Visual collaboration tool Miro is further integrating with the Google Meet videoconferencing platform, allowing users to access and share new and existing Miro boards during meetings.

The announcement, which was first teased back in May, further builds on the existing partnership between Google Workspace and Miro, which already enables users to collaborate using Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides directly within a Miro board. Miro for Google Calendar was also launched earlier this year and lets users attach Miro boards directly to Google calendar invites.

How does it work?

When a team is gathering via Google Meet, this new integration will allow attendees to launch Miro from the activities panel and instantly gain access to Miro's platform without needing to sign-up or sign-in, allowing both internal and external parties to see and interact with the same board content.

Miro's chief product officer, Varun Parmar, wants to eliminate the extra steps that are usually necessary when accessing third-party applications, such as manually sharing a link and having everyone switch between windows to gain access.

"All of those friction points that have traditionally existed when apps work alongside video conferencing, through this integration with Google Meet, we are streamlining that entire end-to-end flow," he said.

Building a best-of-breed stack

Both Miro and Google Workspace have seen their customer bases grow as a result of the pandemic. Now, Parmar said that irrespective of the working model organizations have chosen to adopt, workplaces need to ensure they're rolling out the right tools to allow employees to collaborate and get work done.

"For companies that are making the decision to go with all-in-one solutions, what they find is that it works up until the point where their employees figure out there are better solutions available on a different platform," he said.

As a result, integrations between different vendors have become increasingly important.

Dave Citron, director of product management at Google Meet says that partnerships and integrations are "core to Google Workspace's DNA", with the Workspace Marketplace now offering over 5,000 third-party apps.

"By bringing partners like Miro into Google Workspace, we're able to reduce context switching between apps and help people become more collaborative and productive," he said.