April 2016 Summaries

Businesses are increasingly pressured to fully digitize and enhance efficiency, leading to a strategic collaboration between Box and Adobe aimed at streamlining digital document workflows in the cloud. This integration allows users to effortlessly manage PDFs by enabling real-time access and saving of files from Adobe apps directly to Box, thus ensuring the latest versions are always available. Additionally, users can edit PDFs directly within Box using Acrobat DC, benefiting from Box's collaboration and security features, while the integration with Adobe Sign facilitates easy electronic signatures on important documents, eliminating the need for file downloads and content duplication. The joint effort seeks to provide a seamless and efficient experience for enterprises working with digital documents, with the rollout of these features scheduled for May.

Box has formed a strategic partnership with Adobe to enhance digital document management in the cloud, leveraging Adobe's pioneering role in creating PDFs and Box's expertise in secure and collaborative content management. This collaboration introduces three key integrations: users can now sign documents in Box using Adobe Sign, edit PDFs directly in Box through Acrobat DC, and set Box as the default cloud service for storing work created or edited with Adobe tools. These integrations aim to streamline workflows by enabling users to manage revisions, secure electronic signatures, and ensure access to the latest document versions without leaving the browser. This partnership underscores Box's ongoing commitment to facilitating cloud-based work by providing seamless connections with services that businesses rely on, complementing existing integrations with other major platforms like Microsoft, Okta, and Salesforce.

In a bid to enhance digital transformation for businesses, a new collaboration with Cognizant has been announced to leverage the Box Platform for creating apps and delivering custom industry solutions. This partnership aims to address the diverse digital needs of businesses by providing tailored consulting services and end-to-end digital strategies, especially in sectors like healthcare, financial services, and retail. The collaboration focuses on not only building apps but also integrating them with existing systems to create efficient, industry-specific solutions such as patient on-boarding workflows and insurance claim submissions. With enterprise-grade content management, security, and collaboration features, the Box Platform empowers organizations to innovate and improve how they handle critical business content. By fostering a robust partner ecosystem, this initiative seeks to change the way businesses operate and collaborate globally, offering them scalable and secure digital experiences.

ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation, one of Japan's largest system integrators, has adopted Box for its content management and collaboration needs, purchasing 15,000 Box licenses to enhance its IT infrastructure. With nearly 50 years of experience, the company aims to improve efficiency, security, and collaboration with partners and customers worldwide by utilizing Box's capabilities. This partnership will enable ITOCHU Techno-Solutions to provide more secure collaboration, reduce operational costs through unlimited storage, increase productivity with a mobile workforce, and enhance content management and security. Known for delivering comprehensive IT solutions across various sectors such as telecommunications, manufacturing, financial services, and more, ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation is also a recognized Box reseller partner in Japan and has twice won the Best Channel Partner Award.

Businesses globally are undergoing significant transformation due to increased mobility, collaboration, and digital processes, which pose challenges related to cybersecurity, privacy, and regulatory compliance. Box, aiming to facilitate this transformation, has introduced Box Zones, a technology that allows businesses to store data in their preferred regions, initially available in Germany, Ireland, Singapore, and Japan, through partnerships with IBM and Amazon. This innovation addresses challenges faced by heavily regulated industries, such as healthcare and financial services, by offering in-region data storage, thus enabling broader cloud adoption. Box Zones represents a strategic expansion of Box's infrastructure, empowering existing and potential customers, particularly outside the US, to enhance productivity and collaboration by overcoming data residency concerns. Over the past year, Box has also launched services like Box Governance and Box KeySafe, and formed integrations with platforms like Office 365 and Salesforce, further solidifying its commitment to providing flexibility and choice in cloud content management.

Box and IBM have collaborated to enhance enterprise productivity by introducing the Expert Seller app, a new version of the IBM MobileFirst for iOS application, built on the Box Platform. This app is designed to streamline sales processes by enabling sales teams to manage and interact with essential content on their iPhones or iPads, offering a more seamless experience. Expert Seller allows sales professionals to efficiently prepare for customer interactions with curated content, identifies relevant materials based on past successes, and facilitates dynamic presentations. IBM's sales force, spanning 52 countries, has already adopted the app, reporting a 25% reduction in preparation time for client meetings. Available through the IBM Marketplace, Expert Seller empowers sales teams by providing up-to-date product and service information, allowing them to focus more on engaging with clients.

In a playful comparison to superheroes, the text highlights how IT teams can become digital-age heroes by leveraging the combined capabilities of Box and Office 365. This integration offers a suite of features that enhance productivity, security, and collaboration within organizations. By enabling seamless access and editing of Office files across devices, it ensures that teams can work efficiently from anywhere. The partnership between Box and Office 365 also provides robust security measures to protect sensitive information while maintaining transparency and control through advanced reporting and auditing tools. Furthermore, the integration streamlines workflows and automates routine tasks, significantly reducing errors and cycle times. With a vast ecosystem of over 1,400 integrated cloud applications, Box extends content management capabilities, allowing IT teams to effectively navigate and adapt to evolving work styles while safeguarding against security threats.

Financial services companies are navigating a digital transformation era, prompting CIOs to address widespread changes to remain competitive against agile newcomers. Box, recognizing this shift, established the Financial Services Advisory Board, comprising senior IT executives from leading financial institutions, to better support these organizations in their transition to digital enterprises. Key challenges identified include reducing time to market, improving collaboration, and managing technical debt while ensuring cybersecurity and data governance. Box has responded by launching a dedicated vertical for financial services, releasing solutions like Enterprise Key Management, Box Governance, and strategic partnerships with IBM and Microsoft, all aimed at enhancing security, compliance, and collaboration. By leveraging cloud and SaaS solutions, financial institutions can drive innovation, scale operations, and customize customer experiences, with Box providing a robust foundation for this transformation.

Organizations today face the risk of falling behind if they do not embrace changes in IT strategies, as explained by Box CIO, Paul Chapman, in his keynote at the Box Virtual Summit. Traditional IT approaches are no longer viable as work styles have evolved, with employees now being more mobile, collaborative, and connected, necessitating the ability to work from anywhere at any time. Companies must navigate new challenges like cybersecurity threats, the need for digitization, and the global, borderless nature of business, all while leveraging the cloud, which is set to dominate by 2020. To keep pace, businesses should focus on differentiation, creating intuitive user experiences, automating processes, fostering interconnectivity, and overcoming fears associated with cloud adoption. While digital transformation can be daunting, especially for smaller IT teams, those who successfully adapt see improved security adherence, employee productivity, and overall satisfaction, as opposed to those who rely on outdated solutions and risk data security issues.

Box Governance has gained significant traction among enterprises worldwide in industries such as finance, professional services, and retail, providing a centralized platform to manage the entire content lifecycle, from creation to disposition, while ensuring compliance with business policies and legal requirements. Since its launch, over 200 businesses, including Engle Martin, iMatchative, and North Highland, have adopted the solution, with nearly a billion files being moved under retention policies. The platform has introduced new features like document watermarking, which deters data loss by marking documents with viewers' email addresses and timestamps, and device trust, which regulates access based on the security status of devices. These features are now available to Box Enterprise and Elite customers, further enhancing Box's commitment to advanced security and governance capabilities.

Box has introduced Battle Notes, a new collaborative tool built on the Box Notes platform, designed to enhance real-time project collaboration while maintaining enterprise-grade security and compliance. This tool aims to improve employee engagement and provide IT administrators with oversight capabilities, such as tracking app usage and performance statistics. Battle Notes aligns with Box's mission to innovate workplace tools that employees find appealing, and it supports evolving business needs by offering a next-generation user experience. The tool is initially available in the US and Canada, with plans for future expansion to industries like healthcare and recreation.