November 2017 Summaries

Box has expanded its Technology Partner Program, now boasting over 225 partners globally, by adding 21 new partners in the last quarter, enhancing cloud content management capabilities across various applications. New partners such as DocketBird, OneMob, Butter.ai, WiseFax, airSpring, Envoy, BetterCloud, and Jamf Pro bring diverse functionalities, including productivity and collaboration tools, intelligent business processes, engaging digital experiences, and enhanced security and trust solutions. These integrations allow users to seamlessly manage, share, and secure their documents and information within Box, providing improved workflows for industries like law, sales, IT, and enterprise mobility management. Box encourages further integration development by offering a free developer account for those interested in joining the Box Technology Partner Program.

Box Notes, a real-time collaborative note-taking app, has introduced a new feature called Differences to enhance user productivity by highlighting changes made since the last view of a note. This feature addresses the challenge of tracking constant content changes and relies on the Operational Transformation (OT) algorithm, which ensures consistency in the note model data between clients and servers. By integrating Google's diff-match-patch library for plaintext differences and the OT data model for style changes, Box Notes can effectively highlight both text and style modifications. The process involves calculating diffs while considering local changes made before receiving the latest content from the server. This approach enables users to see new content accurately even if they were working offline or with an outdated version, and it leverages the concept of rebasing, similar to version control systems, to merge changes efficiently. The Differences feature not only improves content consumption for users but also demonstrates the flexibility and potential of the OT-based collaboration model for future enhancements.

Box has developed an innovative framework called Box Skills that integrates machine learning with content stored in Box to derive value from exponentially growing digital content, exemplified by features like video intelligence for transcription and facial recognition. To extend this capability, Box has introduced Box Graph, a machine learning model designed to understand and map relationships between content and users within an organization, forming a dynamic, real-time social network that reflects user interactions and collaborations. Box Graph computes collaboration scores in real time, scales to manage billions of interactions, and uses a horizontally scalable, versioned graph system supported by the Score Keeper Service (SKS) and Message Queue Service (MQS) for efficient data processing and recommendations. The system employs collaborative filtering, leveraging mathematical techniques like LogSumExp and LogDiffExp, to update scores incrementally and prioritize relevant content and collaborators. By utilizing backtesting and A/B testing, Box fine-tunes algorithmic parameters to tailor its recommendations for specific enterprise needs, facilitating efficient, real-time collaboration insights.

Box Notes is a secure note-taking app designed for team collaboration, allowing users to work together in real-time, even with people outside their company. It addresses common challenges in collaborative work, such as version tracking and misplaced work, by offering features like Inbox for tracking modified notes, Differences for highlighting changes, and Presence for monitoring active users. Additionally, it includes pre-built and customizable templates to facilitate organized and structured documentation, such as meeting agendas or product specifications. By providing a flexible tool that enhances the capture and sharing of ideas, Box Notes aims to streamline the collaborative process, reducing time spent on organization and increasing productivity. Users can try Box Notes with a free 14-day trial, which includes features like native e-signatures and secure content management.

At BoxWorks 2017, the collaboration between Box and Microsoft was highlighted with the announcement of Box using Azure, which became generally available in November. This partnership combines Box's cloud content management platform with Microsoft's Azure cloud, enhancing collaborative processes across companies and improving secure content management with integrations for over 1,400 SaaS apps, including Office 365. It allows businesses to incorporate Box capabilities into their custom applications for enhanced digital content experiences and streamlined business processes. The integration with Azure aims to provide a superior user experience for customers utilizing Box alongside Microsoft products like Office 365 and Microsoft Teams. Future developments are set to leverage Microsoft Cognitive Services to enrich Box content with intelligent features, and Azure's expansive global infrastructure to meet data sovereignty and compliance standards. Currently, Box using Azure is available with content stored in U.S. data centers, and additional Box packages can further enhance security and workflow automation.

Box is expanding its Box Zones network to Toronto, in collaboration with IBM Cloud, allowing Canadian organizations to address data privacy and residency concerns by keeping their encrypted data within Canada. This expansion is part of Box's global strategy to provide security and compliance tools that enhance cloud capabilities, including solutions like Box KeySafe for encryption key management and Box Governance for information governance. The Toronto launch is a significant development in the ongoing IBM and Box partnership, which also includes the recent availability of Box Relay, a workflow tool, and the announcement of Box Skills, integrating IBM Watson's intelligence into Box services. The Toronto Box Zones is set to be operational by the end of the year.

Box Relay, co-developed with IBM, is now available for purchase as a workflow tool designed to simplify the creation, tracking, and management of everyday business processes, making them accessible to non-technical users across an organization. By automating repeatable tasks such as feedback collection, content review, and approval processes, Box Relay enhances productivity and consistency while maintaining content security through audit trails and permissions. The tool enables end-users to build custom workflows, involves external users, and provides real-time visibility with alerts, notifications, and integrated content management. Hudson's Bay Company exemplifies its potential by utilizing Box Relay to optimize their marketing and editorial workflows, resulting in faster website product launches and improved strategic visibility for executives. Future enhancements include APIs for integration with existing systems, automatic workflow launches triggered by Box events, and e-signature capabilities. Box Relay aims to democratize workflow management, moving away from the traditional top-down approach and empowering employees to create personalized processes.

Box is hosting a Virtual Summit on November 15, offering an opportunity to experience the highlights of BoxWorks, including keynotes, breakout sessions, partner showcases, and live demos, all from the comfort of home. The event kicks off at 8:30 a.m. PST, with a keynote from Box CEO Aaron Levie, focusing on smarter collaboration, workflow, and intelligence innovations, including Box Skills. The summit will feature various sessions covering topics such as Box security features, integration with other cloud-based applications, GDPR compliance, and the benefits of transitioning from network shares to Box. Attendees will also learn about leveraging Box in different business departments and driving adoption across enterprises. The event concludes with a closing keynote by Box CPO Jeetu Patel, who will announce new tools and capabilities for Box customers and developers. Participants can engage in live chats and have the chance to win prizes like a DJI Phantom 3 Standard Drone or Bose QuietComfort Wireless headphones.

In October 2017, Gartner published its inaugural Magic Quadrant report for Content Services Platforms (CSP), redefining the scope from the previous Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems and evaluating vendors on vision and execution. Box was recognized in the Visionary quadrant, distinguishing itself as one of two vendors that appeared in both the Content Services and Content Collaboration Platforms quadrants, alongside Microsoft. This reflects a market shift towards cloud-based content management, driven by the need for better collaboration, user experience, and integration across business applications. Traditional ECM systems are being supplanted by CSPs that offer innovative features such as robust APIs, mobile capabilities, and enhanced security and compliance. Box has been instrumental in this shift, with notable implementations by organizations like the FDA and Metropolitan Police Service of London, leveraging Box for improved collaboration, infrastructure modernization, and secure content management. At its annual conference, BoxWorks, the company announced new offerings like Box Skills, Box Graph, and Box Relay, which integrate machine learning to enhance content management and streamline workflows, further cementing Box's leadership in the cloud content management space.