Cross-Organization Shared Channels with Segmented Shards
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for group-based communication platforms face challenges in creating externally shared communication channels, particularly in managing data exchange between different organizations and reconciling user identities across multiple organizations, leading to communication inefficiencies and data integrity issues.
Innovation Solution
The system generates a shared communication channel by creating a shard with unique identifiers for each organization, allowing for real-time data exchange and unified identity management across organizations, while maintaining customizable privacy settings and interface configurations for each side of the channel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a shared communication channel is created between different organizations, then real-time data exchange and collaboration efficiency are improved, but data integrity and security management become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments data management by creating separate database shards for each organization while maintaining a unified communication channel. Each organization's data remains isolated in its own shard, yet the channel enables cross-organization communication. This resolves the contradiction by allowing real-time collaboration while preserving data integrity through structural segmentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary messaging system that mediates between different organizational database shards. The messaging system acts as a buffer and translator, enabling data exchange between organizations without direct access to each other's databases. This intermediary layer simplifies data management complexity while maintaining collaboration efficiency.
2Ease of operation
If user identities are reconciled across multiple organizations, then communication seamlessness is improved, but identity management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a universal identity system where a single user identity can be recognized across multiple organizational boundaries. The identity layer is decoupled from organizational affiliations, allowing users to maintain seamless communication while the system handles complex identity-to-organization mappings in the background. This resolves the contradiction by providing ease of operation through universal identities while managing complexity through systematic mapping.
3Reliability
If customizable privacy settings are implemented for each side of the channel, then data security is improved, but system configuration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by allowing each organization to have customized privacy settings and access controls specific to their needs. Each side of the communication channel can independently configure who can see what data, with these settings stored locally in their respective database shards. This resolves the contradiction by enhancing data security through localized control while managing configuration complexity through decentralized settings management.
Data Source
AI summary
Multi-organization shared channels are described. An instruction to create a communication channel on a group-based communication platform can be received. The communication channel can be associated with a first organization that is registered with the group-based communication platform. At least two other organizations can be associated with the communication channel, wherein a first one of the at least two other organizations is associated with a second organization that is different than the first organization and a second one of the at least two other organizations is associated with a third organization that is different than the first organization and the second organization, and wherein based at least in part on associating the at least to other organizations with the communication channel, the communication channel is a shared communication channel that is accessible by one or more users associated with the first organization, the second organization, or the third organization.