Asana Launches a New Suite of Intelligent Tools for the CIO

Rhea-AI Summary

Asana introduces new AI capabilities to empower IT leaders in driving intelligent transformation within organizations. The innovations include deeper integrations with Microsoft 365, AI-powered reporting, and enhanced workflow capabilities to ensure data security and drive greater ROI.

Insights

Technology Analyst

The introduction of Asana's AI capabilities signals a strategic move that could potentially reshape the landscape of enterprise work management platforms. The integration with Microsoft 365 is a notable development, as it suggests a push towards greater interoperability and ease of use within the digital workplace ecosystem. The ability to centralize data and automate workflows is likely to enhance operational efficiencies, which is a critical factor in the IT sector. Furthermore, the emphasis on security through multi-org deployment and HIPAA compliance readiness may address the growing concerns regarding data privacy and regulatory standards.

From a technological standpoint, the use of natural language for smart workflows and reporting indicates an advancement in user interface design, which could improve user adoption rates. The deployment of sandboxes for testing AI features reflects a cautious approach to innovation, allowing organizations to adapt to new technologies without disrupting existing operations. These enhancements are poised to provide IT leaders with the tools necessary to leverage AI effectively, potentially leading to a competitive edge in the market.

Data Security Analyst

Asana's announcement underscores the importance of data security in the age of AI-driven transformations. The integration of Microsoft Intune MDM for the management of Asana's iOS app demonstrates a commitment to securing mobile access to corporate data. This could be particularly appealing to enterprises with a mobile workforce, as it aligns with the broader trend towards mobile device management in IT security strategies.

The provision of sandboxes for testing AI features prior to full deployment is a prudent measure that mitigates the risk of introducing vulnerabilities into the system. By enabling IT leaders to test AI functionalities within a controlled environment, Asana is facilitating a more secure and stable adoption of AI technologies. The multi-org deployment feature, which allows separation of data by subsidiary, is a strategic response to the complex requirements of global data residency and privacy regulations. This could be a significant value proposition for multinational corporations looking to maintain compliance while deploying AI solutions.

Financial Analyst

Asana's foray into AI-enhanced capabilities could have a tangible impact on its financial performance. By offering advanced features such as AI-powered reporting and smart workflows, Asana is likely to attract and retain customers who are seeking to maximize their return on investment in digital work management tools. The ability to generate executive-level reports and insights could appeal to a segment of the market focused on strategic planning and data-driven decision-making.

The timing of these releases, staggered across various quarters, suggests a strategic roadmap that may generate recurring interest and engagement from current and prospective clients. The integration with widely-used platforms like Microsoft 365 can potentially expand Asana's user base, which in turn could lead to increased revenue streams. However, the costs associated with the development and implementation of these AI capabilities, as well as the competitive response from other players in the market, will be important factors in determining the overall financial impact of this initiative.

Asana’s State of IT research reveals 77% of IT leaders feel responsible for leading AI transformation within their organization

Deeper integrations with Microsoft 365, AI-powered reporting, and enhanced workflow capabilities, all with safeguards and controls, help CIOs build the right foundation for AI to drive greater ROI

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, Asana, Inc., a leading enterprise work management platform, announced new AI capabilities that empower IT leaders to drive intelligent transformation with the right data foundation, safeguards, and controls. Powered by Asana’s Work Graph® data model, these new capabilities enable IT leaders to integrate their work data seamlessly with solutions like Microsoft 365, deploy AI safely, and surface executive-level reports and insights that help drive greater ROI, now.

“With the rapid evolution of AI, the role of the CIO and IT executives has fundamentally changed,” says Saket Srivastava, Asana CIO. “Today’s IT leaders are responsible for intelligent transformation – ensuring that data is connected across technology investments, building the right foundation to deploy AI safely and securely. With Asana’s new AI offerings and integrations with solutions like Microsoft 365, enterprise leaders have the data, security, control, and insights to drive greater ROI with AI at every level of their organizations.”

Asana’s latest innovations offer leaders the ability to:

Build the right foundation for AI by securely integrating work data

• (Starting Q2 2024) Microsoft 365 integrations: Adding to a growing ecosystem of 300+ integration solutions to centralize data - set up automated workflows between Asana and Outlook Calendar for recurring scheduling needs, and create and plan projects directly in Teams to increase visibility
• (Q2 2024) Smart goals: Use AI to draft goals and standardize goal creation, optimized for the entire organization
• (Q2 2024) Smart workflows: Build automated workflows and rules with simple, natural language instructions, optimized over time to match specific goals and best practices
• (Q3 2024) Workflow console: Deploy workflows, streamline change management, and accelerate improvements with more robust workflow data to drive operational efficiencies

Deploy AI confidently with safeguards & transparent controls

• (Now available) Multi-org deployment: Maintain security by separating data by subsidiary to support AI needs, meet privacy and compliance standards, satisfy global data residency requirements, and enable HIPAA compliance
• (Now available) Custom onboarding: Set employees up for success in Asana with a custom onboarding experience, including role and team-specific onboarding information, as well as links to company-wide resources
• (Now available) Microsoft Intune MDM integration: Manage security configurations for Asana iOS app through a central Intune dashboard to protect company data on the go
• (Q2 2024) Sandboxes: Test new features, including AI releases, to determine how they function with existing workflows, and create thoughtful rollout plans to support user adoption
• (Q2 2024) Smart onboarding: Help individuals and teams get up to speed on the right Asana projects, teams, and goals to join so they can drive immediate impact

Surface intelligent insights to deliver greater ROI at every level

• (Now available) Smart status: Create more comprehensive status updates across portfolios and goals faster with AI, pulling from real-time work data to support strategic planning and help identify risks across cross-functional workstreams
• (Q2 2024) Smart answers: Use natural language to ask Asana questions across all work—from tasks to projects, portfolios, and goals—and get timely answers and insights
• (What’s ahead) Executive summaries: Achieve data-driven decisions and business outcomes faster with easy access to executive-level status updates across key performance metrics
• (What’s ahead) Smart reporting: Use natural language to generate charts and dashboards with AI that help visualize business health in real-time across departments and workstreams
• (What’s ahead) Smart projects: Streamline project creation by telling AI what the project is about and letting it create the right structured sections and project details automatically

According to research from Asana’s Work Innovation Lab State of the IT Leader Report, as many as 82% of IT leaders regularly advise on their organization’s AI strategy, and 90% say that investing in AI technology will be critical to navigating future business challenges. Asana’s new human-centered AI capabilities are designed to help CIOs and IT leaders with their most pressing AI challenges, from building the foundation to use generative AI effectively, to ensuring the right safeguards and best practices, as well as understanding how to utilize cross-functional data to drive decisions, outcomes, and strategic prioritization.

"Today’s IT leaders are no longer back office service providers but strategic advisors moving enterprises forward. More than ever, IT executives are accountable for operationalizing company objectives, ensuring security, creating go-to-market strategies, and understanding how to apply AI to increase productivity, collaboration, and business outcomes," says Praniti Lakhwara, Zscaler CIO. "It’s imperative to have the right tools to work smarter, while delivering results. With Asana, we’re able to centralize our work data in order to surface timely business insights, inform decision-making, and work toward program goals in one safe, secure platform."

“CIOs around the globe are trying to understand how to best use AI to increase productivity, make cross-functional collaboration more efficient, and drive business outcomes,” says Wayne Kurtzman, IDC Research Vice President, Collaboration and Communities. “Meanwhile, they are faced with a mountain of unstructured, disconnected data and security concerns. With this announcement, Asana looks to help CIOs and IT leaders by centralizing work data in a structured platform that connects teams, projects, and company goals. This makes it easier for companies to measure business outcomes and find new efficiencies."

Asana is committed to a human-centered approach to AI, inclusive of security and privacy, which includes holding AI partners to high standards of not training on or retaining customer data. Learn more about Asana’s approach and latest updates from Asana Intelligence and State of the IT Leader Report.

More updates will be shared at Asana’s Work Innovation Summit Australia – learn more here.

About Asana

Asana empowers organizations to work smarter. Asana has over 150,000 customers and millions of users in 200+ countries and territories. Customers like Amazon, Roche, and T-Mobile, rely on Asana to manage everything from goal setting and tracking to capacity planning, to product launches. For more information, visit www.asana.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240319265228/en/

Asana Communications

Marianne Ridgeway

press@asana.com

Source: Asana, Inc.

FAQ

What new AI capabilities has Asana announced?

Asana has announced new AI capabilities that empower IT leaders to drive intelligent transformation with the right data foundation, safeguards, and controls.

How can IT leaders build the right foundation for AI with Asana's new capabilities?

IT leaders can securely integrate work data, utilize Microsoft 365 integrations, set smart goals, build smart workflows, and access a workflow console to deploy AI confidently.

What safeguards and controls are available for deploying AI with Asana?

Asana offers multi-org deployment, custom onboarding, Microsoft Intune MDM integration, sandboxes for testing new features, smart onboarding, smart status updates, and smart answers to ensure AI deployment is secure and transparent.

How does Asana help in delivering greater ROI at every level?

Asana provides intelligent insights through smart reporting, executive summaries, smart projects, and smart answers to help organizations make data-driven decisions and achieve business outcomes faster.