It had been reported previously that Microsoft was working on a Slack rival and the company has indeed announced one today. Microsoft Teams is the new Slack rival from Redmond that has been launched today. Microsoft has launched it as a service that ties into existing Office 365 subscriptions. The company describes Microsoft Teams as a chat-based workspace with emphasis on collaboration in real-time.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that this new service is going to “together chat, meeting, notes, Office, Planner, PowerBI, and a host of extensions and applications to help teams get work done.”
The company has deeply integrated Teams into Office apps and Skype. Businesses can even get integration with Power BI, SharePoint, and Planner. Users will be able to search across files, people, and chats in Teams just like they can on Slack. Notifications will be provided by Microsoft through Exchange integration.
Microsoft has also launched a developer program today which will enable third-party developers to create new integrations and experiences for Teams, including but not limited to bots.
Office 365 customers in 181 countries across the globe can preview Microsoft Teams starting today in 18 languages. Microsoft Teams will be included in Office 365 Business and Enterprise suites eventually, general availability of this new service is planned for early next year.