Slack is undergoing a significant architectural shift, moving from a system organized around individual workspaces to a more unified infrastructure dubbed “Unified Grid,” according to a recent engineering blog post. The re-architecture, initially prototyped internally and now deployed for the company’s largest customers, addresses scaling challenges and complexities arising from its Enterprise Grid offering.
The initial Slack architecture, built around isolated workspaces, proved insufficient as the platform scaled and Enterprise Grid – which allows organizations to connect multiple workspaces – became more prevalent. Ian Hoffman, discussed Slack’s architectural evolution in a presentation, detailing the necessitate to overcome these limitations. The Unified Grid aims to provide a more scalable and efficient foundation for the platform, enabling it to handle the demands of large enterprises.
A key component of this evolution is the introduction of “Run on Slack Infrastructure” (ROSI), which allows developers to host applications directly within the Slack environment. ROSI utilizes a JavaScript and TypeScript runtime environment called Deno, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure, specifically S3 buckets and Lambda functions, for hosting and execution. This provides developers with a secure and scalable solution for building and deploying custom Slack integrations, reducing the burden of self-hosting.
Slack’s approach to ROSI emphasizes security, utilizing secure pre-signed URLs for code uploads to S3. The platform also leverages DynamoDB for app datastores during workflow executions. This infrastructure is designed to be modular and flexible, allowing for simple updates and adaptation to changing business needs.
The company is also heavily investing in artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, integrating AI agents like Slackbot directly into the platform. Slackbot, powered by organizational data and context, aims to improve productivity by assisting with tasks such as drafting documents, taking meeting notes, and summarizing conversations. AI-powered search capabilities are also being enhanced to provide more relevant and contextualized results, drawing from conversations, files, and connected applications.
According to Slack, users who piloted AI features experienced an average time savings of 97 minutes per week. Rivian, a manufacturer of electric vehicles, has reportedly leveraged Slack and its AI capabilities to streamline innovation and improve efficiency, allowing employees to conduct research and create content without leaving the platform.
Slack’s enterprise strategy focuses on providing a secure, scalable, and silo-free work platform. The company highlights the ability of its AI agents to function as teammates, augmenting employee productivity and unlocking digital labor. Enterprise search capabilities are positioned as a means of transforming work management and meeting productivity by providing insights across connected apps and data.
