Workplace communications platform Slack has unveiled new features and products coming soon, including new features to Slack Huddles and a new highly secure platform for government agencies and defense contractors.
The company announced the soon-to-be-released features during its annual Slack Frontiers conference on the future of work, including lightweight video with one click, multi-person screen sharing and collaboration, new emojis and reactions and message threads that automatically save to channel.
In a blog, the company says the new co-working tools in huddles allow hybrid teams to quickly connect, solve problems and collaborate in real time directly in the Slack app, eliminating the need to use other apps or calendars to schedule time and set up the meeting.
The new features include a lightweight video tool in huddles that users can turn on in the previously audio-only environment. The video feature also comes with background blur capabilities.
Also included in the new huddle features is the ability for multiple users to share their screen simultaneously so teams can collaborate and reference multiple documents in real time.
The feature allows users to draw or use live cursors on their teammates’ shared screens to emphasize certain points or visuals, according to the company.
The new co-working space also helps teams more easily find information in a new organized and searchable way through a message thread where everything shared in the huddle will get automatically saved in the channel or DM where it was launched. That includes links, notes, chats and more, according to Slack.
This new co-working space enables coworkers in a channel or DM who aren’t in the huddle to reference live messaging threats and see the conversation update in real time and decide whether or not to join. Users can also simply read the thread later to catch up later and chime in when they have time.
Also coming to Slack Huddles are new emojis, effects and stickers, including the popular “raise hand” feature that other collaboration apps have.
GovSlack
The company also said it is releasing GovSlack next month, a new highly secure collaboration platform designed for sensitive government agencies where cybersecurity and compliance are top concerns.
According to Slack, the new product is the result of extensive testing and co-creating with current customers, which include the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the General Services Administration’s 18F office.
The company says the product is built to support key government security standards, including FedRAMP High, DoD IL 4 and ITAR, although the firm notes that GovSlack is currently pursuing FedRAMP High and DoD SRG IL4 compliance certifications.
GovSlack runs on AWS GovCloud data centers and is maintained by U.S. personnel, and users can externally collaborate with other GovSlack-using organizations through Slack Connect.
The GovSlack platform also provides access to a set of encryption keys for advanced auditing and logging controls, and organizations can configure permission and access controls at scale through Slack’s enterprise-grade admin dashboard.,
In a blog, Slack calls GovSlack a natural companion to tools like Salesforce’s Government Cloud Plus, an instance of Salesforce Customer 360 designed for government organizations.
According to Slack, the Army Software Factory and Lockheed Martin are pilot users of GovSlack, utilizing the platform to enable secure collaboration among employees and bring more highly sensitive work into slack.
The company says GovSlack will also feature a directory of curated applications, including platform, security and compliance apps, categorized by certification level, such as user identity management provider Okta and secure cloud content management platform Box.
Other apps optimized to work with GovSlack will be available in the GovSlack app directory.
GovSlack will only be available in the U.S. to start, per the company.
Leave a Reply