External partners (Connect External)

Accepting an external Conclude connection request

This page explains what happens when you accept a connection, the scope of Conclude’s access, what data is processed or stored, and which security and compliance measures are in place.

The goal is to help you assess the connection confidently before authorising it in Slack or Microsoft Teams. Please note that Conclude is designed to operate with clearly defined, limited access, restricted to the specific channel or chat you choose to connect.

What happens when you accept an external connection?

First, an invitation is sent to an admin of your Slack or Microsoft Teams workspace. Once you accept an external connection invite via Conclude, the process is limited and explicit:

  • You are asked to authorise Conclude for Slack or Microsoft Teams
  • You select the specific channel or chat that will be connected
  • Conclude is installed only in that selected channel or chat to enable message syncing
  • Message syncing begins between the connected channels or chats

Conclude does not gain access to your entire workspace. Access is limited to the channel or chat where the app is installed.

Scope of access

Conclude’s access is limited by design. The scope of access is defined during setup and does not expand automatically.

  • Conclude can only access messages in the specific channel or chat where the app is installed
  • Conclude does not have access to other channels, chats, or conversations in your workspace
  • Conclude does not receive workspace-wide visibility by default
  • Private channels and direct messages are not accessible unless Conclude is explicitly installed there

See our Security policy, or the security whitepaper for more.

Data access and processing

Conclude processes only the data required to sync messages between connected channels or chats.

  • Message content is read and written only in locations where Conclude is installed
  • On Microsoft Teams, access is scoped to the selected channel or chat
  • Limited workspace and user information may be processed to support syncing, such as user IDs, display names, channel identifiers, and message IDs
  • No background monitoring or workspace-wide scanning takes place

Data access is limited to what is necessary for the connection to function correctly.

Data storage and retention

Conclude acts as a sync layer and does not store message or file content long-term.

  • Message content is processed to perform the sync between connected channels or chats
  • Only minimal metadata is retained as required for reliability and syncing, such as message identifiers, timestamps, and channel references
  • Conclude does not host customer files; file access, storage, and security remain governed by Slack or Microsoft Teams
  • Attachment handling (files and images) can be configured in the Admin console, allowing different behaviours depending on security and compliance requirements – so you only share what you agree to

Conclude does not retain historical message content beyond what is required to support the active connection.

Security and encryption

Conclude applies standard security controls to protect data during processing and transmission.

  • Data is encrypted in transit using TLS
  • Data is encrypted at rest using AES-256
  • Production systems are hosted on a major cloud provider with industry-standard security practices

Additional technical and operational details are available on the Security policy page and in the security whitepaper.

Compliance and trust

Conclude maintains recognised security and privacy controls to support enterprise and regulated environments.

These measures are designed to support internal security reviews when accepting an external connection.

Platform permissions

When accepting an external connection, Conclude requests only the permissions required to enable message syncing in the selected channel or chat.

Detailed permission scopes are documented for each platform:

Permissions follow a least-privilege approach and do not grant workspace-wide access by default.

Customers and usage

Conclude is used by more than 100 companies across organisational boundaries, including customers, partners, and service providers that need to keep conversations aligned across Slack and Microsoft Teams.

External connections are commonly used in scenarios such as shared project channels, customer support coordination, and ongoing partner communication, where clear scope and controlled access are required. Examples of how teams use Conclude in production environments are available on our Customer Stories page.

Learn more about Conclude and its founders, or contact us for more information.

 

 

Connect. Collaborate. Conclude