Box launched as a “freemium” cloud storage service back in 2005. Since then the cloud service has made great strides, the cloud storage service has branched out into various sections of the cloud computing landscape.

Considered as one of the best cloud storage services, it offers a plethora of options for workflow oversight, data control & permissions, and compliance. For organizations looking to enforce process automation on tasks like file storage and sharing, Box (for Business) is worth looking into.

Overview of Box || Box Review

The Box is one of the more mature and advanced options in business cloud storage services. It expands the range of capabilities above and beyond simple well-guarded cloud storage and file distribution by including essential synchronization and collaboration features.

The service is also reasonably priced for what it offers and is well-designed to accommodate teams of various sizes. For a cloud storage service that started as a college student’s pet project, Box has substantially grown. Its inclusion of collaboration and file-sharing tools with other business-friendly features has made it one of the best business cloud storage options to opt for streamlining operations.

Box offers important business regulatory and compliance features besides workflow automation and password policy enforcement for mid-tier businesses to large-scale enterprises. There is a high chance that one of the price plans of Box will help you do most of your organization’s requirements. Keeping the Box adds immense value to your organization by providing a sufficient amount of storage as well as an unlimited number of users. The strong cloud storage service falls short on several fronts. For example, you cannot view and alter different kinds of documents where a number of its contemporaries will give you that ability.

In this Box review, we will inspect the features offered by the strong cloud storage service. And check where the service stands out and falls short.

How to get started? || Box Review

Signing up on Box is very simple. Just enter your contact details, billing information, and then confirm through email. When you log in for the first time, you are given a complete walkthrough of the features. The cloud storage service offers a self-paced online training system too.

Upon your first usage, Box will give you an overview of shared folders and show you how you can invite users, upload files, and folders. And if you are using a trial version, it will display a shot clock at the top of your dashboard that will tell you the remaining time in your trial period. However, the Box offers a free version too that you can check out.

After that, you go through a series of guided setups, beginning with a branding module, where you can place your logo and choose a color scheme that suits your brand. From there onwards you will learn about the ins and outs of creating files and folders, incorporating users one by one or in bulk. It also shows you how to create user groups.

Feature Overview || Box Review

Box packs a one-two punch with a simple and easy-to-learn design and vital business functionalities. Here are some of the most notable features of the Box.

• Document sharing and collaboration
  

  When you are preparing to commence collaboration activities – Box will let you view and add annotations on MS Word documents (only for business versions).
  But there is a limitation to the sharing feature and that is you can not edit a document. You will have to open the document on your PC or in MS Word Online (whose plugin is included) for that. With both the methods you can save your changes and close the file, the version stored on Box will update itself automatically.

  The cloud storage service also lets you lock a file and upload a new version or move it or copy it. Strangely, sometimes when you try to open a Microsoft Word file on a desktop, it will not detect any program on your PC that could open it even if you have MS Office installed on your PC.

  Like Google Drive for Workplaces, you can share folders and documents, Box offers the same features but it also expands upon this massively. You can customize the URL, set up password requirements, set link expiration dates, and even allow or block downloading. You can share these links via email, or get the code to embed the link onto your website. The Box plugin can help you share directly from the document.

  Also, the person you will share your document with will have to sign up for a Box account, in case they don’t already have one. Furthermore, if you are inviting users to work on a folder, then you can manage permissions for editing, viewing, etc. Conveniently, shared users can automatically accept the invitations. For registered users of the Box, you can share all the files and folders in one go. Plus, they can benefit more if they have a premium version.  If you want to share documents with external users through links, you will have to do it through a public link. The public link only allows users to view the document unless they log in.

  In case you want to synchronize the client, it works conveniently in most cases. As of recent updates, the Box has seen a lot of performance improvements. Despite that, if you try to send a large number of files, the sync client will stop working on occasions. However, Box does recommend that there is no internal limit, that users limit transfers to 100k files at a time. However, this seems to be an unlikely scenario in practical situations.

  With the addition of DM and storage, you can create annotations called “Box Notes” and share them with other Box users. This feature is also provided to the users as well who can edit, add notes, and pass the file as per requirements. You can also add a checklist and images into the Box.

•  Integration and security
  

  Integration plays another key part in why the Box is considered one of the best business cloud storage services in the market. It is massively integrated with the cloud application ecosystem. Some of the biggest industry names such as Trello, Adobe, Slack, MobileIron, Webex, and Splunk are easily integrable in the Box. It also has tight integration with MS Office, and even facilitates easy collaboration in the web version of Office 365.

  In addition to that, your organization’s home developers can utilize the readily available APIs (Application Programming Interface) to build custom apps that can access data from Box securely and reliably.

  Box uses SSL for the transportation of data to and from the service point. 256-bit AES encryption is used to encrypt the user data, which means the data is secure even when not used. The Box also meets a number of industry safety requirements such as ISO 27001, SOC1, ISO 27018, FedRAMP, and PCI DSS. And if you are running a medical establishment do not worry because Box is also HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliant since April 2013.

  Box has recently introduced an option for encryption keys that can be managed by customers, which is a great measure to boost user privacy. Their Enterprise Key Management works exceptionally well, but its lack of safeguarding privacy leaves room for improvement. However, it does ensure that you have a completely detailed audit log of where and when your data is accessed and assurance that your data cannot be accessed without your information.

  Lastly, the Box also works with native Microsoft Active Directory (AD) integration via an easily installed mobile app.

• A streamlined and intuitive user interface
  

  The Box UI has been completely overhauled since its inception. The old UI was simplistic and uncluttered and the new UI is even a further development on its predecessor. It is very smooth and is way more dynamic. The current design is similar to other business cloud storage and file-sharing platforms that follow a similar file-system or discoverer-like interface.

  On the left-hand side, you will see the menu bar from where you can access all the files. Here you will further see categorical subdivisions for synced, recent, and trash, The names speak for themselves. Below that you will find Box’s in-built Notes application, which lets you create a note, meeting, agendas, project plans, project status, calendar, or newsletters. Users can select from preset templates or create personalized templates.

  “Files” is the option where almost all the users will be spending their time and there is a myriad of ways to access files and folders. There is a conveniently placed search bar along with quick access to the folder arrangement, this makes it easier to search embedded files and folders. Personally, the search bar seems to be the fastest and most clear-cut way to hunt for files, additions like metadata and content filter only help to speed up the process.

  The admin console provides the managers with all the insights on the active users as well as the real-time storage use. Plus, there is a grainy analysis of top third-party applications, top file types, and even charts of hourly activities.  The admin console provides access to users and groups, governance, accounts and billing, reports, and enterprise settings.

  There is an offline access mode for the Box as well. It is pretty similar in design. Similar to the web version it has a left-hand side dashboard where you can access all your files, favorites, desktop synced files, collaborators, messages, and the admin console.
  Box’s user interface is crisp and clean. There is no space for ambiguity left for users as everything is laid out in front of your eyes.

Pricing of the Box || Box Review

Box comes in two different plans, i.e., one for individuals & teams, and the other for businesses. For this review, we will consider the business plan.

1. The business plan at $15 per month (billed annually)
2. Business Plus plan at $25 per month (billed annually)
3. Enterprise plan at $35 per month (billed annually)
4. Enterprise Plus plan is fully customizable and prices are available through quotation.

Pros and Cons of using Box || Box Review

Box comes with a host of options that help businesses streamline their file sharing and storage options by leveraging the cloud.

Here are some key advantages of using Box

1. A flexible and simple file-sharing platform.
2. Immense integration library
3. Two-factor authentication
4. Can add passwords to the link for further protection
5. Customer-driven encryption keys for an added layer of privacy

And now some drawbacks:

1. Upon usage, one will realize the 5 GB for initial plans is not very functional. There are certainly organizations that are small in size but require a heavy data storage space on the cloud. Flexibility in data storage capacity will be much appreciated.

Conclusion || Box Review

Box packs quite a lot of punches in terms of what it offers. But where it falls short is how it goes on to provide. The most often noticed case is no provisions for data storage flexibility. It is pretty stringent in how it operates and what is cloud storage capability if not for its flexibility. Plus you can always check it out on the trial version, so there are very few issues on that front.

The best cloud storage service offers a mobile application too for you to access and send files and documents from anywhere. And lastly, the integrations are very helpful. It is recommended to use as a starter tool but organizations that are looking for higher-level solutions can look for other options.