strategy Execution Platform : Strategic planning and execution Use this for Peoplebox keeps strategic goals at the front of people’s minds. At its core, it’s an OKR (Objectives and Key Results) platform. It’s easy to get into silos and lose sight of company goals. Peoplebox keeps everyone aligned on cross-functional goals. Its Slack integration removes the friction of having “just another tool” and makes promoting focus, alignment and accountability easier for teams who design and build software. Try Peoplebox 4. Evergreen – Team recognition : Encouraging team members to appreciate colleagues’ hard work Use this for I’ll be honest, I don’t like a lot of the employee recognition software out there. It’s generally well-intentioned, but can have unintended consequences like the perception of favouritism, unhealthy competition, demotivation, and encouraging focus on the wrong activity. However, Evergreen’s take on it minimises some of the harm. There’s no money or rewards changing hands – instead, recognition plants trees. It reminds teams of our collective responsibility towards the environment. There’s a feeling that everyone wins when somebody gets praise, and it feels casual enough to avoid some of the negative side-effects of competitor tools. You can choose to link praise to your company values, which helps people keep them front of mind. Try Evergreen 5. Marker – Sending Annotated Screenshots via Slack : Collecting bug reports with annotated screenshots Use this for Marker lets you send feedback and bug reports directly from your site via its Chrome extension. It makes it easy to send annotated screenshots along with context straight to Slack channels in your Slack workspace. Marker is awesome for software teams, particularly when bug tracking or when visual communication is essential. Capturing, annotating and sharing relevant sections of a screen makes tracking bugs and sharing information easy – it also does things like automatically capturing the URL to make the process painless. Try Marker 6. Donut – Human connections for remote workers : Better team cohesion Use this for Got a remote team? You might miss those “water cooler” moments where random people have bonding moments. Donut sparks interesting Slack conversations and keeps people connecting about something other than work. Informal chat makes for better working relationships And it helps keep people sane! It doesn’t just do watercooler moments – their Slack plugin can do icebreakers and intros too. Donut creates the chance for spontaneous ideas and problem-solving discussions. People who know each other better are more productive together, too. Donut say their tool boosts productivity, trust and morale. Try Donut Wrapping up Software teams have so much to gain from using the right Slack extensions. When you add the right Slack apps, you can make huge gains in collaboration, visibility, alignment and more. Each tool I listed above presents an innovative solution to a common problem. And because they integrate with Slack, they don’t proliferate tools unnecessarily. I’m working on making CollabGPT the ultimate AI companion for your software projects. It works with Slack, Jira, GitHub and soon many more tools development teams use every day. It’s able to provide context-rich summaries of the details that matter about your project, make clever suggestions about what to do next and answer any pressing question in real-time. If you’d like to, you can find out more about CollabGPT works here. Also published here.

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