October 2016 Summaries

A widespread Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack on the DNS provider Dyn led to significant performance issues across the internet, affecting services like Twitter, Netflix, Zendesk, PayPal, and Box, making them inaccessible to many users for several hours. Box's teams, including engineering, networking, and operations, worked diligently to restore full access to their services, including the Box API, and have confirmed that the issue was not a data breach, with no impact on service integrity or customer data. Box has apologized for the disruption and is exploring ways to prevent similar incidents in the future, encouraging users to visit their community page if they continue to experience access issues.

Box has introduced a new feature to its Box Governance add-on, enhancing security classification to help industries dealing with sensitive information protect their data in the cloud. This feature allows Box customers to automatically identify and classify sensitive content, applying security policies based on confidentiality levels. Administrators can easily classify content, use visual indicators for confidential information, and set policies to prevent unauthorized sharing, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory mandates. The integration with partners like Netskope and TITUS automates classification, reducing administrative overhead and enhancing governance consistency. Box aims to provide a seamless user experience while ensuring robust data security, fostering a culture of cautious and engaged behavior regarding data protection.

Enterprise organizations are increasingly adopting digital technologies to replace legacy processes, with e-signatures emerging as a key tool for enhancing productivity and efficiency. Transitioning from manual to digital signatures, such as those facilitated by Adobe Sign, streamlines the traditionally cumbersome document signing process, which often involves faxing, mailing, or in-person visits. Adobe Sign integrates seamlessly with Box Platform APIs, providing a quick and secure solution for capturing trackable e-signatures within apps or portals. This integration allows developers to create optimized user experiences while managing document versions and storage. Paul Paulauskas, a Platform Solutions Engineer at Box, showcased an application built with Adobe Sign and Box Platform in a demonstration at BoxDev @ BoxWorks 2016, emphasizing the ease and speed of the digital signature process.

Box has launched "The Hollywood Cloud Chronicles," a series of discussions with CIOs, IT professionals, and key executives in the media and entertainment industry to explore how technology, particularly cloud technology, influences the entertainment sector. These conversations aim to delve into the digital transformation that has reshaped storytelling, production processes, and collaboration in music and film, as well as the consumption of these media forms. The series will offer insights from industry experts on adapting to the rapidly evolving media landscape, modifying workflows to meet the increasing demand for content, and leveraging cloud technology to harness new opportunities.

Facebook has launched its first enterprise product, Workplace, marking a significant step in the evolution of enterprise software by integrating familiar social networking capabilities into professional environments. This launch is especially exciting for companies like Box, which is collaborating with Facebook to create seamless integrations that enhance productivity and communication. The modern workplace is being transformed by cloud and mobile technologies, allowing organizations to operate more efficiently and make swift decisions. Workplace by Facebook provides an opportunity to leverage Facebook-like tools in a business context, offering features such as colleague profiles, real-time chat, and business updates through an interface already familiar to users worldwide. Box aims to ensure a seamless user experience by integrating its secure content management services with Workplace, thereby facilitating collaboration for its vast user base, including many Fortune 500 companies. This partnership promises to enhance the future of work, making it more automated, secure, and data-driven, as enterprise software continues to evolve towards simplicity and power, paralleling consumer technology advancements.

Amid escalating extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and cyclones fueled by rising ocean temperatures, effective communication and planning are crucial for disaster response, as evidenced by past failures like those during Hurricane Katrina. Box.org, founded in 2014, aims to empower nonprofits and relief organizations with cloud technologies to enhance collaboration and file sharing during crises. However, recognizing that technology alone is not sufficient, Box, Inc. launched a Clinton Global Initiative “Commitment to Action” to foster partnerships with organizations like NetHope and Team Rubicon, offering cloud-based content management platforms either free or at minimal cost to increase response efficiency. This initiative is supported by a coalition of cloud technology vendors called ImpactCloud, which includes companies like DocuSign and Salesforce.org, to help nonprofits maximize their impact. As Hurricane Matthew threatens Florida, Box urges public support for equipping relief organizations with essential technology to safeguard communities.

At BoxWorks 2016, the Box Platform Incubator Program was announced as a six-month initiative, supported by Amazon Web Services, designed to assist companies in building, launching, and scaling application businesses leveraging both Box Platform and AWS. The program targets enterprise-focused companies developing cloud-based, scalable applications with user-friendly interfaces that meet enterprise security and administrative standards. Participants receive benefits including mentorship, promotional credits, training, co-marketing opportunities, and entry into the Box Platform Partner Program. Companies must have a developed product or concept for an enterprise-focused SaaS application that incorporates Box Platform and AWS to qualify.

David Benjamin has joined Box as the Senior Vice President and General Manager for the EMEA region, bringing extensive leadership experience from his previous role at British Telecom. His appointment coincides with a period of strategic growth for Box in Europe, following the launch of Box Zones, Box KeySafe, and the approval of their Binding Corporate Rules, which aim to simplify cloud adoption for enterprises. David's focus will include expanding Box's presence in Germany, aided by recent product and compliance updates, and plans to establish a local office to enhance customer support. His background in enterprise services and his successful track record in fostering business growth make him well-suited to lead Box's European expansion.