Box Software

Box for personal or office digital storage

Box continues to amaze and survive given the steep competition out there. Its main selling point for us is the boost in confidence as regards its super security features and data loss prevention.

Pros

There are many things to love about Box. For one, its Business plans come with unlimited storage! We started out with Free just to try it, then moved to Starter then Business (as we needed more than 10 users on board). It's worth it esp for small to medium-sized businesses looking for a secure place for storage with tons of extra features for both admin and security.

The 5GB upload is enough for the big multimedia and other iso/archive files we have.

For our admin, the integration with our Active Directory saved us from having to require our users to create/maintain an extra account (user/password) for Box. We are also proud to announce to our team about its security features like SSL, encryption, and even two-factor authentication for the meticulous.
Although​ we haven't had the need for the DLP (Data Loss Prevention) that Box advertises, we are happy that this is part of our subscription and gives a little extra boost of confidence with our files.

The corporate logo can also be incorporated into the platform to make it personalized according to your company's branding scheme.

Box also offers a ton of possible integrations. So far what we use are integrations with Google Suite (e.g., docs), Salesforce (CRM), and MS Office 365. This makes it easy for users​ to create content is our usual platforms and then easily save and manage them in Box.

Cons

We have quite a number of staff who already use other online storage platforms (Dropbox, Google Drive). Note that Non-Box users can only access files as Read-Only... in which case our people really had to be forced to create an account for edit purposes and collaboration.

Easy file sharing from desk, laptop, phone...

I love Box and tell everyone I interview about Box. We are a 70% remote group and depend on Box for sharing information and collaborating on projects. Applicants ask, "How do you manage a dispersed work force?" and "How do people maintain a sense of team?" "Box," I say, "is a big component."

Pros

1. Sharing files is simple, no matter who you want to share with and no matter from what device. You can share a document with someone inside or outside of the organization without giving up control of the document. No need for someone outside of the organization to upload any software in order to access the shared document.
2. As an HR professional I find Box to be a great tool for collaborating with hiring managers. I set up a system for resume sorting that allows hiring managers to see just those resumes selected for their review, and allows the manager to move the candidates ahead in the hiring process, or not, as desired. I can then take action based on their actions in Box. It's very efficient. As a small business we do not need expensive, extensive stand-alone software for applicant tracking. Box allows us to record our decision making process
3. Largely intuitive, but in case you need a bit of help, the webinars and how-to videos are very easy to follow.
4. I can access, read and send documents from my phone. Very helpful for those moments at the beach when you realize you forgot to send a document to your boss. It's happened.

Cons

1. I work mostly from an old Mac. I find some of the interface less smooth than from my PC. For example, when I create a Word doc within Box while using my Mac, the Mac defaults to Text Edit instead of Word. I suspect that's user error, though.

Box - a secure, collaborative platform for all connected users

I've been been a Box customer for about four years. During that time we've gone from a limited POC to a large scale international rollout. We've found Box to be very responsive both from a support standpoint and in terms of listening to their customers regarding features and needs. The primary reason we initially chose Box was because of the outstanding security framework which was at the core of the initial offering and continues to be a key focus for Box. The management and governance features allowed us to roll it out to a geographically diverse group of employees with the assurance that their data would be secure and would remain secure. Our initial need was to centrally replicate data from an international location. Based on the success of that POC, we've been able to replicate that success in a number of international locations and delay or eliminate the need for physical systems and storage that had previously been a part of our technology deployment.

Pros

Security is still my favorite feature - I have the confidence that our data is secure and will remain secure. Box meets a number of US based and international security regulations and data compliance requirements, Box makes governance and compliance easy.
Notifications based on file changes or folder changes have allowed us to create "instant workflows" to quickly move data from a variety of locations in the hands of a number of users. This has allowed us to create a system where data is not only securely stored, but able to be quickly acted upon by a geographically diverse group of staff.
Rolling Box seats out to new users is easy, and Box makes a wide variety of training materials available to its users to help them leverage the features.

Cons

There's not much to dislike - the feature set is good and continues to grow. If there is a downside, it is that - like all cloud based solutions - connectivity is required, and that can sometimes be a challenge for my organization is some of the remote international locations where we work.

Solid enterprise tool with surprising productivity and innovation gains

I run Box for over 100K users in a large university. Box is built for the enterprise. It has very solid security, good user management and an extremely small support footprint. There are consumer tools that might beat Box on some individual features, but cannot hold a candle to Box when held up to the needs and realities of a large enterprise. Box is platform and vendor agnostic. It has solid mobile apps and 3rd party integrations. The API is strong and improving all the time. Box can be the content layer for both internal and externally-facing applications. We signed on to Box to bring our IP back in from consumer tools. It has largely accomplished that but it has additional surprising results. We've seen some very creative innovations in research collaboration, teaching and administration. The productivity gains have been far greater than expected. Box is a bit of a paradigm shift for users. Those who never ventured into consumer cloud tools such as Dropbox need to learn about basic cloud concepts of where their data is backed up. IT professionals need to get their heads around Box's permission model as well as deal with the loss of direct user management and support. Having said that, the overall support footprint is startling low. We average 5 technical tickets a week on Box for over 100K users. Most of our support time is on training and consulting to help users get the most out of the tools Box provides. The bottom line is that Box has proven to be very solid and flexible. Our users have really taken it and run with it.

Pros

Strong security. Data ownership model. Flexibility of collaboration and sharing options. Platform and vendor agnostic. Good administrative controls. Reasonably good reporting. Reasonably good APIs. Ease of use for end users. It's been great watching the creativity and innovation of the users. They've found ways to do things with Box we never imagined when we signed on.

Cons

The desktop sync is different than and technically inferior to that of Dropbox, the consumer tool most users are familiar with in this space. We anticipate this change when Box for Desktop is released in 2017. We'd also like to see the maximum file size increase. I'd like to see improvements in the administrative reporting. Many users have trouble getting their head around Box's waterfall permission model, particularly IT professionals. It's different than what they are used to. It ads an impediment to the retirement of NFS.

Box

All in all, Box has proven substantially beneficial for the university and for faculty to access materials of a general nature in a more efficient way and though I have not seen the actual numbers myself, I suspect that offloading all of the staff time and energy that went into maintaining and training people to monitored those previous on-campus servers was a price efficient move as well. Equally important in a time of fiscal belt-tightening.

Pros

My university decided to replace its archaic system of various collective departmental, college, and institution drives and servers with Box. It is a thousand times easier to access from a variety of locations, at almost any time, using almost any communicative medium you wish to employ. In the 21st century the modern mobile educational facility and educator lives and dies on the capacity to not just amass data and research and information but also to retrieve and manipulate it at remote locales in a secure, rapid way.

Cons

The biggest challenge is that Box has, like many modern softwares, engineered a number of plug ins. I have found that the reliability and functionality of these varies. for example, the general BoxSync application works perfectly but then there is a Box application for Windows 8 and another for Windows 10 which are "store apps" which are not as good at syncing and it is possible you might have both kinds of applications on your machine and that is rather confusing for the user since they have different interfaces and the syncing between them is not as transparent as one might expect. There is a page of these plugins and their descriptions overlap substantially and so it's not always clear which application you should employ in conjunction with your general Box.

I use Box for department and personal document storage through manual uploads, emails, and syncing.

With this product, I can securely save and store my documents. They can be accessed from anywhere. I can share them with colleagues and setup folders with access for multiple users. Through our reporting software, I can easily email documents to Box folders to be uploaded.

Pros

I like the versatility for uploading and downloading files. Files can be uploaded by dragging them into the folder in a web browser. You can also allow them to be uploaded through email. When this is activated, a unique email address is created. Any attachments in emails sent to that address are uploaded to that folder. We use our reporting software to send reports to these folders. Within this folder, uniquely named documents can replace existing ones or be added in addition to the original.
Files can also be uploaded through synced folders. I use this to store all of my work documents. Any file in this folder is synced with the online folder.
The Box files can easily be accessed from any web browser or through the mobile app. Ours is placed behind our firewall. With the mobile app, you can also create offline versions of documents for easy access without internet access.
Downloading can be completed easily though the app or online. Individual files can be downloaded one at a time or en mass as a zip file.

Cons

I am pretty happy with this product. The only thing that I would prefer is the ability to download multiple files at once as separate files instead of being downloaded as a zip file.

Enabling mobility, collaboration, and delivering that securely.

There are many services if you are looking for a place to dump data. But what makes Box the best, are all the features that they layer on top of that. Collaboration, sync, edit, Office integration, great mobile apps, policies, preview, workflows, automations, and more. At my company we have been able to leverage many of these features to meet specific needs of our end users that we would not have been able to easily meet with our existing resources or traditional platforms. We have been able to really leverage the platform to enable our users to gather data all over the world on almost any platform and then have staff anywhere else in the world act on that data. This has increased our response time tremendously over traditional platforms like email and FTP. Box can really be a tool in your tool chest that can solve many problems.

Pros

The features I have found to be most helpful over other cloud storage platforms are:

1) Collaboration just not that it exists, but it is easy and user friendly. Allowing data that is necessary to be worked on to be brought to the surface

2) Security focus on compliance, encryption, enterprise grade management

3) 3rd Party Integrations allowing for Box to truly be a platform to be used with other software.

4) Mobile apps, very strong and easy to use

Cons

There are still some management features I would like to see improved, giving more control to IT. There is a good bit here, but could use a bit more.

What the cloud pros use...

Box is the best of breed cloud system in the EFSS (Gartner) space. The natural progression from startup to unicorn company is: 1. Google Drive (max free space) but applications are worthless for Accountants, 2. OneDrive (comes with O365 but doesn't play well with others like NetSuite and SFDC) and need a SharePoint site managed/integrated to get real value 3. Dropbox (great customer features but doesn't play well with others and lacks unlimited storage) 4. Box --best of breed but not the cheapest

Pros

1. Enterprise Edition with unlimited storage plan costs roughly $35/month. For a mature organization spending a large amount on servers/admins for those servers, this is very affordable.
2. Ability to model sharing between departments is priceless. Literally changes the way an organization behaves with information sharing if configured properly (silo killer).
3. Customer service is second to none.
4. Native integration with other cloud apps that charge additional fees for storage quotas. This includes NetSuite, SFDC and Workfront and many more.
5. MetaSearch on Enterprise allows granular searching. Every time someone has ever used a single word is indexed -- INSIDE the documents stored.

Cons

1. More of a learning curve for users because of more features.
2. More robust administrative functionality also requires more learning.
3. Not the cheapest cloud solution out there - but you get what you pay for.

Box in Easy to Use Efficient File Storage Software

Pros

Box is used by everybody in the company for a very easy to use file storage system. The company is 100+ employees in the construction industry. We store each project in its own specific folder with everything related in this. This makes my life easier by being able to pull up blueprints or files from any device I am on. I work out of 4 different locations and so local storage would not be possible for this.

Box is easily integrated onto your desktop for localized access on the computer. Anytime you make a change from your computer it will update the files in the cloud. We have over 20 people that access the files for the project and we are able to assign roles to anybody accessing the files. Some might be only able to open the files and other we can allow editing of the documents.

Share large files is as simple as right-clicking and copying a link for the file location. You do not need to go through the web portal in order to share folders or documents.

Box is probably one of the best enterprise level cloud storage solutions for a business.

Cons

I wish to allow the administrator to have a log of changes and able to temporarily access deleted files. I sometimes have people make mistakes or changes and it would be useful to see who moved a file or deleted a file. However, it does show you the last user to save a file just not a log of deleted documents. I have also had a worker delete important documents that we were not able to retrieve on an administrator level.

A very viable cloud platform

I use Box heavily to share folders with clients, and to store/transfer files from outside locations to my local desktops. I've been with the company since the beginning and the platform has proven entirely stable for my business needs.

Pros

First off - let me say that I was a very early adopter of the Box platform, and I was grandfathered in with 25GB free storage. That said, I am not on a paid plan which is why I didn't comment on the pricing. I can say that the pricing is on par with the rest of the industry. I will also stick to commenting on the free version - which lacks some of the paid features. The Box Drive sync client works very well. I have seamless access to my files on all of my devices. I am able to share files and folders with ease. It is a very stable cloud platform in my opinion. As for the paid options - I believe that they work as advertised, and I've watched the platform evolve and mature over time to be a competitive with the other providers. Some of their partnerships are better by far than the others.

Cons

Honestly - from the free version standpoint - the biggest issue I had was when they migrated from the simple sync client to the Box Drive client. That actually proved to be more difficult than it should have. I also lost some features that I had with the sync client - due to me being on the free version.

Box has been an amazing tool for us to use as a way to share files across teams and with partners.

We managed to get more information out to other staff members who were unable to access the old Physical File Server that was located in one specific office. The level of collaboration between teams and offices has increased immensely since the implementation. Our adoption rate and daily usage are some of the highest, compared to some of our other tools.

Pros

The security structure is great and very flexible. You can create various structures for all sorts of use cases.

The integrations are also great. With so many partners from Microsoft to Google, we are able to create new ways to stitch our software together. Shoutout to HelloFax for being awesome!

Box Notes has been amazing as well. Everyone has users using GDocs, even if you're not officially using it in your organization. This has effectively replaced at least the Document component. We have a group of users that cannot get enough of Box Notes.

The new UI plus the training materials are great. Way better than most other competitors. As is the support. They are happy to help in any way possible. We've been recommending Box to other non-profits as a great solution to replacing the outdated File Server.

Cons

The inability to share individual documents to non-registered users for editing. This is probably the #1 driver for some of our users wanting to use GDrive or OneDrive.

File Sharing Tool - one of the top options

We use box on a daily basis for our records retention and file sharing. We are able to individually control access down to individual folders which is extremely important when it comes to logical access control. Box prides itself on its encryption of files and offers multi-factor authentication.

Pros

The file sharing capabilities. I love the fact that there is a Box sync solution that can be utilized which allows individuals to seamlessly work on documents as they would from their desktop, without having to be within a web browser or something equivalent. Saving the files is simple, and depending on the file size and internet speed, the syncing of files is pretty quick. If multiple people are working on the same file, a duplicate version will be created. If a file is accidentally deleted, there is a window where you can restore the file - no more lost files!

Cons

I have have had issues with syncing certain files which cause me to restart the program, or my computer, or overall spend some time troubleshooting the root cause. When working as it should be, Box sync is an excellent solution. As a side note, many work environments specifically block the use of file sharing software, so Box might need to be whitelisted prior to using.

Best cloud / file storage

Pros

I'ved used Box, dropbox, OneDrive, and many other cloud based file storage systems for many years. Box is -- hands down -- the best application for three big reasons. The first is that Box has many built in features for SSO, management, archiving, search, and integrations that are very well suited to large scale enterprise implementations to replace client/server file systems. The second is that Box has amazing integrations (pre-built). Some of my favorites are email based notifications and submit (drop in) files via email. Not that I used them for email itself, but they are great to build automation with. The third is Box's API which is super easy to use.

Cons

The one thing I never liked about Box is that when a corp IT team includes someone to have read access (or other access) to a folder, it always shows up. Box should have user features that allow the user to hide content that is shared with with, but which they don't want or need to see. Clearly one of the huge problems of massive file collections is finding the right data. I think their search, sort, and filter technologies could really use a lot of help here.

Box.com solves for many enterprise problems

As an Enterprise account administrator for around 6k users, I'm continually impressed with the pace and quality of improvements as well as the huge feature set Box already has. Box provides much more than simple file sharing, it also allows for automation and integration with existing workflows, the creation of new and more efficient processes, and the replacement of several dissimilar products we were using.

Pros

The Box web app and the Box Sync/Box Edit software are intuitive and easy for the new user to pick up quickly. For more experienced users, workflows can be designed and used to increase the efficiency and decrease the problems associated with file servers and other file sharing services. The Box API provides those who are inclined to develop applications a standard, with well documented features and flexibility that securely allow access to content and metadata.

Cons

The desktop applications Box Sync and Box Edit occasionally are impacted by Windows policies (IE permissions generally), which is not the fault of Box, just something to keep in mind when deploying to users. The administrator GUI search function for files is indiscriminate and doesn't allow for more complex searching.

Box has streamlined our business !! Great file sharing and collaboration software.

Since it's very easy to manage the files s stored on Box through their web interface, I am able to concentrate on other projects in the office. In addition, it has taken the burden off our email server as we no longer need to email large files and only send the link to those files or folders via email.

Pros

Security and Ease of use !! Every file you store with Box is encrypted using AES 256-bit encryption. In addition, the Box user interface makes it easy to share out and collaborate folders with specific permissions. You can easily see which collaborator (customer) has opened a specific file by running a report. Reliable file sharing....We have given all our field technicians access to a wealth of information that would normally have been emailed to them upon request and they are able to access Box directly from their tablets to access this info. This has streamlined our business and has made it easy for us to collaborate our reports with others. We have tried other file sharing sites and Box has worked perfectly for our needs.

Cons

I think the reporting on the back end needs to be improved. Other than that, we have no other complaints.

Daily tasks made easy!

Quick communication between departments that allow for expedited patient care. The software is easy to use and functions quickly. This software is HIPPA compliant, which allows for a safe environment for us to deal with patient records.

Pros

I love how simple this software is to use. I had to begin using it as a new employee having never seen it before. It only took a few days before I felt like an experienced user. We deal with healthcare patients, and privacy and security are our top priority. This sofware provides a safe networking environment where we can discuss patient information in a HIPPA compliant way. I use Box for everything, and I have never had it crash. The information I need to access is always available.
We frequently use the @ feature to signal when another person is mentioned in a task or comment, this allows for quick communication between departments that are sates away. The task feature allows you to set a "due date" which is extremely helpful when we are dealing with time sensitive issues.

Cons

Some of the document views are difficult to maneuver. For example, when there is a comment you wish to delete from a document, the toggle is not visible until you hover over comment name. I would rather have everything visible than to have to discover them by accident.

Great file storage for desktop, with a few hiccups

We use Box every day within our organization to back up and sync all of our work files. We also use Box to send large files and folders to clients with the private sharing function

Pros

The web interface for Box is great. Very easy to use and navigate. Managing files from the Android/iOS apps is also very well put together.

One of the small features we like the most is the automatic file version numbering when overwriting an existing file on your Box. It's a nice touch that keeps track of how many revisions we've done on any specific file/design.

Overall, the download/upload speeds are great, and web application is also fantastic, and the pricing is competitive for the industry.

Cons

I wish I could review the box web application and Box desktop applications separately, because they're vastly different experiences. The Box Desktop Sync (Windows) is often pretty buggy, and refuses to sync files randomly. We've been having a number of connection issues, only to learn that Box has said they won't be supporting this version of the app, and all users have to move to the new Box Drive app. It's all very confusing.

Reliable collaboration in the Cloud

I'm a fan! So the pros outweigh the cons, and Box seems to always be active working toward improving their product. I've implemented Box Business/Enterprise for three companies, and users definitely benefited from the collaborative system, even when using only the base features.

Pros

The Box platform works, and does what it says it will do. Live online training is especially helpful for bringing on new users, and there are numerous pre-recorded tutorials and white papers. No excuses for users to not understand how the platform works. System is flexible for businesses needing to meet international security, medical compliance, etc.

Cons

Navigating all admin options can be a little daunting. The default settings are probably 'right' for Enterprise users, but for a small business I had to invest a little time with tech support to get the settings right so that my users couldn't make changes that affected the monthly cost. The Box business (from their sales, support, features) are strongly designed for large customers, not for a freelancer working with clients (examples: minimum 3 users, automated 'Relay' workflows Enterprise only.)

Box does what you expect it to do, but not the best option out there.

If you have a business and security is a concern, then Box will be a very good choice. So you better ask yourself the following questions: Is security important to you? It's very important to understand how your users will be working in order to decide if Box is going to be the best option to you.

Pros

Box is one of the most popular tools in Content Management solutions on the cloud. What makes Box one of the biggest? Definitely Security is Box's strength. Additionally I really like the cross - functional team work capability. Overall, a pretty good tool if you want your documents to be synchronized at work, being able to collaborate with your team work and be sure that all your documents are safe.

Cons

The biggest weakness of Box will be the user experience. If you compare Box with its biggest competitors like Dropbox, you will see a huge difference regarding user experience. Box is not so intuitive when I use it in my day to day work. Although Box is already trying to improve this, it's still behind their competitors. Additionally, I will say that Box can improve some user management features as well.

Best File Storage/Sharing Utility That Integrates with Canvas

Integration with Canvas is a huge benefit. Box's security is probably the best for its intended use. Box is also very simple to use. I love how the sync tool just works seamlessly in the background.

Pros

I love its integration with Canvas. It is the best file sharing/storage service that integrates with Canvas. We have Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive integrated with our instance of Canvas as all, and Box stands head and shoulders above those. The security is top-notch and the ease of use is great. Users can access their box content through their Canvas profile page. Teachers can enable Box use at the course level, and share Box content directly in an assignment or information page. The Box preview window is amazing as well. It allows you to preview pretty much any file type. It also has a new Microsoft Office plugin that allows you to work on a file locally on your machine and save it directly to your Box account without storing the file on your machine and syncing it.

Cons

Box doesn't allow its sync tool to be used on beta OS environments like a beta version of macOS. It kind of sucks having to wait for the general release of an operating system just because you're dependent on a file-storage service.