Deploying the Slack Integration in your Enterprise

Box integrates with Slack in three discrete ways:

1. Box for Slack
2. Box Content Picker
3. Share with Slack enables you to send a Box shared link via Slack entirely from within Box.

1) Box for Slack

The Box for Slack integration gives you greater visibility and granular control into how Slack accesses and manages Box content and metadata. Essentially it enables you to access Box content from directly within the Slack message UI. This integration:

• displays file thumbnails and the file title for Box links shared in Slack
• enables instant permissions – that is, prompts people to grant expanded permissions if not everyone in a Slack channel or group has permission in Box to view/access content.
• enables slash commands (/box recents, /box favorites, /box search)
• provides granular control settings for Box admins

2) Box Content Picker

This is the Box integration within the Slack app. It enables you to use Slack to import a file from Box via the Box Content Picker. (This integration is owned by Slack, not Box.)

3) 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. Essentially, they can access Slack from directly within the Box Web app preview. They can do this via an additional actions menu item labelled Share with Slack. This becomes available to them after you install the integration.

Installing the Slack integration

You must enable this integration in two places:

1. the Box Admin Console
2. the Slack App directory

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

1. From your Admin console, navigate to Enterprise Settings > Apps tab. Scroll down to the Individual Application Controls section and search for Slack.
2. When the entry for Slack displays, click the Configure Settings down arrow to expand the settings 
3. section (if it is not already expanded).

4. Click the button under the Available column.
5. To display the content card, check Enable File Thumbnails.
   • If you leave this check box clear, Slack displays the generic file type icon in place of a file-specific first page thumbnail image.
6. To restrict displaying the file/folder name and file type unless everyone in the channelor group are authenticated into the Box integration AND can view/access the shared file, click Enabling permission check before file/folder name and file type.
7. To allow Slack to index and store text content from shared Box files, check Enable Slack search indexing. This improves search accuracy when you search within Slack.
   • If you leave this check box clear, Slack indexes and stores only the file name.
8. Optionally, restrict the integration to work only with specific Slack workspaces (that is, whitelisting certain domains).
   1. To restrict the integration to a specific Slack organization, in the Enable for specific Slack Enterprise Grid Org ID box, type in your organization’s Slack Enterprise Grid Org ID.  (This option is only available for Slack Enterprise Grid customers.)
      
      • By completing this box, you are in effect connecting one Box EID to one Slack enterprise organization.
      • Only people from this Slack enterprise can access your Box enterprise.
   2. To restrict the integration to specific Slack workspace domains (such as acme.slack.com, acme-marketing.slack.com, and so on), in the Enable for specific Slack workspaces box, type in the specific Slack domains.
      • Only people from these Slack domains can access your Box enterprise.
      • Separate multiple domains with commas.
   3. To allow any Box for Slack integration to connect to your Box enterprise, leave clear both options 1) and 2), above.
9. When you’re done, click Add.

Part II: 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. Only one person must install the integration in their workspace and it becomes available to everyone else in that workspace.
4. Review Slack’s instructions for individual account olders to add Slack to their respective workspaces.

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. From your Admin console, navigate to Enterprise Settings > Apps tab. Scroll down to the Individual Application Controls section and search for Slack.
2. When the entry for Slack displays, click Available.
3. Individuals must then navigate to the Box App store and install this integration on their individual accounts.

Turning on “Box Content Picker” in Slack

To activate this feature you should activate “Share with Slack” and also enable “Box Content Picker” app from the Slack app directory.