April 2020 Summaries

The International Rescue Committee (IRC), a humanitarian aid organization, has effectively managed the shift to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic by leveraging cloud-based technology and infrastructure developed over several years. Spearheaded by Chief Innovation Officer Madeleine (Em) Fackler, the IRC had already implemented tools like Box, Salesforce, and Workday to support its global workforce, allowing a seamless transition to remote operations in over 40 countries and 20 U.S. cities. This foresight, coupled with productivity tools such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom, enabled the IRC to continue providing essential services and maintain social connectivity among its staff. The transition has highlighted the potential for reduced travel and reliance on in-person meetings, indicating a shift toward remote work as a sustainable model even post-pandemic.

As financial services companies transition to remote work, many face challenges in maintaining seamless collaboration, customer interaction, and security. This shift requires adapting years of manual, in-office processes for remote environments, ensuring productive virtual meetings, and keeping customers informed and supported during market fluctuations. Companies like Box offer solutions such as the Box + Zoom integration for virtual meetings and secure document sharing to facilitate remote operations. To maintain customer trust and minimize security concerns, Box provides tools like device trust and single sign-on (SSO) authentication, enabling employees to securely access and manage critical content from any location. As the remote work trend continues, financial services must adapt to sustain growth by leveraging technology to keep communication with customers and internal productivity high while addressing security needs.

Malware continues to be a prevalent threat to businesses, exacerbated by the shift to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, as highlighted by an FBI warning about increased coronavirus-related cyberattacks. Box is addressing this challenge by introducing new automated malware detection and control capabilities in Box Shield, available to all users by the end of April. Unlike traditional methods that quarantine malicious files and disrupt workflow, Box's solution allows users to safely preview and even edit potentially harmful files online without compromising security. When malware is detected, Box Shield automatically labels the file as malicious, restricts downloads, and generates detailed alerts for security and IT teams, enhancing their ability to respond swiftly. These enhancements build on Box Shield's existing features that identify suspicious user behavior and protect against data theft, supporting businesses in maintaining secure remote work environments. The new capabilities are set to be widely available to Box Shield customers by May, with demonstrations and additional information accessible through Box representatives.

Box has been awarded the Google Cloud Technology Partner of the Year Award for Productivity and Collaboration, reflecting its successful partnership with Google Cloud, which began in 2016. This collaboration has led to enhanced integrations with G Suite, including Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, allowing businesses to securely manage and collaborate on content. The integration supports remote work by providing modern, flexible tools for seamless communication and productivity. Additionally, Box offers developers and system integrators opportunities to leverage AI through Box Skills and Google Cloud’s machine learning, facilitating the extraction of insights from data. Google Cloud's Corporate Vice President, Kevin Ichhpurani, praised Box for enhancing digital collaboration, and both companies look forward to further strengthening their partnership to meet the growing demand for cloud-based solutions.

The "Remote for Real" series by Box executives explores the challenges and adaptations required for organizations to transition to remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights the necessity for businesses, educational institutions, and government agencies to adopt a virtual-first model, testing IT infrastructure, business processes, and human capital. To support this transition, Box offers resources, including best practices and training, while emphasizing the importance of secure and compliant digital transformation. The text suggests enhancing virtual desktops, cloud-based collaboration, and content management solutions to maintain productivity and security. It also addresses the complexities faced by government agencies in managing records and citizen-facing services remotely, recommending a focus on essential functions and the use of cloud platforms for service delivery. The series encourages leaders to embrace new technologies and strategies to ensure resilience and operational efficiency during such unprecedented times, with Box offering support and expertise to facilitate these changes.

Box and Okta have expanded their longstanding collaboration with the introduction of Okta Workflows and a Box Connector, as announced at Oktane2020 Live. This integration allows businesses to enhance their Box deployments with Okta’s identity management features such as single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and account provisioning, while also automating complex identity-centric processes without any coding. Okta Workflows offers pre-built templates that simplify the automation of business processes, like user account creation and file transfers in Box, improving both productivity and security. The Box Connector supports integration with other applications like Slack, Zoom, and Salesforce, enabling seamless coordination across platforms. Box’s comprehensive set of Events and Actions for Okta Workflows allows for efficient, secure content access and management, reducing the need for manual tasks and custom coding. This development promises further productivity and security enhancements as the partnership progresses.