Externally Shared Communication Channels for Cross-Organization Data Exchange
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication systems fail to support data exchange and user identity management across different organizations, leading to communication delays, data integrity issues, and inefficient network resource usage, as well as the inability to reconcile unified identities across multiple organizational affiliations.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system for creating externally shared communication channels in a group-based communication platform, which generates a shared communication channel shard and updates a shard referential table to enable real-time data exchange and unified identity management across multiple organizations, allowing members to collaborate as if they belong to the same organization while maintaining individual privacy settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a group-based communication platform uses separate database shards for different organizations, then data security and organizational privacy are improved, but the ability to enable real-time communication and data exchange across organizations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an externally shared communication channel as an intermediary structure that bridges separate organizational database shards. This channel acts as a mediator that enables controlled data exchange between organizations while maintaining the integrity and security of the underlying shard architecture. The channel creation process involves both initiating and target organizations, establishing a formal pathway for communication that respects organizational boundaries.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments communication functionality into internal channels (within organizations) and external shared channels (across organizations). This segmentation allows the platform to maintain separate database shards for different organizations while providing a mechanism for controlled cross-organizational communication. The shard referential table further segments the data model to track relationships between channels and organizational shards.
2Reliability
If the system maintains separate organizational identities in database shards, then organizational privacy and data integrity are improved, but the ability to reconcile unified user identities across multiple affiliations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal user identity system that functions across multiple organizational contexts. A single user identity can be affiliated with multiple organizations and participate in both internal and external communication channels. The user profile structure supports multiple organizational affiliations, allowing users to maintain unified identities while respecting organizational boundaries in the shard architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a new dimension to identity management by introducing organizational affiliation as a separate layer from user identity. Instead of treating user identity as singular and organization-specific, the patent creates a multi-dimensional identity model where users exist in multiple organizational contexts simultaneously. This is reflected in the database schema that separates user identities from organizational memberships.
3Productivity
If the platform creates externally shared communication channels between organizations, then collaboration and productivity are improved, but network resource usage and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing the externally shared communication channel structure and registering it in the shard referential table before actual cross-organizational communication occurs. This preliminary setup includes creating the channel with references to both initiating and target organizational shards, and configuring access permissions in advance. This reduces the complexity of real-time channel establishment during communication events.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, apparatus and computer program product that may include receiving, by one or more servers of a group-based communication platform and from a client of a first user with administrative privileges and associated with a first organization, a request to generate a shared communication channel on the group-based communication platform. A shared communication channel may be generated based on the request. A second request may be received by the one or more servers to provide at least one second user associated with a second organization access to the shared communication channel. Access may be provided to the second user. A message communication may be rendered in a shared communication channel interface associated with the shared communication channel with a graphical indicator that indicates the message communication is associated with the first organization.