Box And IBM Enter Major Cloud Partnership To Integrate Services

Box and IBM say their new partnership will transform the way businesses work in the cloud by combining the former’s content collaboration platform with the latter’s expertise in analytics and security, along with its global cloud footprint.

This, the partners claim, will bring content stored on Box into more business processes, with IBM Watson and other analytical tools helping customers in any number of industries gain additional insight from their assets.

“The impact will be felt by experts and professionals in industries such as healthcare, financial services, law, and engineering who are overwhelmed by today’s digital data and seek better solutions to manage large volumes of information more intelligently and securely,” said Bob Picciano, senior vice president, IBM Analytics.

Partnered Up

In addition to the analytical capabilities, Box customers will now be able to store content on the IBM Cloud network, giving them control over which jurisdiction their data is held, while content will be protected by IBM’s security tools. Box will be integrated into IBM’s business email and social collaboration platforms and the firm’s global consulting arm will help customers integrate Box into their business.

“Our unique area of expertise at Box is providing next-generation content management and collaboration that delivers an incredible experience for individuals, while meeting the needs of the largest of enterprises,” said Box CEO Aaron Levie. “But there are many core technologies that our customers leverage to get work done.

“Some are other productivity suites, like Microsoft Office, and others are rich platforms that serve as the backbone of a company, powering their most critical workflows. IBM has long held this position in large enterprises, serving industries like healthcare, financial services, retail, energy, education, and more.

Integrated cloud

“We’re taking the best of Box’s technology and combining it with IBM’s impressive portfolio of leading security, analytics, content management, and social capabilities to jointly create all new offerings and outcomes for customers.”

Both companies have entered into high profile partnerships over the past month, most notably IBM with Apple and Box with Microsoft, and this latest relationship will see IBM and Box work together on the creation of new products and services.

IBM will use Box for its MobileFirst iOS apps and will allow developers to use Box APIs on the Bluemix developer cloud.

“The integration of IBM and Box technologies, combined with our global cloud capabilities and the ability to enrich content with analytics, will help unlock actionable insights for use across the enterprise,” added Picciano.

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