The recent Slack outage served as a stark reminder of how dependent modern businesses are on digital communication platforms. With collaboration and secure communication needed in order to achieve maximum productivity, any disruption can lead to significant operational slowdowns, financial losses, and even reputational damage. The outage underscored an important lesson: businesses must diversify their digital collaboration tools to build resilience, or risk losing it all.
When it comes to core IT services, putting all your eggs in one basket is a risky strategy. A single-platform dependency means that if one system fails, business operations grind to a halt. Given the critical role of real-time communication and workflow management in our hybrid-working world, companies should have contingency plans in place.
Tech goes down, outages occur but communication is the commodity we can’t help but invest in. But “investment” in secure and reliable services doesn’t need to break the bank. What it will do is break bad habits and processes.
As a Microsoft partner, Nostra recommends Microsoft Teams as a viable alternative—or a complementary platform—to Slack. Included in the Microsoft Suite of products, Teams offers much of the same functionality as Slack while being deeply integrated into the Microsoft 365 productivity package, which many businesses already subscribe to. This means that organisations can leverage Teams without incurring additional costs, making it a cost-effective and seamless option.
Microsoft designed Teams to be a direct competitor to Slack, but its tight integration with tools like Outlook, SharePoint, and OneDrive gives it an edge for businesses that rely on the broader Microsoft ecosystem. While both platforms cater to different user preferences and workflows, they don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Instead, they can coexist in a well-rounded digital collaboration strategy.
Additionally, investing in cross-platform training for employees is crucial. If done incorrectly, utilising multiple platforms for the same function can be the death-knell for cyber security. Similarly, you can have the best system in the world, but if your team doesn’t know how to use it effectively, you may as well not have your system at all.
Users should be proficient in whatever platform your business chooses to utilise, so they can react and adapt in the event of an outage. This proactive approach mitigates risk, reduces productivity loss, and ensures business continuity.
The Slack outage was more than just an inconvenience—it was a wake-up call for companies to rethink their collaboration strategies. Organisations that prioritise digital resilience will not only minimise disruptions but also enhance efficiency and adaptability in an increasingly unpredictable technological landscape.
At Nostra, we help businesses build robust IT strategies that prevent downtime from becoming a major business risk. By embracing a multi-platform approach and empowering teams with the right tools and training, companies can ensure seamless communication and long-term success, no matter what challenges arise.
Don’t let outages disrupt your business! Get in touch with Nostra today at info@nostra.ie to build a resilient IT strategy that ensures seamless communication and business continuity.
By Senan Finucane – Nostra Co-founder & Principal Solutions Architect
