New Google Framework Extends Gmail With Partner Solutions

Google technology partners bulked up Gmail, Google's popular email service, Tuesday with several integrations made possible by a new development framework from Google.

Gmail Add-ons enables Google-aligned ISVs to directly integrate their apps with the customer's inbox, driving more app use without as much workflow disruption.

The development framework "can contextually surface your go-to app based on messages you receive," wrote Aakash Sahney, Gmail product manager, on a Google blog. Add-on solutions can be accessed across all devices after their first installation.

[Related: Google's G Suite Gets Collaboration Upgrades]

Google introduced the framework to developers earlier in the year. Many have now built solutions allowing their apps to function within the mail platform.

Launch partners debuting Gmail integrations are Asana, Dialpad, Hire (by Google), Intuit QuickBooks, ProsperWorks, RingCentral, Smartsheet, Streak, Trello, Wrike. A DocuSign integration is coming soon.

Allen Falcon, CEO of Cumulus Global, a Google partner based in Westborough, Mass., said the new framework represents a significant step forward for application integration with G Suite. It will help customers leverage the Google ecosystem while maintaining a functional user interface.

Many of the Add-on solutions already run inside G Suite, Google's office productivity portfolio, in the right panel of the Gmail window, he noted.

"This is formalizing the service, making it available on any platform, and ensuring they do not conflict if more than one is running," Falcon told CRN.