Print

Deploying the Slack Integration in your Enterprise

  • Posted Updated

 

Box integrates with Slack in three ways:

  • Box for Slack enables you to interact with your Box content from within Slack.
  • Box File Picker enables you to import Box files into Slack from within Slack.
  • Share with Slack enables you to send a Box shared link via Slack entirely from within Box.

 

Box for Slack

The Box for Slack integration provides greater visibility and granular control into how Slack accesses and manages Box content and metadata. The Box for Slack integration enables you to access Box content from directly within the Slack client. This integration:

  • displays file thumbnails and the file title for Box links shared in Slack
  • enables instant permissions – enables your account holders to grant expanded permissions if everyone in a Slack channel or group does not have permission in Box to access content
  • enables creation of default instant permissions - enables your account holders to define the default adjustment of shared link settings for a shared file.  With this option enabled and configured, when someone in a Slack conversation or channel doesn't have access to the shared file, Box automatically applies the default permissions your account holder defined
  • enables slash commands (/box recents, /box favorites, /box search)
  • provides granular control settings for Box admins
  • allows Box be the content layer for Slack - you can also use Box as the Custom Files Store in Slack, where Box acts as the single content layer supporting all your conversations. Learn more in the article Box as the Content Layer for Slack.

 

Box File Picker

This is the Box integration within the Slack app. Box File Picker enables you to use Slack to import a file from Box. This integration is owned by Slack, not Box.

 

Share with Slack

The Share with Slack integration enables your people to send a shared link to a file or folder in Box directly to a Slack channel, group, or individual. People can access Slack from directly within the Box Web app preview. 

To share with Slack, people can do one of the following:

  • On a file, select more options  >  Integrations >  Share with Slack or
  • In the Box Web app preview of a file, go to the sidebar and tap the Share with Slack icon . This becomes available to people after you install the integration.

 

Important:  The default end-user experience sends to Slack only basic file metadata and thumbnails. As an admin, you can choose to opt out of these. Generally, any content sent and viewable within the Slack interface is saved on Slack servers and follows Slack's channel permission model – not Box's file and folder permission model. The admin console enables you to control what content the Box for Slack app shares via Slack.

 

Note:  To require people to store in Box all content shared via Slack, turn off native file uploads and sharing. To do this, please contact feedback@slack.com.

 

Installing the Box for Slack integration

You must enable this integration in two places:

  1. the Box admin console
  2. the Slack App directory

 

Note:  This integration is available only to Box enterprise customers and users.

 

Part 1: Enabling Box for Slack in the Box admin console

  1. From your admin console, navigate to the Apps tab. Scroll down to the Individual Application Controls section and search for Slack.
  2. When the entry for Box for Slack displays, change the status to Available. 

mceclip0.png

  1. To change additional configuration settings, hover your mouse over the Box for Slack app and click Configure.  For the best user experience, follow Steps 4-6. 

mceclip1.png

  1. To see when a file is shared in a Slack channel, in File Preview in Box, toggle the Enable Box Activity Stream slider to On.
  2. To display a content card (file preview) of the first page of a Box file when shared, toggle the Enable file thumbnails slider to On.
    • If you leave this toggle off, Slack displays the generic file type icon in place of a thumbnail image of the first page of the file. 
Note:  Participants who join or are added to Slack channels can view that channel's previously added Box File Thumbnails as part of a Slack channel's history.
  1. To enable Slack to index and store text content from shared Box files, toggle the Enable context indexing for Slack search slider to toggle On. This improves search accuracy when you search within Slack.
    • If you leave this toggle off, Slack only indexes and stores the file name. 
  2. For more robust security settings, enable Steps 8-9 (if applicable).

mceclip2.png

  1. To add an additional layer of security before displaying a content card (file preview) of a Box file when shared, toggle the Enforce additional permissions check before file display slider to On . The file preview will be available only if:
    • everyone in the channel or group are authenticated into Box, and
    • everyone in the channel can view/access the shared file.
  2. Optionally, restrict the integration to work only with specific Slack workspaces (that is, place certain domains on an allow list). 
    • To restrict the integration to specific Slack organizations, in the Restrict to specific Slack Enterprise Grid Org ID allowlist box, type your organization’s Slack Enterprise Grid Org IDs. This option is available only to Slack Enterprise Grid customers. Separate multiple IDs with commas.
    • To restrict the integration to specific Slack workspace domains (such as acme.slack.com, acme-marketing.slack.com, and so on), in the Restrict to specific Slack workspaces allowlist box, type in the specific Slack domains. Separate multiple domains with commas.
    • To allow any Box for Slack integration to connect to your Box enterprise, leave clear the Restrict to specific Slack Enterprise Grid Org ID allowlist and Restrict to specific Slack workspaces allowlist options above.
      • If you complete this option you connect one Box EID to one or more Slack enterprise organizations.
      • Only people from these Slack enterprises can access your Box enterprise.
      • Only people from these Slack domains can access your Box enterprise.
  3. When you’re done, click Save.

 

Part 2: Enabling Box for Slack in the Slack App directory

  1. Follow Slack’s standard instructions for enabling a third-party app in Slack for your workspace.
  2. Navigate to the Slack app store and search for “Box.” Then enable the integration.
  3. When you’re done, the option to add Slack becomes available to everyone for whom you’ve enabled the integration.  When one person installs the integration in their workspace, the integration becomes available to everyone else in that workspace.
  4. Review Slack’s instructions for individual account holders to add Slack to their respective workspaces.

 

Setting Box as Custom File Store for Slack

To learn more, see this article. 

 

Turning on the Share with Slack integration

To enable your people to send shared links to Box content via Slack without leaving their Box interface, you must turn on the Slack integration for your enterprise. To do this:

  1. In your admin console, navigate to the Apps tab.
  2. Scroll down to the Individual Application Controls section and search for Slack.
  3. When the entry for Share with Slack displays, click Available or Added by Default.
  4. Individuals must then navigate to the Box App store and install this integration on their individual accounts.

 

Turning on Box File Picker in Slack

To activate this feature,  activate Share with Slack and also enable the Box File Picker app from the Slack app directory.

 

 

 

tech_writers_swarm_kb

Related articles